Letter To The Editor – P.O. Policies Come From The Top

Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to recent letters complaining about the Stephentown Post Office. There are some facts that must be presented. There is NO ability on the part of local Postmasters to make ANY policy about the conduct of business at a local office, NONE. The local Postal Service is extremely tightly controlled by the government. All of the complaints, such as no local delivery without first going through Albany and no mail to be given out over the counter are NOT local policies; they are Post Office Policy. These policies are not new and have been in place for some time.
My father was a career postal employee in the 1950s. Working for the Post Office then was a demanding tightly controlled job. That doesn’t even begin to compare to the conditions that postal employees face today. I find the local personnel, Sandy and Angela, to be very friendly and always professional. They are under constant scrutiny by their superiors who make sure they do exactly what the postal service demands; no more, no less.
Our Stephentown Post Office handles over 3,000 letters and packages daily and does a first class job. If there are complaints, these complaints are best addressed by communicating with the Postal Service, not letter writing to a local newspaper. The Stephentown postmaster and staff do what they are told and do not have the power to address these complaints.
Bob Saltz
Stephentown