Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Local elected leaders joined postal employees for a Friday rally calling on the United States Postal Service to reverse course on moving a mail processing plant to Rochester.
In a letter to the Postmaster General, Congressman Brian Higgins called for Buffalo to be removed from the list, “The relocation of operations from Buffalo to Rochester will result in delayed mail and diminished services," Higgins wrote. "We are calling on you to immediately remove Buffalo from consideration. The USPS uses language like ‘modernization’ which doesn’t tell the full story of how services will be impacted and ultimately when changes are made it’s too late. If you live in Cheektowaga and send a card to your grandchild in Lackawanna, that mail would go to Rochester first, adding transportation costs and slowing delivery. That’s inefficient and the people of Western New York need to stand up and demand better from the USPS.”
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As part of its 10-year strategic plan, 'Delivering for America', the U.S. Postal Service is considering a consolidation of mail processing services at facilities across the nation. Buffalo is on a list of 29 sites under consideration. The USPS is reviewing a plan to move some operations currently conducted at the William Street mail processing facility in Buffalo to Rochester. Leaders expressed concerns about the impact this would have on mail delivery in Western New York.
"The USPS plays a core role in daily life in Western New York - it's how school tax bills are sent out in a timely manner, how packages from across the globe make their last-mile delivery, and how prescriptions are received by patients when they need them," said New York State Senator Tim Kennedy, who issued a letter to the USPS. "Any weakening of our confidence in the ability of the USPS to make these deliveries without delay can have deleterious effects that can make our region less economically competitive."
Buffalo Common Councilman Mitch Nowakowski, who sponsored and won approval for a resolution in support of the Buffalo mail processing center, added, "Our local postal workers, and the services provided by hundreds of hard-working Western New Yorkers, are essential to efficient mail delivery in Western New York, and moving these operations could lead to delayed mail and diminished services. The William Street location within the Fillmore District plays a crucial role in Western New York, ensuring timely postal service, offering well-compensated union jobs, and making a significant contribution to the local landscape.”
American Postal Workers Union Buffalo & New York President Frank Resetarits said, “In the not-too-distant past, the Postal Service had an "on time" delivery standard of 98%. The current percentage is now 95%. Sending mail that originates in the Buffalo area, and is intended to be delivered in the Buffalo area, to Rochester for partial processing, is a recipe for delaying service to postal customers here. The nine sites that have had their reviews completed, all have had machines taken out, which specialize in keeping the processing in the initial facility, prior to delivery.”
Higgins reminds residents of a public meeting hosted by the USPS at 3:00pm on Wednesday, January 31 at the Creekside Banquet Facility, 2669 Union Road, Cheektowaga NY 14227.