Oklahoma Delegation Praises USPS Decision To Keep Tulsa Mail Sorting Local

Oklahoma's congressional delegation is praising the decision by the United States Postal Service not to go forward with a plan to totally shift mail distribution operations within the Sooner State. They say the decision is good for the state and for timely mail delivery, in general.

Related: U.S. Postal Service Cancels Plan To Move Mail Processing Out Of Tulsa

The USPS had announced, last April, that as part of a $22.5 million repurposing of its Tulsa Processing & Distribution Center, sorting operations for all outgoing Tulsa mail — even local mail — would be shifted to the Oklahoma City facility. Local officials in Tulsa felt the decision ignored their recommendations and the state's congressional delegation got involved.

“Yes, this has been an ongoing fight behind the scenes for several months,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) in an interview last week.

Sen. Lankford and the delegation had questions and concerns. They appreciated the Postal Service's efforts to reduce costs and improve service through it's 10-year 'Delivering for America' plan, but in an April 12 letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, they expressed concern that Tulsa workers might be “laid off or reassigned to the Oklahoma City Regional P&DC as part of the plan.”

A few days later, Sen. Lankford had the chance to ask DeJoy directly about the plan at a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing.

“What do you anticipate?” Lankford asked. “Just take Atlanta for an example because I've got Tulsa and Oklahoma City, there’s Fayetteville, there's others that impact Oklahoma. They're about to walk through this process.”

DeJoy said the regional consolidation of sorting operations, as was being planned in Oklahoma and part of Arkansas, would be taking place at other locations across the country.

“This is just picking up outgoing mail, moving it to a place where we can consolidate all the outgoing mail that goes around the country,” DeJoy explained, “and refurbishing the facilities and making them more appropriate for today's business that we're going to be doing.”

The proposed upgrades to the Tulsa P&DC facility were welcomed by local leaders, but Tulsans complained the plan would delay the delivery a local mail a full day.

“Because our mail in Tulsa is now being shipped Oklahoma City and shipped right back to Tulsa,” Lankford stated.

Lankford and others took that concern to USPS leadership and they agreed to make an adjustment.

“They're going to shift that service now where Tulsa mail coming into Tulsa is going to be sorted in Tulsa, delivered to Tulsa,” said Lankford. “So, there won't be that delay of going to Oklahoma City and coming back. But, if it's mail that's going somewhere else in the country besides Tulsa, it will be shipped to Oklahoma City. That'll be a faster process to be able to get out.”

Lankford calls it a 'win-win.'