KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

EAST TEXAS (KLTV) – The closure of the East Texas Processing and Distribution Center is going to affect the length of time it takes you to send and receive mail.

Mail starting with the 756 zip code is now being processed in Shreveport and mail starting with the 757, 758, and 759 zip codes is now being processed in the North Texas center in Coppell.

USPS officials are asking postal customers in East Texas to be patient with them as they make the transition.

What bothers postal employees most about the Processing and Distribution Center’s closure is how it’s going to affect customers.

Read more: Postal employees say mail delivery will take longer with USPS – KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News.

Forty-seven members of Congress have signed a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging him to stand by his commitment to keep more than 70 mail processing facilities open until next spring.

“We believe it would be imprudent of the United States Postal Service (USPS) to close or eliminate processing of mail, at any facility, ahead of schedule,” the May 20 letter [PDF] says.

The letter was written in response to management’s decision to close or consolidate 71 mail processing facilities this year that were scheduled for possible consolidation in 2014.

Maintaining operations at the mail processing centers would allow Congress to take action on postal reform legislation, the letter said. “It is critically important the Postal Service not preempt Congressional action by unilaterally moving forward with elimination of overnight delivery, allowing for major shutdowns across the country of mail processing facilities,” the letter said.

The letter was initiated by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and was signed by numerous legislators who represent districts where facilities are set to close ahead of the timeframe the USPS announced last year. Rep. DeLauro has spearheaded efforts to prevent the closure of the Southern Connecticut Mail Processing Facility, said Bob Johnson, president of the Greater Connecticut Area Local. Her office has worked closely with Northeast Region Coordinator John H. Dirzius and the local on these efforts, he said.

The letter echoes requests by the APWU urging the Postmaster General to honor the commitment made to communities, lawmakers and postal workers, and encouraging legislators to move quickly to prevent the USPS from implementing the consolidations ahead of schedule.

In a May 16 letter to affected local and state presidents, Executive Vice President Greg Bell noted, “The Postal Service continues to use the lack of action by Congress to justify moving forward with its mail processing consolidations plan. By accelerating plans to close mail processing centers, the Postal Service intends to make saving these facilities a moot point.”

President Cliff Guffey praised the letter. “We are pleased that these members of Congress have recognized the urgency of the situation,” he said. “Accelerating the consolidations will unnecessarily disrupt the lives of employees, harm communities, delay service, and drive away customers,” he said.

“If management is preparing to close your plant and your representative has not signed the letter, we encourage you to find out why,” he added.

Activists vow to escalate the pressure on USPS

 “I suspect the authorities dropped the charges because they were afraid of us,” said Rev. John Schwiebert, one of the “Forever Five” arrestees (so named for the “forever” stamp and to protect “forever” the postal service).  “They knew we were planning to plead not-guilty to criminal trespass and to demand a jury trial.  We were ready to plead that our “occupation” of the Salem mail processing plant was in the public interest, to preserve our constitutionally mandated postal service.”  The protesters claim that closure of the Salem plant is itself a criminal act, violating Title 39, U.S. Code, Sec. 404 which requires the postal service to provide a “maximum degree of effective and regular services…” and to consider the effect of plant “consolidations” on communities, jobs and service.

 Mail sorting machines from the Salem plant began to be removed on April 30^th, headed north to Portland and south to Medford.  In the beginning of May, mail collection times and overnight delivery standards changed throughout Oregon.  Although their plants are not scheduled for closure until later this year, mail from Eugene/ Springfield, Bend and Pendleton is already being shipped all the way to Portland to be sorted.  Mail is being delayed one or two days.

 The U.S. Postal Service’s own studies (see attached), which they attempted to suppress, showed that big mailers leave the system as a result of such delays, costing more in lost revenue than is saved by lowering labor costs, not to mention the dramatic increase in trucking costs as mail is transported hundreds of extra miles to be sorted in the closest still open facilities.

 “Postal management is tearing apart the infrastructure of the public postal service,” said Jamie Partridge, retired letter carrier and one of the Forever Five arrestees.  Vowing further bold actions, Partridge declared that “we plan to escalate this fight to save our national treasure.”  

 The Salem, Springfield, Bend and Pendleton plant closures will eliminate approximately three hundred local union jobs, delay Oregon mail delivery, and disproportionately affect small businesses, the elderly, rural communities, the one-half of the public that pays bills by mail and the many who lack access to reliable internet service.   Oregon’s vote-by-mail system could be compromised.

