KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Update (12/4):
Knoxville Rep. Tim Burchett sent a letter to the United States Postmaster General Louis Dejoy after a meeting regarding the future of Knoxville's USPS Processing and Distribution Center.
Burchett, who referred to the meeting as a "waste of time," said his staff attended and reported to him that the USPS staff "stared blank-faced" at his constituents while ignoring their questions.
The meeting comes as USPS potentially plans to change operations at the Knoxville Center to a facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
You can read Burchett's full letter below.
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USPS leaders met Thursday with postal service employees to discuss the future of Knoxville's USPS Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC). This comes as the Postal Service conducts a Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) to modernize its services nationwide.
According to USPS, the review aims to evaluate the conditions and operation of various facilities. The Knoxville P&DC is one of the facilities the Postal Service is looking at.
A possible change and move could come to the facility. USPS potentially plans to change operations at the Knoxville Center to the facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
USPS employees said they are concerned about the future status of their jobs and service to their customers.
"There was no information given," Yvonne Lett said. "It makes me feel like they do not care about their employees."
Lett is a third-generation USPS employee. She's been working for the company for 40 years. She began her career at 19 years old.
"Everything that I have is because of the Postal Service," she said.
Lett said she's frustrated about how USPS leaders are handling the changes with employees. Employees said little information had been given to them as no questions by employees were answered at the meeting.
A Postal Service leader instead directed them to an online survey. According to USPS, the Knoxville center will stay open and will turn into a processing center. They also said no employees will be laid off.
"Due to the transfer of some operations, we estimate 63 career and 9 management positions will be reassigned to another facility," Gary McClellan, executive plant manager at USPS, said.
John Macon, the local president at the Mail Handlers Union Local 329, said this is not enough.
"I don't believe there's honesty," Macon said.
Macon said Knoxville is booming with business and people and mail operations need to remain local.
"You're going to send processing from one city or several cities moving to another city that's overcrowded," he said.
For the next 15 days, employees and neighbors can share their comments on the changes to USPS on their online survey.
USPS said after the survey is closed they will review and consider public comments, conclude their MPFR analysis and keep employees informed.