Kildee peeved that Flint might lose postal mark, jobs

As the United States Postal Service struggles with losses estimated at $7 billion this fiscal year, it is attempting to make operational changes to save money — but that has one Michigan lawmaker quite upset.

U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, a Democrat from Flint, has written a letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission — which oversees postal operations — and asked it to reconsider relocating 30 Flint-based mail-sorting jobs to a new $100 million facility in Pontiac, the Flint Journal reports.

And the loss of those jobs in Flint could lead to the city losing its official postmark on outgoing mail.

Kildee’s letter to PRC Chairman Dan G. Blair said he believes the planned consolidation of Flint jobs in Pontiac “is based on an unsound … process with inconsistent information.”

All of this comes as the Government Accountability Office has labeled the USPS as a high-risk federal agency in need of major reform.

The Associated Press reports:

“New technology is profoundly affecting services in both the private and public sectors, including traditional mail delivery. Compounded by the current recession, the volume of mail being sent is dropping substantially,” Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general, said in a statement.

And the USPS is not arguing against the GAO assessment:

The post office issued a statement saying: “The GAO High Risk List announcement accurately reflects our current financial reality. Securing the fiscal stability of the Postal Service will require continued review of retiree health benefit prefunding, as well as gaining flexibility within the law to move toward five-day delivery, to adjust our network as needed, to develop new products the market requires and to work with our unions, mailers, stakeholders and Congress to meet the challenges ahead.”

Postal officials have already asked Congress for permission to eliminate Saturday delivery.