The Postal Service is studying the feasibility of moving Fort Smith mail processing to Fayetteville. What will that mean to Fort Smith? The Postal Service stated it will save $1.75 million a year doing this but has refused to detail the savings.

The Postal Service stated the following:

Fort Smith machines will be moved to Fayetteville to handle the volume.

Fort Smith employees will be moved to Fayetteville or anywhere in the United States, but no career employees will be laid off.

The building where mail processing now takes place in Fort Smith will be kept open for letter carriers, retail sales and administrative services.

The Postal Service has not addressed the operating costs to keep the Fort Smith office open or the increase in expenses in Fayetteville. Increased volume in Fayetteville will increase costs there, offsetting reduced costs in Fort Smith. In addition, transportation costs will continue to increase as trucks will have to be used to move Fort Smith mail to Fayetteville and back.

Where will the $1.75 million savings be realized? Why does the Postal Service refuse to reveal the details?

The Postal Service has emphasized that delivery service will not change. Mail that is processed in Fort Smith now will have an additional three hours of travel time to Fayetteville and back; Fayetteville cannot process the same amount of mail in five hours that Fort Smith now does in eight.

Delivery service will change. Twenty years ago, border cities like Pocola, Roland, Muldrow, Poteau and Sallisaw had their mail processed in Fort Smith with overnight service. Their mail is now processed in Tulsa with two-day and three-day delivery. What will happen to cities south of Fort Smith like Greenwood, Lavaca, Hackett, Mena and Waldron? Will their mail become two- and three-day delivery also?

What about non standard services? Poultry is often shipped by mail. In the spring, baby chickens, ducks and geese are shipped by the postal service. There is no provision to feed and water these animals, so they have to be picked up as soon as possible. In Fort Smith, the owners can leave instructions to be called, and they can pick up their animals as soon as they are received at the facility. That option may be available if mail processing is moved to Fayetteville, but if so owners will be driving to Fayetteville to pick up the animals.

Commonly, employees may answer a knock on doors leading to public areas. A customer explains a letter absolutely has to be postmarked that day. If the customer is there before midnight, we take their mail and hand cancel it; that ability will be gone if they move mail processing to Fayetteville. Mail put in the lobby drop slots at the facility on 74th Street is collected and canceled at about 10 p.m. That will no longer happen. If mail processing moves, mail put into the drop slot after 6:30 p.m. will be sent to Fayetteville the next day.

For example, mail currently put into the slot in the lobby at 74th street on Monday at 9 p.m. will be delivered Tuesday. After the move, mail put into the same slot at 9 p.m. on Monday will be delivered on Wednesday.

What about the times when someone accidentally drops something other than addressed mail into the blue mailbox? Often that will be mail that has not been addressed yet, concert tickets, keys and the like. When the owner notifies employees in the building the missing item can be found, and the owner can pick it up that night. After the move, owners can pick it up in Fayetteville.

I cannot stress how important it is for us to preserve the service we now have. I would urge all residents to look at their mail. If your mail has a Fort Smith postmark, you need to send a letter saying you want your mail processed in Fort Smith and if possible add what your concerns are if our mail processing is moved to Fayetteville.

Mail your letters to:

Consumer Affairs Manager, 420 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205-9631

Thomas Henry is president of the American Postal Workers Union, local 1211.