CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Vice President of Local 133 of the American Postal Workers Union said they are filing a national-level grievance against the United States Postal Service (USPS) due to them not holding a public meeting in a timely manner for discussions on the future operations of the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center.
Tim Holstein said per USPS guidelines, they should’ve already held a public meeting by now.
“By their policy and their rulebook that they’re playing with, there was already supposed to be a public meeting,” Holstein told MetroNews Tuesday.
According to Holstein, the USPS handbook mentions holding a public meeting within 45 days of notifying the distribution center in Charleston that they are under financial review. USPS conducted a study of the facility to consider a potential relocation of it’s operations out of state with Pittsburgh being a possible destination.
Holstein said they were notified by USPS on Nov. 22 that they were under review. He’s saying even now, they’re not sure what will happen.
“There’s a cloud of uncertainty that continues to linger over this facility,” said Holstein, who claims the USPS isn’t following their own rules and they may be purposefully creating some confusion among the facility employees.
“When the rules aren’t followed, that puts us in a situation of extra worry,” said Holstein. “We’re starting to believe that this is by design.”
The union’s Vice President is hoping to see one of a few things happen with the filing of the grievance. He’s calling on USPS to “restart the process” or “completely do away with the process.”
Holstein said the many employees of the facility in Charleston are starting to worry a little bit more. At this point, they just want to hear on a decision.
“We just want some solace for our members,” he added. “We want to know one way or another what’s going to happen.”
Holstein said they have been in constant contact with U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito for assistance, as well as other leaders in Washington.
Senator Capito released the following statement Tuesday:
“After multiple follow-ups, I am disappointed that USPS’s responses failed to adequately address many of my concerns and questions regarding the future of the Charleston facility. While I am glad that the facility will not close, I am still concerned that some jobs may be transferred out of state. In the meantime, I will continue working to seek clarity and answers from USPS and fight against these jobs being transferred out of West Virginia.”
Sen. Capito sent a letter in December asking for more information regarding USPS’s Mail Processing Facility Review. She’s also spoken personally with Postmaster General DeJoy for more information on how to prevent the facility in Charleston from closing down.
Holstein was thrown off by the postal service not answering Capito’s questions and responding to her letter. The union has also not heard back from the USPS in multiple weeks, according to Holstein.
Senator Manchin previously said he would do everything in his power, along with Sen. Capito and Congresswoman Carol Miller, to prevent the facility from being shut down and operations moving elsewhere.
“I will do everything within my power to prevent the loss of this facility,” Manchin said in November.
The facility has 800 employees and 500 of them are represented by the union. It’s the only operational processing and distribution center left in the state of West Virginia.