Have thoughts on mail service? Now’s your chance to weigh in

The U.S. Postal Service is planning for the future, and some workers fear that could mean slower service for Sioux Falls.

The USPS is working through a new 10-year Delivering for America plan designed to modernize the aging postal network.

It includes $40 billion in investment across the U.S., including a plan to evaluate operations and potential future uses of the Sioux Falls Processing and Distribution Center. The facility at 4801 N. Fourth Ave. would remain open as a local processing center and be modernized under the plan, according to a statement from the USPS.

“The Sioux Falls LPC will be a critical node to the unified movement of mail and packages across the regional processing and transportation ecosystem,” it said. “The facility will offer expanded and streamlined package processing capabilities in the local market and new workplace amenities for USPS employees – part of the Postal Service’s $40 billion investment in the nation’s aging postal network.”

Additionally, the business case “supports transferring some mail processing operations to the Omaha P&DC,” it said.

“This would mean a significant percentage of the mail collected locally will travel across the wider USPS transportation and processing network over significant distances to reach their final destinations in a more efficient manner. Mail and packages destined for outside the local area may receive better service and be more cost-effectively distributed by aggregating it with mail and packages from other areas going to the same places that will likewise utilize the wider postal network and be transported significant distances from where the mail originated.”

Local union representatives aren’t so sure, suggesting the move could cause mail to take two or three days longer to reach its destination.

“It’s a concern for our customers receiving mail locally, and there are concerns with where the mail is going,” said Danielle Jones, spokesperson for the local American Postal Workers Union.

“They say it’s not going to delay anything, but if we’re going to be sending it to Omaha, will we be delayed even more?”

Mail already is taking longer, she acknowledged.

“If I were to mail a letter today, it won’t get to the destination for at least two days, even if I’m sending it to my neighbor,” Jones said. “They won’t get it next day.”

The APWU has about 100 members in Sioux Falls and the surrounding region, she said.

The Postal Service “says they’re trying to make a profit, but this is a service,” she said. “To serve the customers at a decent pace, so if they’re not meeting those standards, why would people want to end up using the post office?”

The Postal Service “will work closely with its unions and management associations throughout the facility review and will monitor the impact of any changes that are implemented and adjust plans as necessary and appropriate,” USPS said in a statement.

This specific facility review will inform the best allocation of resources and strategies to improve customer service and achieve significant cost savings through operational precision and efficiency, the USPS said. Business mail entry, post office, station and branch retail services are not expected to change, and delivery services will be unaffected throughout the review. The evaluation is a first step in the Postal Service review and investment process in this facility and will not result in this facility’s closure or career employee layoffs.

“The biggest thing is for people to get out there and hopefully be able to ask questions,” Jones said.

A public meeting will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at The Social, 301 S. Thompson Ave. USPS will share the initial results of the study and gather public feedback. Comments also can be submitted online through March 28 and will be considered before a final decision is made.