Senator Peters secures pause on changes to Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center
May 13, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lynne Lance, executive director, lynne@nna.org
In Letter to Peters, Postmaster General DeJoy Commits to Pausing Some USPS Facility Changes Until 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter sent to U.S. Senator Gary Peters, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, following his repeated calls to stop implementation of changes to the United States Postal Service (USPS) mail delivery network, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has committed to pause changes planned at the Iron Mountain (Michigan) Processing Center that would move a portion of mail processing operations to a facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As part of this announcement, DeJoy committed to pausing similar changes at facilities across the United States until after Jan. 1, 2025. Following the recent USPS Iron Mountain Processing Center announcement, Peters spoke directly with Postmaster General DeJoy on May 8, 2024, and led 25 of his colleagues in a bipartisan letter calling on USPS to stop the facility and transportation changes in its network plan until they can be studied to ensure they will not harm mail delivery service. Peters slammed USPS’ decision to move forward with these changes last week, following a recent oversight hearing he convened to examine these changes and the impact they have had on mail delivery performance. Peters will continue to push for the Postal Service Board of Governors to request an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission that will comprehensively study the potential impacts of these changes.
“I’m glad I was able to secure this pause on changes to the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center, which will help ensure that residents and businesses across the Upper Peninsula that depend on the Postal Service for reliable mail delivery will continue to be able to count on that service,” Senator Peters said. “I appreciate Postmaster General DeJoy’s efforts to work with me on this issue. However, I still have concerns about additional changes, including to local transportation trips, that impact Michiganders. I urge the Postal Service to pause and reverse local transportation changes in addition to facility changes, until we have more information about their effects. I will continue to push for a comprehensive study by the Postal Regulatory Commission to ensure any changes implemented do not impact mail delivery. It’s absolutely critical that we understand the full scope of these changes, as well as their impact on service and communities, before moving forward.”
In his letter to Peters, Postmaster General DeJoy wrote: “Further to our conversation yesterday, I agree to pause the movement of processing operations associated with the Mail Processing Facility Reviews. In response to the concerns you and your colleagues have expressed, I will commit to pause any implementation of these moves at least until after January 1, 2025. Even then, we will not advance these efforts without advising you of our plans to do so, and then only at a moderated pace of implementation.”
Peters has championed efforts to protect the Postal Service and its 250-year tradition of delivery service to all Americans. Last month, Peters convened a hearing with key USPS officials to examine proposed changes to its delivery network. In February, Peters wrote a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy requesting further details into changes at the Iron Mountain Processing Center. In 2022, Peters authored and led passage of a historic, bipartisan law to set the Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The law made the first major reforms to the Postal Service in more than 15 years, including requiring six-day delivery.
Postmaster General DeJoy’s full letter to Senator Peters is available here.
"We are grateful for Chairman Peters' intervention and PMG DeJoy's agreement to pause the continued rollout of the USPS Delivery for America project. The twice a year price increases along with declining service have been an existential crisis for many of our members. This will come as a welcome relief for our family of community journalists," NNA Chair John Galer, publisher of The Journal-News in Hillsboro, Illinois, said.
The National Newspaper Association represents 1,600 community newspapers across the U.S.
