Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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April 22, 2011

Delegation: postal closures unlawful

By KATE COIL Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — A bipartisan delegation of West Virginia and Virginia lawmakers are claiming federal laws prevent the U.S. Post Master General from closing a local postal distribution center and several community post offices.

A letter was sent Thursday by the delegation to Post Master General Patrick R. Donahoe, which encouraged the postal service to keep Bluefield’s Processing and Distribution center open as well as to keep several community post offices undergoing discontinuance studies. The delegation was organized by U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Mark Warner, D-Va.; and Jim Webb, D-Va.; and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va.

Additionally, the letter alleges the postal service is “trying to balance its books by unfairly targeting rural postal facilities.” The U.S. Postal Service has stated post office closures are needed in the face of growing financial concerns for the agency.

The letter states federal law prevents the postal service “from closing small post offices ‘solely for operation at a deficit’” and as well as requires the postal service “to provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities, and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining.”

According to the letter, lawmakers believe “it is unreasonable to expect the citizens of the communities we represent to drive to other towns for the mail services and to ask postal employees to transfer to far away cities to retain their jobs.”

On April 14, Sen. Manchin said he met with Post Master General Donahoe to ensure public forums and workshops would be held to gain feedback from local communities before the postal service moved to close rural post offices in the state. According to Manchin’s office, no date has yet been set on when these meetings will occur.

Earl Reed, president of Bluefield’s chapter of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), encouraged citizens to participate in any public forum scheduled regarding post office consolidations and closures as well as to write the postal service with their concerns.

“I would like to remind everyone that some of these proposals could have a negative effect on mail service,” Reed said. “The people of this state should demand that we retain the level of mail service that the rest of the country now enjoys. They can do so by attending the public meeting or workshops when announced in their area and have there voices heard. I would like to add that we are grateful in the efforts that all of our state congressional officials have put forth to keep mail service in the state of West Virginia at a high standard.”

 Rahall encouraged local residents to contact the U.S. Postal Service about the importance of their local post office.

“The more the postal service hears from the communities and political leaders, the better our chances in protecting mail delivery services,” Rahall said.

The U.S. Postal Service began Area Mail Processing (AMP) studies in February at postal distribution facilities in Beckley, Huntington and Bluefield. Both the Beckley and Huntington processing and distribution centers were consolidated with the center in Charleston while the Bluefield Processing and Distribution center is still undergoing the study.

In March, the postal service announced discontinuance studies for four McDowell County post offices in Eckman, Elkhorn, Jenkinjones, and Hensley as well as the post office in Breaks, Va. Community forums were held during the first two weeks of April to discuss possible closures.

There have been 31 discontinuance studies proposed in the U.S. Postal Service’s Appalachian District with 22 of those local post offices in the region surrounding Bluefield’s Processing and Distribution Center.

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