For years, residents across Cullman County have endured inconsistent and unacceptable mail delivery. Nowhere has that frustration been louder than in the 35057 ZIP code.
On nearly every print day, customers call our office to report that their newspaper never arrived.
Some go an entire week without delivery, then drive to the post office themselves only to discover their mail and newspapers have been sitting inside the facility the whole time.
This is not a new problem, and it is not anecdotal.
In August, this newspaper addressed the issue directly in the editorial “USPS cannot pick and choose,” warning that mail service was being deprioritized in favor of package delivery.
In September, we followed with “Thank your carriers; push management for more,” acknowledging improvement while making clear that systemic failures and staffing shortages remained unresolved.
Residents and carriers told a different story than postal management. The pattern has continued.
The issue is not the men and women delivering the mail. Postal workers are being asked to do more than the system allows.
The issue is management priorities and a federal structure that allows essential mail service to fall behind while parcel contracts continue uninterrupted.
One reader came into our office Monday to complain that her husband, a veteran, receives medications through the U.S. Postal Service and that delivery is unreliable at best.
Prescriptions arrive late or not at all. This is not an inconvenience. It is a failure with real consequences.
Federal law is clear on what the Postal Service is required to do.
The United States Constitution grants Congress authority over the postal system. Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 empowers Congress to establish post offices and postal routes. The U.S. Postal Service exists because Congress created it, and Congress retains responsibility for how it functions.
That responsibility was formalized under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, Public Law 91-375, which created the United States Postal Service as an independent establishment of the executive branch while imposing a legal obligation to provide universal service.
That obligation is codified in Title 39 of the United States Code.
Under 39 U.S.C. § 101(a), USPS is required to provide postal services to bind the nation together. Section 101(e) requires service to all communities, rural and urban, without discrimination. Section 403(a) mandates prompt, reliable and efficient delivery of mail.
There is nothing in federal law that authorizes USPS management to choose packages over mail, or Amazon deliveries over prescriptions, newspapers and bills.
If packages are now a major part of daily operations, then staffing must reflect that reality. The solution is not to overburden postal workers and to hire additional employees and establish dedicated package routes.
Nowhere does USPS define itself as a private delivery service, and nowhere does federal law excuse mail delays because of parcel volume.
Oversight of USPS remains firmly in the hands of Congress through the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Financial and service performance is further regulated under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, Public Law 109-435, which established the Postal Regulatory Commission.
This is not a system without rules. It is a system without accountability.
This newspaper has repeatedly raised concerns with Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, regarding postal service failures in Cullman County. Letters have been written. Calls have been made. Residents have spoken.
If the congressman represents this district, it is past time for him to visit the Cullman Post Office, speak directly with carriers and management and report back to the people he serves.
If no visit occurs, it suggests concern stops at the surface.
If an entity is created by the federal government, protected by the federal government and governed by federal law, then it must be regulated by that same government.
The ongoing game of hot potato between USPS leadership and Congress has gone on long enough.
Mail service is not optional. Medications are not optional. Reliable delivery is not a luxury.
How to contact Congressman Robert Aderholt
Cullman District Office
(Office location in Cullman)
Phone: 205-734-0415
Washington, D.C. Office
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4875
Online
Website contact form: https://aderholt.house.gov (residents can submit comments or requests directly)
Below is an open letter to Congressman Aderholt from Tribune Publisher Noah Galilee:
