Postal Service to close Wenatchee mail center, cut 20 local jobs

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Postal Service to close Wenatchee mail center, cut 20 local jobs

By Mike Irwin
World staff writer,
Associated Press

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Wenatchee mail processing center in Olds Station, serving 41 communities in North Central Washington, has been slated for closure by the U.S. Postal Service.

WENATCHEE — The region’s mail processing center here will be shut down and operations moved to Spokane as part of a nationwide move by the U.S. Postal Service to trim billions of dollars in losses.

The Wenatchee center and five others will be consolidated into two — in Spokane and Seattle — with up to 300 jobs statewide getting the ax. No timeline was announced for the closures.

The Postal Service made the announcement this morning after months of local speculation on the fate of the local mail processing facility and its 49 employees in Olds Station.

The Postal Service said it will transfer operations from mail centers in Wenatchee, Yakima and Pasco to Spokane. Centers in Everett, Olympia and Tacoma will be consolidated in Seattle.

Seattle Postal Service spokesman Ernie Swanson said Wenatchee would lose 20 jobs, Yakima 19, Pasco 2, Everett 97, Olympia 29 and Tacoma 139.

Swanson said the Postal Service hopes the cuts can be made through attrition without layoffs. Employees whose jobs have been cut can request transfers or move into jobs such a letter-carrier, if there are openings.

Closure of the Wenatchee center, which serves 41 communities in North Central Washington, means the bulk of NCW’s first-class stamped mail will travel to Spokane for processing and sorting before returning to the area for distribution.

Postal officials said merging operations of the agency’s huge Seattle District, which stretches from the Pacific Coast into Montana, would make use of extra operating capacity in Spokane and Seattle caused by a steep decline in the volume of stamped first-class mail.

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mdyoung 1 year, 2 months ago

More bad news for Wenatchee area. The economic recovery will only come about with more focus on entrepreneurs, not jobs. Don't want to put yourself into a position where someone can say, 'you're fired' or not needed anymore.

lisuffe 1 year, 2 months ago

What will happen to the East Wenatchee sub-station?

Dannyboy 1 year, 2 months ago

Not too sure what that has to do with the Mail. Congress ordered the cuts (rather or not they tell you that).

52redfox 1 year, 2 months ago

Sounds like good news, less Goverment waste. I guess that doesn't Count in your home town. Lol

lincoln 1 year, 2 months ago

No worries. I just read the other day that unemployment is down, and our president is looking forward to another 5 years. Sweet! Just hang on and keep hoping for that change you want. However, be prepared because the change we will get may not be exactly what you had hoped for.

Annsboy 1 year, 2 months ago

With the reduction in mail volume by something like fourty percent this has to happen.

mountainlion 1 year, 2 months ago

Melvin, sounds like you have issues. Hopefully our wonderful President gets re elected. This country was in a mess before he became President.

jgrover 1 year, 2 months ago

I do not think the postal facility itself well be shut down; I think it is just the processing of the mail. From what I understand some carriers from the main post office may operate out of the facility and also the distribution of all the mail to 40 some post offices will continue from the facility. Mainly the problems lie with the loss of jobs and the reduced service . It is hard to believe a person with a P.O. Box in Wenatchee will mail a letter to someone with a P.O. Box right beside them and the letter will go from the post office to the distribution center, then to Spokane and then back to the distribution center and then back to the post office. If the post office saves any money it is going to be nothing but nickels and dimes with poor service to boot. By the way just wait until the weather is bad.

JimboBear 1 year, 2 months ago

Your point makes a good deal of sense Mr. Grover, but I have to wonder what percentage of the mail being sent by customers in the local area is being sent to another local address? I know that the great majority of mine goes to other states, or at least to a major city within Washington.

wonderstar 1 year, 2 months ago

50% of my mail is local. Bills, cards, notes, etc.

JimboBear 1 year, 2 months ago

Wow! That surprises me Dan. I would guess that only maybe 5% of mine is local, but then I pay most bills on-line and am a great deal more likely to call someone or stop by than to write notes and send cards.

jgrover 1 year, 2 months ago

Whoever said the mail volume was down? The 1st class money mail is down. Parcel post is up. For heavens sake, raise the first class rate up to lets say $.75. What the heck, that is pretty darn cheap to have someone take a letter from Wenatchee to New York.

mountainlion 1 year, 2 months ago

With the internet now people are using mail services alot less.

bushman66 1 year, 2 months ago

The loss of any local jobs hurts the economy or any kind of recovery from the recession. I gotta think that this closure will hurt lots of folks in NCW, not just the employees who have lost their jobs. This can't be a good thing. For some, it's an inconvenience; for others, it's bound to change the way they conduct business; for others it will provide an argument about gov't efficiency (Wenatchee - Spokane - Wenatchee); & for some of our fellow citizens, it's a life-changing event. Cuts like this need to be thought all the way thru prior to implementation. &, for my learned friend "lincoln": If you bothered to check, this rock started rolling downhill w/passage of legislation in 2006 - not sure who was president & who controlled congress then, but, you could probably google it. Here's your hint - they wanted to privatize everything.

lonedog3 1 year, 2 months ago

It is not who was president it was which party controlled the house and senate. The market crash in houseing could have and should have been prevented. Now it is easy for the President to say "unemployment is down" as there are fewer claims. What he isnt saying is the fact that many of the unemployed have just run out of benifits hence fewer claims. Sad about the postal center but I have noticed over the last 6 months or so any mail sent from here has a Seattle postal mark stamped on it which would appear that it is going from here to there then back here. Spose it makes sense as a semi is cheaper than a building to run.

laurelle 1 year, 2 months ago

When we lost the ability to use the "local" box at the Winthrop p.o., it was an adjustment. To think: A letter sent from Winthrop to Twisp would have to go to Wenatchee first! Now we have to get used to the idea of our thank-you notes and baby shower invitations getting trucked to Spokane and then trucked back to the Methow Valley. What a world!