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Why Knoxville US Postal Service jobs aren’t moving to Nashville after all

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Why Knoxville US Postal Service jobs aren’t moving to Nashville after all

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In a reversal from an earlier plan, the United States Postal Service won’t move Knoxville jobs to Nashville.

Thirty-one positions in Knoxville, Johnson City and Chattanooga had been slated to be consolidated to Nashville, according to a post office report. Instead, those jobs staying local because of a USPS plan to save up to $3 billion every year.

The postal service can now absorb the cost of keeping positions in Knoxville, according to a Sept. 18 release.

While the pot office had touted there would be no employee layoffs if it shifted operations from Knoxville to Nashville, employees would have faced the choice to move to Nashville, commute the almost three hours there, transfer to another city or quit the post office all together.

With the new plan, employees shouldn’t be impacted. In fact, the postal service said in the release that its investment in the Knoxville Weisgarber Road facility is expected to enhance shipping abilities, which it said would lead to increased plant activity and more staff.

The facility will serve as a local processing center, which mails and ships local packages, letters and flats from one Knoxville location to another. USPS’ $9 million investment there will go toward workplace amenities such as lighting and renovated breakrooms and bathrooms.

How is the USPS cutting costs?

The postal service has proposed reducing costs and optimizing service with improvements including:

  • Adjusting pick-up and drop-off times between post offices and processing plants for areas where post offices are far from regional hubs. USPS says this will reduce transportation costs, reduce carbon emissions and truck trips and enable earlier mail processing.
  • Expanding daily reach for most classes of mail, which will result in faster delivery.
  • Committing to a three-day delivery standard for local first class mail.

How we got here

The reversal is the final chapter of a saga that started in November when the USPS announced it would move some operations from Knoxville, Johnson City and Chattanooga to Louisville, Kentucky.

The change was part of the post office’s Delivering for America plan designed to slash delivery costs and make the postal system more efficient.

The postal service had a public meeting in November to explain the plan, though some critics said it simply fulfilled a requirement instead of offering detailed information about what the change would mean for workers and post office users.

Days later, U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett wrote a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy saying the meeting was a waste of time.

“Worse, the arrogance on display by the USPS and its management during this so-called meeting or listening session is unacceptable,” he wrote, adding that members of his staff reported that valid questions were not answered.

In April, the postal service changed course and said positions would be moved to Nashville, not Louisville.

Then in May, it said the consolidation would be delayed until 2025. News of the decision to delay consolidation came in a letter from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. Almost 60 processing plants around the country were set to undergo the similar consolidations.

DeJoy said that delay was in response to elected officials’ concerns.

Now, four months later, consolidation for the Knoxville plant isn’t happening at all.

“Our proposed operational strategy, which is currently under review by the (Postal Regulatory Commission), will generate substantial savings for the Postal Service,” DeJoy said. “This strategy provides a solution that will ensure our organization can cover the cost of local originating mail processing operations in the Knoxville facility.”

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg

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