WASHINGTON (WV News) — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., recently said he had received assurances from U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that the U.S. Postal Service’s Charleston Processing and Distribution Center would not be relocated to Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., released a statement saying she had sent a letter to DeJoy “asking for clarity,” about the facility and its 800 jobs.
“While I understand the need for the United States Postal Service to review its operations and to improve upon them, I believe that this facility is essential not only for all 800 employees at the center, but also for the West Virginians that depend on it for all their postal needs,” Capito said in the letter.
Capito requested DeJoy provide answers by Dec. 14 to three questions:
While you stated that there will not be any layoffs, there could be transfers to other centers. Could these potential transfers be out of state?
If some functions are removed from the center, could those employees’ roles be downgraded, could they have lateral position options, or could they have other options aside from transferring if their function is moved from the center?
How is operational efficiency defined? Is it purely as a means to save on costs without significant service changes? If so, how are significant service changes defined?
“I urge consideration be given to these employees and those that depend on this center for their postal needs,” Capito wrote. “I am committed to ensuring the success of this facility and all postal workers across West Virginia.”
Over the weekend, Manchin released a statement saying DeJoy had committed to keeping the facility in West Virginia.
“I just had a productive call with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the Mail Processing Facility Review of its Charleston Processing and Distribution Center facility,” Manchin said in a statement released Saturday evening. “The South Charleston facility will not have one single employee laid off, and instead deliver major investments to the facility to better meet the demands of the public and the market.”
Manchin pledged to work with DeJoy to “ensure these improvements will modernize and revitalize this critical lifeline and bring the highest level of service for the people of West Virginia.”
Gov. Jim Justice sent DeJoy a letter last Tuesday regarding the facility, and said he planned to “fight as hard and as diligently” as he could to preserve the jobs at stake.
“We’re going to try every way in the world to see that it doesn’t become a reality,” Justice said.