Oregon's congressional delegation has sent a letter to the Postmaster General asking her to reconsider closing processing centers in Springfield and Bend. The closures are slated for October 31st.
Oregon has already lost mail processing centers in Salem, Klamath Falls and Pendleton. The next slated closures would leave centers in Portland and Medford statewide. The Springfield location processes 350 million pieces of mail each year. Congressman Peter DeFazio says closing it will make the US Postal Service less competitive.
Peter DeFazio: "350 million pieces of mail in Eugene-Springfield. Where's it come from and where's it going? Is it coming from southern Oregon and you're going to ship it to Portland and back down? Is it going from Eugene to Springfield and you've got to truck it to Portland and bring it back down? How does this make sense? How is it more efficient? How are you going to save money if you're trucking this all over the state?"
DeFazio says Postal Service is losing money because of a $5-billion pre-paid health benefit program for future employees.
