USPS to move some mail processing to Spokane, will update Yakima post office

The U.S. Postal Service will make changes to its facility on Washington Avenue, the agency said.

Mail from Yakima will be processed in Spokane and the USPS will add new sorting and self-service technology as part of $4.3 million in upgrades to the Yakima facility, which will become a local processing center.

A USPS news release said there would be no career employee layoffs. The USPS also employs temporary or pre-career employees who do not receive full employee benefits or privileges. In January, a representative from the Washington State American Postal Workers Union (WAPWU) said some temporary employees had been laid off in Yakima.

WAPWU President Ryan Harris said some jobs would be excessed -- career employees would be offered different positions within 50 miles if their jobs were affected.

"They find other jobs in the system. They don't get fired, but they might have to move 50 miles," he said.

The USPS proposed changes are part of a $40 billion investment in post offices across the country, the agency said.

WAPWU representatives and Yakima County officials raised concerns about the timeliness of mail if it was processed outside of Yakima.

On Feb. 22, Yakima County’s commissioners sent a letter to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that said moving mail processing outside of Yakima would make local mail less reliable and efficient.

The letter presented examples of delays or longer processing times for county bills and statements that resulted in residents being penalized for being late, even though they had sent their mail before deadlines.

Harris said he was concerned the changes would not make operations more efficient or faster. It is good that mail is being sent to Spokane instead of Seattle to avoid possible delays over mountain passes, he said. Harris added that in Wenatchee, where he works, mail is sent to Spokane for processing once a week. There have been delays, he said, and sometimes mail is returned to Wenatchee unprocessed.

"I don't see how it's supposed to speed up any operations," he said.

Similar changes were announced in Wenatchee, but Harris said they had yet to be implemented.

Kim Frum, a USPS communications specialist, said in an email that local mail would still be delivered in two days, even if it is sent to Spokane for processing. She provided an example: if mail sent to another Yakima area resident was sent Monday, she said, it would be processed in Spokane on Monday night, returned to Yakima on Tuesday and reach its final destination Wednesday.

Frum said most mail is not bound for the local area but for other regions.

“Combining originating (outbound) mail and bringing it directly to Spokane, bypassing any local sortation, will allow the mail to better meet our processing and transportation schedules and more easily move throughout the national network,” Frum said in an email.

Frum added that local post offices will not be closed and business mail will not be affected.

The USPS said it will invest in changes to local facilities. The Washington Avenue facility will have self-service technologies, like keyless smart lockers that allow customers to receive packages directly at that locker.

Restrooms and breakrooms will be renovated. Of the money being invested in Yakima, $2.4 million will be used on an autonomous robotic sorter.

A new sorting and delivery center opened in Pasco this month, the first in the state.