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APWU 133

    USPS Initial Findings Report - Charleston WV

    Apwu133
    By Apwu133,

    Initial Findings Document
    Mail Processing Facility Review

    Charleston P&DC in South Charleston, WV

    1/30/2024


    As part of a $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve the Postal processing, transportation, and delivery networks, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it is conducting an evaluation of current operations and potential future uses of its Charleston Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) facility in South Charleston, WV.

    The USPS ten-year Delivering for America (DFA) plan includes initiatives to improve organizational and operational processes and actively make the Postal Service an efficient, high-performing, world class logistics and delivery provider. Improvements to Postal operations will enhance the level of service provided to the public; drive innovation and enable a broader array of postal products and services; enhance organizational competitiveness; improve efficiency and lower the cost to operate; and provide better workplaces and careers for Postal Service employees.

    This specific facility review will inform the best allocation of resources and strategies to improve customer service and to achieve significant cost savings through operational precision and efficiency. Business mail entry, Post Office, station, and branch retail services are not expected to change, and delivery services will be unaffected throughout this 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.

    This ongoing review was initiated to evaluate what role the facility will take in the redesigned postal network and to assess potentially moving some of the mail processing operations from the Charleston P&DC to the Pittsburgh P&DC in Pittsburgh, PA and Pennwood Place P&DC in Warrendale, PA.

    Below are initial findings from the study:

    Facility Future
    The initial results of the facility review support the business case for keeping the Charleston P&DC open and modernizing the facility as a Local Processing Center (LPC) with simplified processes and standardized layouts. The South Charleston LPC will be a critical node to the unified movement of mail and packages across the regional processing and transportation ecosystem in a logically sequenced manner and will benefit from the expanding services the Postal Service plans to deploy to increase its revenue and enhance its role in this community. The facility will offer expanded and streamlined package processing and distribution capabilities in the local market and new workplace amenities for USPS employees. 

    It is anticipated that the facility will maintain the following destinating operations once converted to the LPC:
    ·    Destinating Packages
    ·    Destinating Letters and Flats
    ·    Manual Letters and Flats
    ·    Express
    ·    Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU)
    The LPC will also be fitted with state-of-the-art sorting equipment that will improve delivery services. We plan to operate the following sorting equipment in this facility:

    ·    10 Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS)
    ·    2 DBCS Input Output Subsystem (DIOSS)
    ·    1 Automated Flat Sorting Machine 100 (AFSM 100)
    ·    1 High Speed Tray Sorter (HSTS)
    ·    1 Low-Cost Reject Encoding Machine (LCREM)
    ·    1 Single Induction Package Sorter (SIPS)
    ·    1 Flex Rover Sorter (FRS)

    The improvements for this facility will result in up to $11 million in investments for modernization efforts and deferred maintenance investments. 

    On the workroom floor, lighting will be upgraded with LEDs, flooring will be repaired and refinished, impediments to open process flow will be removed, and dock areas will be generally rehabilitated.  Employee amenities will be refreshed with renovation to restrooms, lockers, and break areas. Parking lots will be repaired and renovated in preparation of both Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), as well as Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Where BEVs will be deployed, we will be upgrading and developing the electrical infrastructure necessary to power the rollout of BEVs into our delivery fleet.

    New mail and processing equipment investments totaling $7M:

    ·    1 Flex Rover Sorter (FRS)
    ·    1 High Speed Tray Sorter (HSTS)
    ·    1 Single Induction Package Sorter (SIPS)

    Additionally, the business case supports transferring mail processing outgoing operations to the Pittsburgh P&DC and Pennwood Place P&DC. Currently, a majority of mail and packages are destined outside of the Charleston area to the rest of the world.

    Finally, the consolidation of plant operations will allow the South Charleston LPC to be collocated with a Sorting and Delivery Center (S&DC). These new facilities are comprised of repurposed facilities and will provide faster and more reliable mail and package delivery over a greater geographic area. 

    S&DCs will be fitted with new package sorting equipment and enable customer service and local commerce opportunities for Same Day or Next Day delivery. They will also have renovated bathrooms and breakrooms for Postal Service employees. 
     
    In addition, S&DCs will have the infrastructure needed to support the deployment of the Postal Service’s new electric delivery trucks and the charging stations needed to power them. Replacing the Postal Service’s more than thirty-year-old vehicles will allow the organization to significantly reduce carbon emissions, increase safety and reliability, and provide more comfortable delivery vehicles to letter carriers. The S&DC that will be collocated with the South Charleston LPC will have 138 delivery routes that are eligible to be serviced by BEVs. Based on the average deployment numbers at S&DCs, new vehicle investment in BEVs and infrastructure is approximately $5M per site.

    The Postal Service plans to invest between $20M and $30M into the South Charleston LPC as we prepare the facility to serve as an important contributor to operations in today’s economy and far into the future.

    Postal Employees
    NOTE: There will be no career employee layoffs as part of this initiative. The numbers presented here reflect data available as of October 6, 2023, and are subject to change until the completion of the facility review. Our ongoing analysis will include quantifying the time it will take to refurbish the facility and prepare it for the services and functions as an LPC and quantifying the appropriate workforce necessary to efficiently staff the LPC. We expect that the increase in these services and functions may require additional employment positions which could mitigate some of the reductions identified below.

