CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sweeping changes for how the United States Postal Service (USPS) does business have led to significant changes here in Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • Changes made by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy had led to delays

  • A postal service union leader explains that it's funded through the sale of stamps, parcels and services, not taxpayer money

  • The business model has come under scrutiny for several years

A mailbox in Dayton has a sign letting people know it won’t be there for too much longer as operations at post offices in Ohio have seen some significant recent changes.

“It was pretty sweeping. I believe it was just a matter of a few days,” said Daleo Freeman, the American Postal Workers Union President for Cleveland Area Local 72. “We’ve been affected when we’ve had packages or letters or flats that have been delayed ... two, three, four, five days.”

The postmaster general released a statement calling on Congress and the postal regulatory commission to enact legislative and regulatory reforms.

“The postal service is in a financially unsustainable position, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, and a broken business model. We are currently unable to balance our costs with available funding sources to fulfill both our universal service mission and other legal obligations. Because of this, the postal service has experienced over a decade of financial losses, with no end in sight, and we face an impending liquidity crisis.”

Diane Noonan is the director of the Butler County Board of Elections. During this year's Ohio primary, she said postal workers delivered more than 300 ballots past the Election Day deadline, despite being postmarked in time. Those ballots were not counted, but it's an issue that has yet to be resolved.

“Last time, it was an error on their part,” Noonan said. “We have not received any information on to actually what has happened with them—why they found these ballots later. We’re waiting for a response, so is the Secretary of State.”

An even more ominous sign came last month when the postal service sent letters to 46 states with a warning that their deadlines for mail-in ballots may not afford the service enough time to get ballots delivered in time to be counted. Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi has called members back into session this week to talk about funding the postal service.

And Freeman said the USPS is going to need help from Congress in order to keep services going as November approaches.

"They gave $500 billion to private entities. The postal service got nothing in the last package. Nothing," said Freeman.