There are no plans to move the Wichita mail processing facility out of state

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Update: In response to Tuesday's report from the president of the local American Postal Workers Union and concerns about the possibility that Kansas' only mail processing facility could be moved from Wichita to another state, a spokesperson released an official statement on behalf of USPS saying this stated There are no plans for such a move.

You can read the full statement below:

There are no plans to move the Wichita, Kansas facility to another state. For nearly two and a half centuries, the Postal Service has adapted to the changing needs of its customers.

The Postal Service leverages a vast network of people and advanced technology to collect, process, transport and precisely deliver the nation's mail and packages in an increasingly digital world.

We are the heart of the $1.58 trillion United States postal industry, processing and delivering 44 percent of the world's mail.

The Postal Service is an essential part of our nation. For more than 240 years, we have connected the nation and today deliver mail and packages to American homes and businesses six to seven days a week. We have one of the best last-mile delivery networks in the world, enabling commerce, providing a powerful channel for marketing and communications, and supporting the e-commerce economy. Our reach is unparalleled; Delivering nearly half of the world's mail volume, goods and services to more than 160 million addresses nationwide; and ninety-nine percent of the population have a post office within 10 miles of their home.

Through our Delivering for America plan, we are committed to modernizing facilities, vehicles, equipment and more across the country. Additionally, through our Delivering for America investments, we have built capacity in our processing, logistics and delivery infrastructure to meet our customers' evolving mail and package needs. We implement strategies to bring together people, technology, transportation, equipment and facilities into a well-integrated and optimized postal and parcel network.

Thousands of postal workers in various cities across the country gathered Tuesday to demand better staffing and postal service.

In Wichita in particular, members of the American Postal Workers Union fear that changes proposed by the U.S. Postal Service could result in Kansas' only mail processing facility being moved out of state.

The postal workers' rally follows a FactFinder 12 investigation in late September that examined the proposal and the potential negative impact it could have on the speed of mail delivery in rural areas. The US Postal Service is trying to improve its financial situation by cutting up to $3 billion a year. As part of this effort, USPS is placing greater emphasis on regional hubs.

Christine Pruitt, the president of the local American Postal Workers Union, said these proposed changes could result in the Wichita mail processing facility being moved out of state. Currently, the Wichita facility is the only mail processing facility in Kansas.

“We’re actually the only ones still doing processing here in Wichita,” Pruitt said. “They want to move our mail to Kansas City, Missouri. Think about how much longer it will take for your mail to be delivered if it is trucked to Kansas City for processing.”

A CBS report said mail would be delivered within two to five days if the proposed changes were approved. However, in some rural areas it could take an additional half or full day for delivery to arrive.

Pruitt argued that the five-day delivery period would not begin until the mail reaches Kansas City. She added that this could delay mail delivery to people in rural areas by more than just five days.

“The five days are right when it comes back to Wichita as a transfer station,” Pruitt said. “When we talk about rural delivery, we mean it can take 10 to 12 days from dispatch in Wellington to delivery across the road in Wellington. This is unacceptable.”

The APWU and the local mail carrier union said they have a plan in place to ensure they have employees processing mail-in ballots on every shift every day with the upcoming Nov. 5 election.

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