Charleston, W.V.
About 200 people were with more than 30 people in a public meeting who got up and talked. Some speakers were only supporters of the concerned citizens or mail employees, but most of them had some relations with the postal service. There were long -standing employees who spoke and even something that was only with a few years of postal service. However, they were all distant and away against the idea of transferring certain positions and equipment out of the Charluston feature.
From November 2023, Charlston P&DC was reviewed as a candidate facility by USPS in Southridge, which to transfer operations out of the state, especially in a P&DC and Pennwood Place P&DC in Pittsburgh. According to APWU Executive Vice President Debbie Szeredy, at least 58 other facilities across the country are under uniform review.
Initial findings of the USPS states that the convenience, which is the last mail sorting center in West Virginia, requires between $ 20 to 30 million in investment and is converted into a local processing center (LPC). At its top, the USPS stated that on 24 craft positions, which would include letter carriers, retail clerks and maintenance workers and a management status. Public members, post workers and representatives of the union do not believe that those numbers are completely accurate.
American Postal Workers Union Chairman Local 133 Craig Brown (left) and Vice President Tim Holstein
The American Postal Workers Union Chairman Local 133 Craig Brown said that it is difficult to believe that only 24 workers would be impressed by changes that the postal services are considering the basis of their initial conclusions in their reviews.
“They are talking about taking out big machines there,” Brown said. “I sincerely hope that the number will go above 24 when they give us the final report, I hope or not, but it won’t surprise me.”
Brown said that the postal service would remove some major machines in the facility and convert it into LPC with separate people during infection.
Kenny Hanson, USPS Maintenance Manager and former plant manager of Charlston facility and spokesman of USPS were Scene Hargadon for a public meeting. The two went through a presentation to start the meeting, which relate the initial conclusions from the review and the next stages during the review process including the public meeting part. The presentation also listed the ideas behind the investment of potential multi-military dollars for convenience.
Brown expressed his displeasure with the postal service officials, saying that he and many others had a lot of questions that became unanswered. He called the entire public meeting “far”.
He said, “They do not answer questions and they have done so in the whole country.”
Local 133 Tim Holstein, vice -president of the American Postal Workers Union, said the postal service has been decent since his announcement in November after the Charlston facility was reviewed.
“The postal service doesn’t care,” said Holstein. “They have been decent in their transparency since the beginning.”
The fact is that the public meeting was also scheduled on Valentine’s Day, she was also not sitting well with many people. Holstein held a informative picket before a night at the Downtown Post Office in Charleston and tried and took out the word about a public meeting. Both he and Brown said that they were pleased with voting.
“We had amazing people of the community who showed support for us,” said Holstein. “We had a great turnout from our members and our senators, our legislators, our local politicians, if he does not shout then leaves us alone and continues us to work, I don’t know what to do.”
Despite falling on leave in the meeting, a lot of people showed. Some are correctly in Charleston while others came from neighboring cities. Among those who exit were mail clerk Jerid Thomas. He said that the postal service deliberately set a public meeting for Valentine’s Day.
“The first incident was a day before thanksgiving,” Thomas said. “It shows you how they treat us, it is just the most public that they are about it.”
Josh Talwar, president of West Virginia AFL-CIO, opposed the views coming from the postal service and was not happy to spend a holiday in the meeting.
“I, for one, I am not amazed in your attempt to be transparent for this public hearing on the evening of Valentine’s Day,” said Talwar, who was representing the membership of the entire Sangh.
John Loni, a resident of Charleston West Side, also came out to show his support for post workers.
“I think as a member of the public, it is important to show that we are in solidarity with the workers,”
He called the idea of transferring operations from Charleston as “slapping in the face”.
“It is not only hurting workers, but also the pace of mail,” said Lononi.
When Brown spoke to Hanson and Hargadon, he was consistent about the possible delay in the mail given to the residents. To travel north to Pittsburgh with mail and medicine and then return to southwest Virginia, they believe there is no way that there will not be a worse delay already.
“You can’t tell me that you are not delaying the mail,” Brown said.
Szeredy said that the delay in mail can be harmful to someone who needs medicine.
“You are going to get the worst delivery service,” he told them in appearance. “Can you imagine what is going to happen to those who are on medicine when they cannot get it on time?”
Brian Elueis was from the American Senator who was from Manchin, who has been in the discussion about the future of Charlston P&DC from November. Aluise refers to Postmaster General Louis Daij as “Louis Delay”
“If Charlston feature becomes a local processing center, our mail will have to travel to Pittsburgh and back West Virginia at a distance of hundreds of miles,” read in a statement by Sen Manchin. “There is just no way that will result in better service for West Virginia.”
The USPS said the Charlston site would see some investment. Spokesperson Sean Hargadon said that millions of dollars would be used to renovate and modernize the building so that what he says is overall workflow and visibility. Improvements include new machinery, electric vehicles, bathrooms, workrooms and lighting.
USPS spokesperson Sean Hargadan
Hargadon said that in the middle of the postal service, in the context of how they work, many facilities across the country are in the middle of considering.
“We have been talking about an organization for many years that have lost billions and billions of dollars, which it needs to change the network and logistics,” said Hargadon.
The USPS says they are still in the initial study phase of the facility. There are still some unknown and things that they are considering. In addition, the number may change. It is not clear how many part -time jobs and “flexible” positions will also be affected.
“We are looking at the 24 craft staff and a management status that will be assigned again, but this number can change, it can be more, it may be reduced,” Hargadon said.
Hargadon believes that the standard of two-day shipping will remain the same with a possible form for Pittsburgh. He said that things will move more efficiently.
“Overall, it is going to improve. Service will not change and in some cases it would be better,” he said.
USPS officials are expected to compile all the comments that were made in the public meeting, as well as with the comments presented online for online reviews. Hargadon said that it could be about 90–120 days until the final decision is made.
Holstein told the USPS, “We will beat you, if this is the last thing we do, we will win this fight.”
“The change is difficult, but the change is to happen,” said Hargadon.