 Despite a “no lay-off” provision in union contracts, at least forty workers in the Salem plant have lost their jobs, according to local union officials.  Twenty-eight were forced into early retirement and twenty Postal Support Employees “lost their hours.”  Over sixty other workers were “excessed” to Portland or other facilities. 

 At least eighteen of these union, postal jobs will be subcontracted to Matheson Flight Extenders, according to union leaders in Portland.  Twelve mail handler positions and six clerk positions will be filled by low wage, non-postal, non-union workers at Matheson, which owns a warehouse next to the USPS Portland Air Cargo Center.  Postal management states that the PACC cannot hold all the machines from Salem, so they must moved into the private facility.  They claim that union workers are too expensive, thus subcontracting is required.  

 Further subcontracting has hit postal truckers in the Portland area.  Faced with understaffing and extensive overtime, the USPS decided to contract out twenty tractor-trailer routes to Dill Star Trucking, instead of hiring union postal truck drivers.  Claiming an “emergency”, postal management issued the no-bid contract, sub-leased postal trailers to Dill Star, and put APWU-represented postal truckers in “short” trucks with many on stand-by for up to six hours.

 The protesters, organized by Communities and Postal Workers United, a national grassroots network, claim that a 2006 Congressional mandate, which forces the U.S. Postal Service to prefund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance, has created a phony financial crisis.  Not only would the postal service have been profitable without the mandate, says CPWU, the USPS has also overpaid tens of billions into two pension funds.

The activists are calling on postal management to suspend cuts and closures and allow Congress to fix the finances by repealing the prefunding mandate and refunding the pension surplus.    Twin bills, HR 630, sponsored by U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (Oregon) and S 316, sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont), would fix postal finances and prevent plant and office closures and service cuts. 

www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20130417/UPDATE/130417026/Five-arrested-during-protest-Salem-Post-Office

Gallery of photos here:  www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=J0&Dato=20130417&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=304170802&Ref=PH&odyssey=mod|galleriespic

From USPS News Link:

One year after the date USPS announced its strategy for low-activity Post Offices, nearly 6,000 have been converted to reduced-hour facilities to generate cost savings.

Under the plan, Post Offices may be transitioned to 2-hour, 4-hour or 6-hour periods of operation each day. So far, more than 800 Post Offices have been converted to two hours per day. Another 3,000 have been converted to four hours per day, and more than 2,000 have been converted to six hours daily.

As USPS continues with the plan, the goal remains to keep Post Offices open and ZIP Codes in place to help communities maintain the levels of service they’re accustomed to receiving. To generate cost savings, operating hours for low-activity Post Offices continue to be modified to more closely track customer demand.

These modifications, when completed, will save an estimated half-billion dollars in annual costs.

Involving affected communities in the decision-making process continues to be a priority. Across the country, USPS has been holding meetings with community members to discuss the new hours of operation, as well as alternatives. So far, more than 7,500 meetings have been held.

Besides implementing window-hour modifications, communities also can ask for services to be transitioned to a nearby Post Office, or use rural carriers or highway contract routes for delivery.

Contracting with a local business to create a Village Post Office (VPO) also is a viable option. To date, nearly 250 VPOs are open for business in primarily rural communities.

“We’re pleased with the progress that has been made on the plan at the end of its first year,” said Delivery and Post Office Operations VP Ed Phelan. “This strategy is a key example of the commitment the Postal Service is making to return to long-term financial stability while maintaining a presence in the communities and ensuring customers receive the services they need.”

Read more: USPS News Link Story – Making progress.

WASHINGTON, DC–Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement on United States Postal Service (USPS)’s official notice that they will close the Wallingford Processing Center in September. The closure is expected to cost over 360 employees their job. The closure was originally scheduled for February 2014.

“I am outraged at USPS’s decision to consolidate one the region’s newest mail processing centers ahead of schedule. Our postal workers do an extraordinary service for the community and they should be treated with the respect and gratitude they have earned. That includes taking every opportunity to solve USPS’ financial problems without destroying these good middle class jobs.”

“USPS has unilaterally sped up with closing process, ignoring the many members of Congress who have tried to engage with them. This will cost millions of Americans across the country their job, including many veterans.”

