DeJoy clarifies decision to halt facility changes | Business

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced that the changes to about 60 post offices, including the Mattis Avenue facility in Champaign, may only be temporarily on hold. In an open letter to U.S. Senator Gary Peters and other legislators, DeJoy clarified that the decision to pause these changes is only until early 2025.

DeJoy explained that the Postal Service is currently in the work planning phase of the initiative, and starting implementation after the first of the year makes sense given the ongoing efforts to stabilize service and the upcoming election. The plans for the Mattis Avenue facility include transferring outgoing-mail processing to facilities in the Chicago suburbs, resulting in a loss of about 100 local jobs.

While the announcement of the pause until 2025 may seem like a reprieve, it does not necessarily mean that the agency has changed its mind on the facility changes. DeJoy emphasized that the Postal Service plans to invest $15 to $20 million in the Mattis Avenue facility, with estimated annual savings of $2.7 to $3.5 million.

Despite the temporary hold on the changes for the listed sites, DeJoy mentioned that there are still ongoing facility and transportation projects that the agency is working on throughout the rest of the year. He stressed the urgency of the situation, stating that the Postal Service only has a few years to correct its course before a federal bailout becomes necessary.