Tagged: William Street post office

The head of the U.S. Postal Service made a surprise visit to Buffalo's William Street Mail Processing Center this morning. 

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe toured the facility before speaking to the 2,500 attendees at the 108th National Rural Letter Carriers Association Convention. 

After being targeted for closure in a cost-cutting move, the William Street facility won a temporary reprieve from earlier this year. The Postal Service is seeking to close a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall and stay solvent in a time of declining mail volume.

Buffalo's William Street mail processing facility will remain open for at least three more years, according to Senator Charles Schumer.  Schumer says Postmaster General Patrick Donohoe informed him of the news this week. 

Under a cost-cutting reorganization plan, the Postal Service wanted to shift processing work to a similar facility in Rochester, eliminating 700 local jobs and ending overnight local delivery. Mail sent locally would have been processed in the Rochester facility and then sent back to Buffalo.

U.S Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand say the postal reform bill passed by the Seante Wednesday would keep Buffalo's main mail processing center open for at least three years, if it becomes law.

The overhaul legislation passed with a 62-37 vote. It gives the financially-troubled U.S. Postal Service an $11 billion cash infusion and delays decisions on closing post offices and ending Saturday delivery.

Western New York Congressman Brian Higgins is accusing the United States Postal Service of hiding results of a study it conducted on changing delivery standards and closing some processing centers.

Higgins appeared on the House floor Wednesday saying the Postal Service is keeping the results a secret.  Higgins told his colleagues he learned that the study indicates the Postal Service would actually lose $5 billion.