IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – After the Postmaster General agreed to pause the transfer of the U.P.’s mail sorting center in Kingsford to Green Bay, Michelle Yuhasey, President of 498-499 & 497 #1189 APWU, addressed the local community.
Last week, the Postmaster General committed to this pause. Yuhasey noted that the Upper Peninsula’s mail sorting center is one of only 2 plants in the U.S. to receive this reprieve, while around 60 others still face consolidations or staff reductions. She urged people to contact legislators and local governments to get involved. Dickinson County has a petition demanding the Postal Board of Governors halt the “Delivering for America” plan.
“The only thing on hold is moving the mail permanently to be canceled in Green Bay. We still lost our afternoon truck runs, which is what we need back so that we can make our mail back to the same-day standard that we had, which was overnight,” Yuhasey explained.
She also highlighted ongoing issues with the U.P.’s mail service, with local complaints increasing. “Watch for your continued delays in your mail. Keep filing online complaints. When you call the postmaster, it’s not always written down and documented, but online complaints are. I can see how many complaints we’re getting.”
Yuhasey emphasized the broader struggle: “He’s only paused them for two plants in the United States right now. We still have 60 some under the threat of movement or consolidation or reduction in staff. We keep after our legislators, our city governments, our township governments. Keep going to them, asking them to help. The Dickinson County commissioners office has put up a petition link on change.org.”
She stressed the need for continued legislative action: “We have to keep fighting with our representatives. We have to get those bills on the floor and get them heard and voted on so that we can stop this craziness. We have 26 lawmakers who introduced legislation, but we still need more support.”
Yuhazey shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the delays: “There are lots of complaints. My own steward in Marquette had a birthday card mailed to her a month ago, and she just got it yesterday.”
She concluded with a call to action, hoping for national change before 2025: “Let’s hope those bills get to the President so they can be signed, and we can stop this. This is our sixth or seventh-month reprieve to try and get it changed nationally.”
