Labor Dept launches USPS investigation following payroll error impacting more than 50K rural carriers

The Postal Service is telling members of Congress that most of the rural letter carriers who missed a paycheck or received a partial paycheck last month are no longer waiting on back pay.

USPS says many of the more than 50,000 impacted rural carriers have been made whole, and that, “with limited exceptions,” it paid carriers what they were owed within one or two pay periods.

But affected carriers tell Federal News Network that USPS still hasn’t paid them the correct amounts, and that not receiving their paycheck on time led to overdraft fees from their banks. The situation marked a breaking point for one rural carrier, who is leaving the agency.

Several rural carriers waiting on their back pay contacted their state Labor Departments. Now the federal Labor Department is looking into the issue.