    Due to the transfer of outgoing operations, an estimated net decrease of 24 craft and 1 management positions are projected once the initiative is completed. All bargaining employee reassignments will be made in accordance with the respective collective bargaining agreements.

    The Postal Service has made a commitment to ensuring there is a clear path for our pre career employees to obtain fulltime positions, as evidenced by our newly negotiated contract provisions and making automatic conversions to stabilize our workforce. This has culminated in 165,798 pre career employees being converted to career over the past three years. Our pre career workforce is a valuable employee category that provides us necessary operational flexibility leading to efficiencies. Like all employers who have a flexible employee category, there is a higher turnover rate with these employees, providing us the opportunity to both capture savings by rightsizing our workforce when making long overdue operational changes and avoiding any career layoffs.

    Estimated Cost Savings 
    Proposed savings in the draft MPFR analysis are ultimately projected to be $6.5M - $8.9M annually once the initiative is completed. Below is a breakdown of this savings estimate:

    ·    Annual Transportation Savings    $4.9M - $6.6M
    ·    Annual Maintenance Savings    $1.0M - $1.4M
    ·    Annual Mail Processing Savings    $590K - $790K
    ·    Annual Management Savings    $90K - $120K

    Local Customer Considerations
    ·    Retail and other services currently available will not change 
    ·    Business mail acceptance will remain the same 
    ·    A local postmark will continue to be available at retail post offices
    ·    Delivery times of mail to residences and businesses should not change because of the review

    Commercial Mailers
    ·    Mailers who presort mail will continue to receive appropriate postage discounts 
    ·    Mailers who drop ship to a Destination Sectional Center Facility (DSCF) can expect no changes, if the MPFR is approved

    Please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mpfr-charleston-wv to submit written comments. All written comments must be received by February 29, 2024. 
     


    LETTER FROM KANAWHA COUNTY COMMISSION TO PM DEJOY

    Apwu133
    By Apwu133,

    Statement Regarding the Public Meeting being rescheduled

    Apwu133
    By Apwu133,
    “Today, members of the public and the media were able to witness what Postal Service workers across America face every day. A lack of respect for its employees, and now YOU, the public!  Local union officials have persistently reached out to the Postal Service in efforts to obtain information they were to release on January 23, 2024, to no avail.  Numerous grievances have been filed throughout this MPFR process due to the Postal Services inability to abide by their handbooks and manuals that govern such movement.  We will continue to work with our elected officials, the AFL-CIO and affiliate unions in the state to fight the Postal Service plans on moving your mail to Pittsburgh to be processed.  The public survey is still available to take, and we encourage everyone to do so.”
     
    Tim Holstein
    Vice President
    APWU Local 133
    Charleston, WV 

    Monday rally is cancelled

    Apwu133
    By Apwu133,

    The rally scheduled for Monday the 29th will be cancelled. Rescheduling once the new public meeting is announced.


    No public meeting Tuesday

    Apwu133
    By Apwu133,

    Stand-Up Talk
    January 26, 2024

    Mail Processing Facility Review 
    Postponement of Public Meeting to be held re: Charleston WV P&DC

    On January 12, 2024, we announced that a Public Input Meeting for the Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) of Charleston P&DC was scheduled for January 30, 2024, to share the initial results of the study and to allow members of the local community to provide their feedback and perspectives on the Initial Findings of the MPFR.

    We are postponing the posting of our initial findings as further time is needed to finalize any specific improvements, we may undertake at the Charleston P&DC. This will result in the rescheduling of the Public Input Meeting within the next several weeks. 

    Once the Public Input Meeting has been rescheduled, a subsequent announcement will be made.

    Comments on the proposal from employees and the public will be considered before any decision is made. Comments may continue to be submitted at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mpfr-charleston-wv.

    Thank you for your attention. We will keep you updated as we move through the facility review process and additional initiatives to modernize our postal network. 


    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
    408 PUBLIC MEETING POSTPONEMENT
    1/26/24

    Q: Why are you postponing this public meeting?
    We are postponing the posting of our initial findings as further time is needed to finalize any specific improvements, we may undertake at Charleston WV P&DC. This will result in the rescheduling of the Public Input Meeting. 
    Q: When will the public meeting be rescheduled?
    The Public Input Meeting will be rescheduled within the next several weeks. Once the Public Input Meeting has been rescheduled, a subsequent announcement of date, time and location will be made.
    Q: What additional information are you including in your review process?
    We are finalizing proposed investments and improvements for the specific site. 
    Q: Are you postponing this meeting due to negative feedback/pressure from the local community?
    No. We are postponing the posting of our initial findings as further time is needed to finalize any specific improvements, we may undertake at Charleston WV P&DC. Public feedback is considered throughout the review process.
    Q: You’ve held public meetings and issued initial findings in a number of local communities. Will you be revisiting those findings as well based on the new criteria you are evaluating here?
    This announcement is relevant only to this site.
    Q: How do you pick the times and locations for these public meetings?
    We look for publicly accessible locations within the local community.
    Q: If people can’t attend the public meeting, how can they submit their feedback?                            Members of the local community may continue to submit comments at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mpfr-charleston-wv.


     


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