Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Minnesota Post Office Show Shocking Workload

A person on a Bemidji, Minnesota community Facebook page recently shared just how heavy the workload is for hard working postal carriers this holiday season.

Photos from inside Bemidji’s post office
byu/JambeLives inminnesota

A member of the group wrote on the page:

"This is why I quit today. Post Master General says we are lying about the work load. DM. Angela Bye thinks everything is good. Forcing us to work until 10, 11, 12 pm (sic) is not acceptable."

The photos show bins overflowing with boxes waiting to be delivered, primarily from Amazon, while there are also stacks upon stacks of boxes throughout the area as well.

In a Bemidji Pioneer story from November, Bemidji Post Office worker Dennis Nelson says that the hours and workload is untenable.

“We’re being forced to work 12-hour days, six days a week. All of our days off have been canceled by the district manager. They’ve even gone so far as to say they will not honor sick leave,” Nelson told the Bemidji Pioneer. “On top of that, we’ve been told Amazon is now our priority, that Amazon packages are the most important thing we do, the mail is secondary.”

Another carrier told the paper that they have been instructed to NOT deliver mail until all Amazon packages are delivered, which they say is slowing down the 'regular' mail.

Workers are even going so far as to picket outside the Post Office to protest their workload. As Nelson noted in the Bemidji Pioneer article, postal workers do not have a 'right to strike.'

“Without the right to strike, our union does not have a dog in the fight,” Nelson said. “We’re considered an essential service. If Amazon is our priority, we don’t see how delivering toilet paper and shoes for Amazon makes us an essential service.”