DeLauro has repeatedly asked USPS for answers about their actions, including the accelerated closures, and advocated for alternative solutions. She has strongly opposed closing mail processing centers, redefining First-Class mail, and closing retail Post Offices, instead pushing Congress to approve comprehensive legislation that would put USPS back on the path of financial solvency. DeLauro is a cosponsor of the Postal Service Protection Act of 2013, which would remove the retiree benefits pre-funding burden from USPS and transfer the billions in overcharges back to the Postal Service.

From the US Postal Service:

In his latest State of the Business video, PMG Pat Donahoe addresses some of the mixed messages employees may be hearing regarding the future of USPS.

The PMG begins the video by focusing on the steps the Postal Service is taking to address the financial challenges created by declining First-Class Mail volumes.

“We will continue with the necessary actions that we have to take — things that we can control,” says the PMG. These actions include network consolidations; the Post Plan; and discussions with Congress and stakeholders regarding the USPS plan for 6-day package, 5-day mail delivery.

“When all these things are done, that will be it for the big, major changes,” Donahoe says.

The PMG then clears up misinformation employees may hear on postal issues, such as fears that a move to six-day package, five-day mail delivery will result in massive layoffs. “We have made major changes in this organization without having to lay anyone off,” says Donahoe.

He also emphasizes that there are no plans to reduce mail delivery to fewer than five days a week, saying that doing so would be detrimental to the Postal Service’s business. He points out that five-day delivery is critical for commercial First-Class Mail.

The PMG closes by thanking employees for their hard work, noting that service levels remain at an all-time high, thanks to employee dedication.

State of the Postal Service April 3, 2013 – YouTube.

“The APWU is outraged by USPS plans to accelerate the closure of 71 mail processing plants that were originally slated for possible consolidation in 2014,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey.

“These closures will eliminate jobs, harm communities, and delay mail delivery every day — Monday, through Saturday,” he said. The consolidations will drastically curtail local mail sortation and will virtually eliminate overnight delivery.

“The Postal Service is on the brink of cutting service in a way that will permanently damage our treasured institution. This would be a tragic mistake, and it is unnecessary,” Guffey said. The USPS notified [PDF] the APWU on March 26 that it would implement 53 consolidations this year that were originally scheduled for 2014. In January, the Postal Service said it would accelerate implementation of 18 other closures.

“These closures could have been avoided entirely,” Guffey said. “They are a casualty of congressional inaction.

“Congress must act now to enact meaningful postal reform — reform that restores the Postal Service to financial stability without destroying service or harming postal workers,” he said. “And Congress must act now to prevent the Postal Service from implementing these devastating cuts in service.

“We are calling on members of Congress to support the Postal Service Protection Act, which was introduced in the Senate and House on Feb. 13. This legislation would address the cause of the Postal Service’s manufactured financial crisis and allow the USPS to develop new products and services, so that it can remain relevant in the digital age,” he said. The Protect Service Protection Act would protect — at least temporarily — current service standards.

For years, Bakersfield mail carriers have known that the local postal service sorting facility on Pegasus was set to shut down. But they had initially been told that it would be closing in June of 2014. Now that date has been pushed up to June first of this year.

Read more: 23ABC News – The U.S. Postal Service is downsizing and postal workers in Kern Counrty could lose their jobs – Bakersfield News, Bakersfield, California News & Bakersfield News Local Headlines – KERO TurnTo23.

WSET.com – ABC13

Roanoke, VA – Saturday is the day the Lynchburg postal distribution center will complete its consolidation with the Roanoke processing plant.

However, Saturday’s milestone may not be that big after all — because postal employee union leaders say Roanoke’s number may soon be up too.

This past Saturday the last of the Lynchburg equipment was moved into the Roanoke plant – as were roughly 40 employees who were transferred.

All of it will be made official this Saturday which is what has union leaders puzzled.

Because according to American Postal Workers Union Local President Carlton Cooper, he’s received an email that shows postal officials plan on meeting with high level union leaders, this Monday, to discuss the "acceleration" of closing processing plants in at least six different states… including Virginia as early as June.

Read more: Postal Union Fears ‘Accelerated’ Plant Closing in Roanoke – WSET.com – ABC13.

Postal activist Jamie Partridge on “A Growing Concern”