October 2023 Update
The Postmaster General’s 10-Year Plan continues to be implemented in more locations across the country. This implementation involves a redesignation of facilities and the reconfiguring of operations within these facilities to supposedly create more efficiency throughout the Postal network. Current Network Distributions Centers are being converted into a Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC), while current Processing and Distribution Centers are being converted into a Local Processing Center (LPC) or some other type of facility.
The Postmaster General’s 10-Year Plan has been widely publicized, and we have known for some time that it will eventually reach the States of Minnesota and North Dakota. Preparation has been long underway.
On September 27, 2023, the Postal Service announced that it would be conducting a Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) at the Minneapolis P&DC. According to the Postal Service and under Handbook PO-408 an MPFR determines the feasibility of changing mail processing operations to improve operational efficiency and/or service.
The result of the MPFR was provided to the National Union by letter dated October 17, 2023. It indicated that according to the Postal Service, the initial results of the review conducted support the business case to keep this facility open and modernized as an LPC.
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It is encouraging to hear that the Minneapolis facility will remain open, but there is no indication of what it will look like as LPC, nor what will constitute it being “modernized.” It is also unknown what impact, if any, the modernization will have on the Mail Handlers in that facility or in the other facilities throughout the metro area.
During the last meeting of the Local Executive Board and during this month’s meeting of the Local Union Council, we reviewed a Postal Service presentation involving several facility conversions currently occurring across the country. We looked at the conversions of an NDC to a RPDC in Richmond, VA, Atlanta, GA, Houston, TX, Chicago, IL, Charlotte, NC, Portland, OR, Indianapolis, IN, Jacksonville, FL, Boise, ID, Santa Clarita, CA, and Greensboro, NC. Each location identified the RPDC conversion and the LPC’s being created. While we were able to identify some patterns, it was clear that there was no uniform approach. As such, it appears that management is looking at the processing capabilities of the RPDC being created and utilizing that to determine what is needed in terms of LPC’s.
What will happen when the Postmaster General’s 10-Year Plan is implemented here? It’s hard to say. We know that the Minneapolis/St. Paul NDC is slated for conversion to a RPDC and that the Minneapolis P&DC will be modernized into an LPC. The ball is currently in management’s court and until they make their play, we will continue to prepare for the future.
We’re keeping an eye on the situation and as soon as we have more information, you’ll have more information.
JL