A ticked-off Boston City Council voted to issue a “rare” subpoena to compel testimony from the local postmaster at next month’s hearing on late mail concerns after the U.S. Postal Service blew off the body’s request to appear at the last one.

At Tuesday’s hearing, leaders of local unions representing United States Postal Service workers alleged mismanagement that they said is contributing to a significant decline in service for customers in Boston. Nearly a dozen residents also testified about their experiences with mail that didn’t show up on time.

A City Council hearing meant to address service issues for U.S. Postal Service customers in Boston did not go as planned this week when representatives of the agency refused to attend. Councilor Sharon Durkan ordered the hearing after numerous constituents expressed concerns about the negative effects of delays in mail delivery.

In an internal email accidentally sent to the City Council, a USPS executive apparently accused the body of having a political agenda and not caring about residents receiving their mail. The post The Boston City Council held an emergency hearing on late mail delivery.

The City Council slammed the U.S. Postal Service for blowing off an emergency hearing aimed at addressing service failures it says are causing residents to miss out on bills and prescriptions, and raising mail-in voting concerns.