The mayors of Pocatello and Chubbuck have requested that Idaho's congressional representatives act quickly and introduce federal legislation to delay the closing of the U.S. Postal Service mail processing center on Flandro Drive next month.
The proposed legislation would place a two-year moratorium on the closing of any U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processing and distribution centers unless USPS fails to generate an annual operating profit at any time during this period.
According to the Postal Regulatory Commission, as of February 2015, USPS had an operating profit of $1.325 billion.
The USPS has announced it plans to close the mail processing operation in Pocatello and 81 others in the nation on April 18 to save an estimated $750 million.
Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad and Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England said the closures would lead to job loss, cause a reduction in first-class mail service and create an uneven level of service between rural communities and urban areas.
Areas like Washington, D.C., and Boston will continue to receive one- to two-day first-class service, while regions like Pocatello and Idaho Falls may see service drop from three to five days, according to Mayor Blad.
“We deserve better service from the USPS,” Blad said. “We’re going to see many families and businesses unnecessarily impacted by the distribution center closures. We need our federal delegation to send a message to USPS that our region’s postal workers and our commerce are no less important than the big cities.”
Regional spokesman for the USPS, Brian Sperry has maintained that postal service delivery for first-class mail will be two days when the duties performed in Pocatello are consolidated in Salt Lake City.
“USPS is making money,” said Mayor England. “All we’re asking is for USPS to protect our communities’ families by slowing down the repayment of their retirement plan debts. We’re deeply concerned about how these closures will impact nearly 50 families and our region’s business community.”
Pocatello and Chubbuck’s delegates in Washington are Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, and Reps. Mike Simpson and Raul Labrador.
“We hope that the delegation will give this proposal serious consideration,” said Blad.
England added, “We’ll continue to work with our congressional folks to help prevent USPS job loss. We think a legislative solution is our best bet right now to protect our region’s interests.”