LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB)Â --Â The federal government is investigating ongoing mail delays in Louisville, and now some U.S. Postal Service employees are raising red flags about what's happening behind the scenes.
Earlier this year, Louisville residents said they waited weeks for bills, letters and packages. Now, employees said conditions inside local mail processing facilities are contributing to the problems.
"... machines break down quite, quite often ... more than a dozen times through the night," said one USPS worker at the Gardiner Lane processing plant in Louisville who wanted to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation. "They have no real remedy to that."
When machines fail, he said the only fix suggested isn't a great one.
"All they do is literally turn the machine off and on like a computer," he said. "And then it starts back up and you just keep going."
The employee described morale as "very low," saying workers come in looking completely drained.
"When people come in, they literally look like they're just done," he said. "They're just exhausted."
Back in January, images captured inside the facility showed bins full of undelivered mail as customer frustration boiled over. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General has since launched four federal audits, including one at the Gardiner Lane facility. Audits are also being conducted at branches in Pleasure Ridge Park, Middletown and Iroquois Station.
The results of those audits are expected to be released in June.
The employee in Louisville said USPS recently hired between 50 and 75 new workers but he believes it hasn't solved the problem.
"Now we're working six days a week," he said. "So they're spending more money on overtime."
He added while mail volume has slowed recently, and overtime has decreased, the core issues remain.
USPS wouldn't confirm how many employees have been hired in Louisville, only stating that hiring is part of its "Delivering for America" plan.
The employee also claimed when Kentucky U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey visited the Gardiner Lane facility in February, management temporarily removed mail containers to make the building appear more organized.
"When he showed up, it looked really clean and organized and everything," he said. "But after he left, two days later, those same ... 20-30 containers came back. We had to process that all over again
"That's mail ballots, people's mail that needs to be handled. There's medications, personal belongings. And I think for the fact that we sent it out to the facility and just offered to make a U-turn is deplorable, in my opinion."
USPS wouldn't confirm whether mail containers were removed ahead of the Congressman's visit.
The employee said the Louisville facility has also taken on mail from other cities, including Lexington and Evansville.
"We don't have the capacity to do it," he said.
USPS didn't respond to questions about whether Louisville is processing mail from outside the city but said its overall goal is to "ensure a competitive future" for the postal service.
Despite the ongoing challenges, the employee said workers are doing everything they can. He said he understand people's frustrations with USPS,
"As employees, we're working really hard just to make sure you guys get your parcels," he said.
The federal government is investigating ongoing mail delays in Louisville, and now some U.S. Postal Service employees are raising red flags about what's happening behind the scenes.
Related Stories:
USPS Inspector General conducting 4 simultaneous audits in Louisville amid ongoing mail delays
Louisville congressman says USPS admits it hasn't been transparent about mail delays
Louisville congressman brings city's USPS delays to House floor
Video inside Louisville USPS facility shows conditions improved after weeks of backups, delays
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
