UP Rep. Jack Bergman

Editors Note: This is the first of a two-part series on mail disruptions in the western Upper Peninsula.

HOUGHTON — In response to constituents’ appeals to his office, U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner, dated Jan. 20, expressing concern at the state of mail service in the western Upper Peninsula, particularly in the Iron Mountain and Kingsford communities.

“My office continues to hear from constituents who are experiencing significant delays and other disruptions in mail delivery across the area,” Bergman wrote, adding the delays are preventing the timely delivery of essential, time-sensitive mail.

“The impacts are particularly acute at the turn of the calendar year, when households and businesses depend on prompt receipt and processing of mailed items that carry firm deadlines,” he wrote, “such as utility bills, payments, business licenses, and other financial documents.”

Bergman, co-chair of the Congressional Postal Service Caucus, requested that USPS review current mail service conditions affecting Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula and provide his office a report within 30 days of receipt of the letter.

He then asked when postal customers in the Iron Mountain and Kingsford area can expect mail delivery to return to normal service standards.

Bergman also stated postal customers who have contacted their local post offices and the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) report being told that, while regular mail is still being delivered, packages are being prioritized until the remaining backlog is addressed.

Constituents also report being told that staffing shortages are limiting delivery capacity. What steps, he asked, is USPS taking locally to address hiring, training, scheduling, and retention needs in these service areas?

“I fully recognize that the U.S. Postal Service has just concluded its busiest season of the year, with elevated holiday package volume, and that some residual backlog may persist into early January,” Bergman wrote. “However, more than two weeks into the new year, constituents in the Iron Mountain and Kingsford regions continue to report prolonged disruptions to regular mail delivery – with some indicating they have not received normal mail service for more than a week.”