Postal Service says dismantling Portland mail sorting machines is not political

By Kristian Foden-Vencil (OPB)
Aug. 20, 2020 12:13 a.m.

The U.S. Postal Service said the dismantling of sorting machines in Portland has nothing to do with the upcoming general election.

On Tuesday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he would suspend changes at the U.S. Postal Service until after the election to avoid any appearance of voter suppression.

But Portland post office shop steward Lawrence Guarnero said of the 61 sorting machines that were in his office two years ago, only 35 are now working. He’s worried DeJoy’s announcement may be too late.

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“That doesn’t mean they’re going to put those machines back together. It doesn’t mean they’re going to put post boxes back on the street. So my fear is, the damage has already been done,” Guarnero said.

Vice reported Wednesday that post offices across the country have similar concerns that mail sorting capacity has already been damaged.

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“If we don’t have these machines, the post office will shut down for letter mail. Because we are dependent on these machines,” Guarnero said.

USPS spokesman Earnie Swanson said the machines are being dismantled because of declining mail volume.

“The fact that there is a general election coming up here in a few months really has nothing to do with the decisions to make changes in our operations,” Swanson said.

“The Postal Service always looks to improve their operations ... In some cases, we’re taking out older equipment and putting in newer equipment that is more efficient, more high-tech, that sort of thing.”

Last week, President Trump opposed USPS funding, saying he didn’t want to see it used for mail-in voting. That’s raised concerns among Democrats about potential vote suppression.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said DeJoy doesn’t plan to return removed blue mailboxes or sorting equipment. DeJoy is scheduled to testify to the Senate starting Friday.

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