USPS Pauses Processing Plant Consolidations

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced plans to halt the consolidation of some processing facility operations until January at the earliest. 

This development comes after Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and 25 colleagues sent a May 8 letter to DeJoy calling for a stop until there’s a guarantee that mail service won’t be affected. 

In his reply, DeJoy wrote that he 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 plan to do so, and then only at a moderated pace of implementation.” 

The pause will apply to facilities currently undergoing a mail processing facility review, which are listed on the USPS website. The PMG noted that this will also put a halt to any planned positive investments in these facilities. 

“I appreciate Postmaster General DeJoy’s efforts to work with me on this issue,” Peters stated in a release. “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.” 

The Michigan senator also said he will continue to push the USPS Board of Governors to request an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to study the impact of these changes. In his reply, DeJoy stated he would “continue to consider whether we should seek an advisory opinion from the PRC as a discretionary matter on our part.”