December 2023 Update
As peak season fades away, the new year approaches. A couple locations experienced volume, but in other places, peak season wasn’t much more than a blip on the radar. Year after year, fiscal quarter after fiscal quarter, the Postal Service continues to report across-the-board declines in mail volume. Each peak season this is becoming more apparent.
Looking specifically at the facilities in the metro area, the Minneapolis/St. Paul NDC, the Minneapolis P&DC, and the St. Paul P&DC, what didn’t happen is more telling than what did. For many years the Postal Service leased a peak season annex to handle the increase in mail volume. Last year, that role was performed by the Parcel Support Annex (PSA). The PSA closed mid-year, however, and management relocated equipment and operations to either the Minneapolis/St. Paul NDC or St. Paul P&DC. Yet, unlike previous years, there was no operation gridlock occurring in either facility. In any case, it appears that the need for an additional building to handle peak season volume has evaporated.
Many things remain uncertain as we head into 2024. Management announced earlier in the month that they would begin implementing the Mail Processing Facility Review that was conducted at the Minneapolis P&DC. According to the notice, destinating operations will remain at the Minneapolis P&DC and originating operations would move to the St. Paul P&DC. Importantly, while management identified employees from other crafts (and some management personnel) as potentially being reassigned out of Minneapolis, management’s notice indicates that the Mail Handler Craft will not be impacted. Of course, this doesn’t mean that management won’t create some inconveniences for Mail Handlers by changing start times or reposting bids. Still, remaining in the facility is better than being involuntarily reassigned somewhere else. We’ve been down that road before.
March 23, 2024, will mark the anniversary of the of the Postmaster Generals 10-Year Plan which was announced on March 23, 2021. Even though it’s been in place for less than 3 years, it feels like it’s been hanging over our heads much longer. Regardless, we knew that the 10-Year Plan would reach the States of Minnesota and North Dakota eventually. We have been preparing and we are prepared for whatever happens.
JL