Postal Union Head Says Employees Held Picket In Wenatchee

Union postal workers in Wenatchee staged an impromptu protest Thursday over the U.S. Postal Service plan to reclassify the mail handling center in Olds Station. 

Local American Postal Workers Union President Ryan Harris said the picket was held on short notice to get customers to fill out a survey about the plan. 

The Postal Service is calling for most mail in zip codes starting with 988 – the greater Wenatchee area – to be sent to Spokane for processing.  

Wenatchee would be reclassified as a Local Processing Center. 

Harris says the plan would delay delivery of mail locally one or two days. 

Chelan County Auditor Skip Moore testified at a public hearing last week that the changes could cut into his office's ability to serve voters during Washington's 20-day election period. 

Douglas County Auditor Thad Duval said the changes could complicate two elections in 2024, a special election in February and the Presidential Primary in March. 

In an email, Harris said the Wenatchee postal center is operating at an understaffed level, with most employees working 12-hour days, six or seven days a week. 

Mail has been sitting in Wenatchee there aren’t enough truck drivers, according to Harris. 

"They don’t have enough truck drivers to get the mail out, (and) now they want to add more mail on the roads going to Spokane," said Harris. 

He also said retail windows are closing due to a lack of staffing.