SCHUMER URGES INCOMING POSTMASTER GENERAL BRENNAN TO HONOR LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO KEEP U.S.P.S. BUFFALO PROCESSING & DISTRIBUTION CENTER OPEN THROUGH 2015 – SCHUMER VOWS TO CONTINUE FIGHTING TO KEEP WILLIAM ST. CENTER ALIVE

In 2012, Schumer Received Personal Commitment from Postmaster General Donahoe that the William St. Processing Center Would Remain Open For Three Years, Preserving 700 Facility Jobs & Overnight Mail in Western NY – In 2014, Schumer Secured Additional Commitment From Postmaster That Facility Would Remain Open Through End of 2015

Schumer: The Buffalo Processing Facility’s Doors Should Remain Open At Least Through End of 2015 As Promised

Today, during a one-on-one meeting, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the incoming Postmaster General, Megan Brennan, to keep the William Street Processing and Distribution Center in Buffalo open at least through the end of 2015. Schumer’s request comes after he successfully secured a commitment from outgoing Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in 2012 that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would keep the Buffalo Facility open for three more years through May of 2015. In 2014, Schumer secured a further commitment from Donahoe that the center would be kept open through the end of 2015. Schumer went to bat for the William Street Processing Center after it was revealed in 2011 that the USPS was studying whether to close or consolidate it. Schumer is now calling on the incoming Postmaster General to honor the long-standing commitment to keep the Center alive through 2015, and he vowed to continue to fight to keep the Center open as long as possible.

Schumer said the facility is too important to the Western New York community, and its 700 employees, to be consolidated prior to the expected date. Throughout the debate on postal reform legislation, Schumer lobbied the Postmaster General to keep the processing facility open as long as possible, at least through 2015. Schumer said that keeping this processing and distribution center open through 2015 gives Congress time this year to do work on postal reform legislation and help USPS find other cost-cutting measures, so that vital centers like Buffalo can remain open. Schumer said that while he recognizes the importance of making cost-saving reforms in order to preserve the Post Office’s vital services, closing this facility down prematurely before year’s end would be a major blow to the community and the center’s employees.

“Western New York businesses, residents, and senior citizens rely on the William St. Processing Center for timely and reliable mail service that delivers everything from paychecks to Social Security payments. Back in 2012 and then again in 2014, I secured the commitment of Postmaster General Donahoe to keep this facility open until the end of 2015. Today, I am urging incoming Postmaster General Brennan to honor that commitment. While I recognize the importance of making cost-saving reforms in order to preserve the Post Office’s vital services, closing this facility down would be a major blow to the community and to the facility’s 700 employees,” said Schumer.

Following news in September 2011 that Buffalo would be one of eight facilities to be studied for closure or consolidation within New York State, and throughout the postal reform debate, Schumer pushed to keep the Buffalo Processing and Distribution Center open. In February 2012, the USPS announced that the Buffalo facility was included in the closure and consolidation moratorium which would have ended in May 2012, when the Postal Service planned to transfer the operations of the William Street facility to Rochester. Schumer then fought and secured a personal commitment from Postmaster General Donahoe to keep the facility open for at least 3 years, until May 2015. In 2014, Schumer secured an additional commitment to keep the facility open through year’s end in 2015.