Oregon’s U.S. Senators are calling on the Postal Service to stop efforts to consolidate mail processing. Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley rallied with workers in front of a Springfield post office Tuesday.
Merkley, as well as union leaders, said they were concerned that sending mail to Portland instead of processing it locally was causing delays. “Mail has to go hundreds of miles to a processing center just to be reorganized and sent to your next door neighbor,” he said.
Merkley also said he had also heard reports from constituents that they had received late bills, prescriptions and other important documents.
Wyden said he was concerned businesses in the Eugene-Springfield metro area, and the Medford area, could also see impacts.
“Oregon is a small business state,” he said. “These small businesses have been telling Senator Merkley and I that their mail gets delayed, it’s costing them opportunities, it’s costing them money.”
American Postal Workers Union Eugene and Springfield President Cory Benitez-Egerton said returning mail processing to Eugene would preserve trust and local jobs, and make the system more efficient.
“The future of the Postal Service should reflect the needs and the desires of the people it serves, not the interests of a disconnected bureaucracy,” Benitez-Egerton said.
Consolidating processing to fewer regional facilities is a part of a larger effort at the Postal Service, called the “Delivering for America” plan, to modernize and financially stabilize the agency.
After pushback from communities, workers and some lawmakers, consolidation plans were delayed in other states. Oregon’s consolidation efforts are still underway.
In an emailed comment, Seattle-based USPS spokesperson Kim Frum said the average delivery time for Oregon has been two days since 2022.
“Through our Delivering for America investments, we have built capacity into our processing, logistics, and delivery infrastructure to meet customers’ evolving mail and package needs,” she said.
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