Manzullo Fights Merger of Rockford Postal Sorting Center with Madison’s

Earlier this decade there was an attempt to close the Rockford sorting center, merging it with Palatine and Congressman Don Manzullo kept it open.

Now the Post Office has the facility in its sights again, as you can tell from Manzullo’s latest press release.

Manzullo Demands to See USPS Data Supporting Closure of Rockford Mail Processing Center

Rep. also requests 1-month delay of Dec. 8 public hearing to analyze data

[ROCKFORD] – Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) is demanding to see the data the U.S. Postal Service is using to support the closure of the Rockford mail processing center and its move to Madison, WI.

Manzullo also wants the public hearing – required as part of the consolidation study – to be postponed from Dec. 8 to early January to give local officials time to analyze the data and offer alternatives to shuttering the local facility and sending nearly 200 jobs north to Wisconsin.

Such a move would also cause delays in mail delivery to homes and businesses in the eight northern Illinois counties (Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, JoDaviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Ogle and Lee counties) currently served by Rockford.

In a letter to Postmaster General Pat Donahoe, Manzullo explained how he worked with Rockford postal officials during the last consolidation study in 2006 to present alternative information that convinced the Postal Service to abandon its plan to move Rockford mail processing operations to the Chicago suburbs.

Local officials again need to see the USPS data comparing operations in Rockford with Madison so they can correct it if necessary.

And once they get the information, they need time to analyze it.

That’s why Manzullo is requesting that the public hearing scheduled for next week at the Clock Tower Resort be moved to early January.

Don Manzullo

“The Rockford processing center was under a similar review six years ago and we found that the data in the previous USPS was incorrect, and resulted in keeping the Rockford facility open,” Manzullo said. “It is impossible to effectively offer comment on a proposal without knowing the assumptions and information that underlie the proposal.”

The Rockford mail processing center is consistently rated among the most efficient centers in the nation, and Rockford workers provide excellent overnight delivery service to their customers in zip codes starting with 610 and 611. Manzullo is working with U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) to keep the jobs and overnight delivery service in northern Illinois. Manzullo, Durbin and Kirk met with Postmaster General Pat Donahoe on Nov. 1 to share their concerns with the potential move of operations to Wisconsin and the damage it would cause to northern Illinois. During the meeting, Donahoe said he would share the study data with the Members of Congress.


Comments

Manzullo Fights Merger of Rockford Postal Sorting Center with Madison’s — 3 Comments

  1. So we have another conservative that rails against government, and then fights to keep government bigger than necessary, because it is good politics.

  2. Exactly. Everybody wants to reduce the size of government and cut spending EXCEPT when it affects their district.

  3. So, our Congressman shouldn’t advocate for his district?

    I am very much against bloated government breakn our backs, but I suppose neither of you have a problem with Rockford losing more jobs?

    Rockford has one of the highest unemployment rates in IL and IL is horrible enough.

    Personally, I like Manzullo’s style-use leverage, keep the jobs local and push to close somewhere else.

    This area can ill take more job losses….

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