Tulsa Postal Facility To Close; More Than 500 Jobs Affected

Workers learned Wednesday Tulsa's mail distribution center will be closing. Nearly 600 postal employees are soaking in the news.

They say they were told the plant near 21st and I-44 is closing to save money.

Postal workers at Tulsa's mail sorting facility say they were told the facility will be shutting down and Oklahoma City's center will pick up the slack.

"It was quiet, no one was happy. This is the worst possible news that we could have had," Stacy Boyd, union spokesperson, explained the mood inside.

Stacy Boyd is one of about 580 employees who works here. The original plan explained that 400 of those jobs could transfer to Oklahoma City, but the postal service is still crunching the numbers.

Boyd said she was told during the meeting that the business mail operations at the Tulsa processing center are not slated for closure. If that changes, mailers would be given a 120-day notice.

Many of the employees have fought against the possible closure for months. But the United States Postal Service says mail delivery has dropped dramatically over the years and it can save $11 million a year by closing the Tulsa center.

"They call this a complex closure. This is the second largest facility on the list, so it's going to take some time," Boyd said.

Boyd says the nationwide closures would start in May or June and could last through September of 2013. The union wants anyone who uses the postal service to speak up.

"Your senator, the mayor, anybody, let them know you use the postal service because we're in danger of actually losing a service that's been around since before the Constitution," Boyd said.

Union leaders warned back in December that the plant's closure meant postal customers would see a delay in mail service. They say local overnight delivery will not be possible after the plant closes.

12/01/2011 Related Story: Postal Union Warns Of Service Delays During Tulsa Meeting

Boyd says the only way the closure won't happen is if the postal service cannot successfully change the delivery standards of first-class mail currently under review. But she doubts they would have told employees the plan if it wasn't a sure thing.

Tulsa's chamber of commerce is weighed in on the closure and released the following statement:

"It would be unfathomable to lose this facility that serves a thriving economic region with a growing population. We will continue to voice our concerns to USPS and to the Oklahoma congressional delegation that closure would severely impact the long-term best interests of businesses and citizens in the region."