Tacoma's Mail Processing Facility May Not Have to Close After All?

The City of Tacoma is asking you to be a part of helping to keep 170 jobs in Tacoma, and all it will cost you is a couple minutes of your time and 45 cents for a postage stamp. Speaking of postage stamps, the jobs in question are the 168 employees of the Tacoma mail processing center for the United States Post Office.

The mail processing center on South Pine Street was on a list of 252 such facilities, along with many more rural post offices, threatened with closure last fall. In February of this year it looked like the closure was a done deal. Then, two weeks ago events at the federal level revived hope for those who protested the closures. A bill passed the U.S. Senate that would put a hold on closures of rural post offices and give the USPS back $11 billion. Another version of the bill, which has yet to see a vote in the House, offers a different set of changes. According to an Associated Press article that ran in The News Tribune on April 25, one of the many changes in the Senate bill is a reduction in the number of processing facilities to be closed – from 252 to 125.

Then, yesterday a press release from the United States Postal Service announced changes that would keep many rural post offices open, but operating at reduced hours. Yesterday’s press release doesn’t mention any specific changes to the plans for closures of mail processing facilities, but between the Senate and House bills, and this announcement of a new direction for USPS strategy, it seems that a lot is up in the air for our national mail system.

The USPS statement on its new strategy mentions customer demand as a reason for its change of course. The Senate bill would reduce the number of facilities closed. The AP article lists the impact on small businesses as a consideration in closing post office facilities. Perhaps, then, there might be an open ear at the USPS for requests from the public to keep the mail processing facility (and its jobs) in Tacoma, rather than consolidating the work up to Seattle. And that’s where the City hopes you’ll come in.

Write to the Postmaster General to urge that the Tacoma mail processing facility remain open

You can have a direct impact on whether Tacoma retains 170 jobs at the mail processing facility near the Tacoma Mall by writing to the Postmaster General today.

Here are some key points to include in your letter:

• We do not believe that the U.S. Postal Service has fully considered the broader implications of closing Tacoma’s mail processing facility.
• The closure would displace nearly 170 workers with a payroll of approximately $8 million per year.
• The facility serves not only the 200,000 residents and more than 17,000 businesses in Tacoma, but it also serves the surrounding trade area in the South Puget Sound Region of more than 1.2 million residents, including a federal courthouse, a federal penitentiary and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
• This closure would reduce the level of service for Tacoma and Pierce County residents, delaying mail delivery to our community.

You can send your letter to:

The Honorable Patrick R. Donahoe
Postmaster General U.S.
475 L’Enfant Plaza S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20260-3100

So, is it worth 45 cents and a few minutes to keep the mail processing center in Tacoma?

Read more from the New York Times about the Senate and House bills and about this week’s announced changes to USPS strategy.

Previously from Exit133: Post Office Closure Public Meeting and Post Office Closure Update.