Following months of evasive rhetoric from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) concerning its ill-defined “modernization” plan for the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center in Kingsford, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has committed to pausing all facility reviews of processing centers facing consolidation – including the Kingsford facility – until after January 1, 2025.
Upper Peninsula Congressman Jack Bergman made the following statement:
“The decision today by Postmaster DeJoy to ‘delay’ changes to the Iron Mountain Processing Center is welcomed news in the short term, but a major cause for concern going forward. DeJoy showed today what we have been saying all along – the proposed changes to the Iron Mountain Processing Facility in Kingsford are not founded in reality. The move to ‘postpone’ ending next-day mail in the U.P. and other rural areas until after the 2024 election seems likely to be nothing short of a political stunt at the expense of rural America.”
Michigan Senator Gary Peters made the following statement:
“I’m glad I was able to secure this pause on changes to the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center, which will help ensure that residents and businesses across the Upper Peninsula that depend on the Postal Service for reliable mail delivery will continue to be able to count on that service. I appreciate Postmaster General DeJoy’s efforts to work with me on this issue. However, I still have concerns about additional changes, including to local transportation trips, that impact Michiganders. I urge the Postal Service to pause and reverse local transportation changes in addition to facility changes, until we have more information about their effects. I will continue to push for a comprehensive study by the Postal Regulatory Commission to ensure any changes implemented do not impact mail delivery. It’s absolutely critical that we understand the full scope of these changes, as well as their impact on service and communities, before moving forward.”
In his letter to Sen/ Peters, Postmaster General DeJoy wrote: “Further to our conversation yesterday, I agree to pause the movement of processing operations associated with the Mail Processing Facility Reviews. In response to the concerns you and your colleagues have expressed, I will commit to pause any implementation of these moves at least until after January 1, 2025. Even then, we will not advance these efforts without advising you of our plans to do so, and then only at a moderated pace of implementation.”
READ THE FULL LETTER FROM DEJOY TO PETERS BY CLICKING HERE
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