Post office struggles with staffing as holiday season ramps up

Postmaster resigns and contract driver service interrupted 

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

It looks like lines at the post office are not on a path to shortening this holiday season. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) office located on Elk Avenue has suffered the resignation of it’s postmaster this week, and drivers are also on short supply. The USPS says there is a temporary fill in for the manager, the drivers will be back and running in short order—but the ultimate solution is for more prospective local employees to step up.  

Word spread quickly around Crested Butte on Tuesday that the postmaster had left her position after having been there for about six months, and that two contract workers who provide delivery to cluster mailboxes at Skyland and Crested Butte South have also stopped providing that service while some kinks are worked out with their contract company. 

James Boxrud, USPS communications strategist, confirmed the situation on Wednesday and said the management position is being covered for now.  

“We are currently covering Crested Butte with postmasters from Divide and Florissant. We are working with the contract delivery driver and expect a speedy resolution and that there will be no further service interruptions,” he said.

“Our workforce, like others, is not immune to the human impacts of the ongoing coronavirus and the national labor shortage. We are currently down three clerk positions in Crested Butte. We will continue flexing our available resources and augmenting from the surrounding region to help with the workload.

“In Crested Butte we are not fully staffed, we continue flexing our available resources, maximizing our local personnel and augmenting from the surrounding region to help with the workload. We are proud of the efforts of postal employees in Colorado and the nation, as they define essential public service every day,” said Boxrud.

Boxrud said the USPS has ongoing hiring needs, and locals willing to apply to the open positions are sorely needed. 

“We are actively hiring throughout Colorado to include our mountain communities.  We have numerous positions available in almost all of Colorado and we encourage all interested applicants to visit USPS.com/careers. These are great jobs that can quickly lead to career opportunities with full benefits, including paid annual and sick leave, holiday pay, health care, retirement, and other benefits.”

Other positions are also available including mail handler assistant, mail processing clerk, and more, said Boxrud. Job postings are updated weekly. 

To apply: Go to usps.com/careers, click on “Search Jobs,” select “Colorado,” click “Start,” then click on the link for the appropriate job. A general overview of USPS employment requirements, specific
job requirements, and hourly pay is available at the
website.