Springfield postal workers are bracing for bad news as federal officials ponder moving some functions of Springfield’s packaging and distribution center to St. Louis.
The move would be part of a national effort to consolidate functions within the nation’s mail system. In May, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy paused plans to consolidate centers until January 2025 amid requests from both Congress and local elected officials to stop the postal reorganization.
Now that January has arrived and a new president will soon be sworn in, postal workers are becoming more anxious. Proponents of the move say it will save money, but critics contend it will delay mail delivery. Everyone agrees it will mean fewer jobs in Springfield.
At this point, postal union officials say they have been told nothing.
“If you lose the distribution, you lose your postmark. If you mail any kind of letter (from Springfield) that’s got to be canceled, it’s going to go all the way to St. Louis. And St. Louis is historically always late with mail. Everybody felt that during Christmas time. If anything went through St. Louis, it sat there for 10 to 14 days,” Johnny Bishop, Springfield branch president of the American Postal Workers Union, told Illinois Times. “It will affect people getting their medications. … There are some people who still pay (bills) through the mail. That’s a complete disaster for us.”
