Magazines, catalogs, and large envelopes that were once sorted in Cheyenne are now making a road trip to Denver before reaching Wyoming mailboxes, a postal union representative says.
The behind-the-scenes change is adding at least a day to their delivery.
The shift comes after the U.S. Postal Service announced in February 2025 that it would retain certain local mail processing operations in Cheyenne and Casper, rather than move all such processing out of state under a cost-cutting overhaul called Delivering for America.
Bob Jacknitsky, Wyoming’s state representative for postal workers union NPMHU Local 321, said Cheyenne previously processed those pieces — known as “flats” — for the entire state.
Now they’re being sent to Denver for sorting into individual carrier routes, before returning to Wyoming for delivery.
Jacknitsky said he has documented that the change is adding at least 24 hours to deliveries in Cheyenne and surrounding communities and has filed a grievance over it.
He has not been able to document the amount of additional time experienced in Casper or other areas because those flats now bypass Cheyenne, but believes the change is increasing those delivery times there, too.
To document the delivery effects in Cheyenne, Jacknitsky has been mailing flats to himself, as well as photographing other examples. In one case, he said a flat mailed from Florida reached a Cheyenne address faster than one mailed within Cheyenne.
“That is ridiculous,” he said, adding, “I don’t know if a grievance is going to work. But I’ve got to try something.
“I’m looking at the big picture and, if we lose flats, then sometime down the road, I think it could embolden them to take the other mail, like letters and stuff like that. Just have us process parcels.”
That would delay even more of Wyoming’s mail, Jacknitsky said, and is something he believes is worth fighting against.
The U.S. Postal Service did not respond to questions about the change by publication time.
Here On Friday, Gone By Monday
Jacknitsky’s account is a window into how the changes have been developing behind the scenes with Wyoming’s mail.
“When they took our flats from Cheyenne, it happened fast,” he said. "Because I work Monday through Friday and it happened after I left on Friday.
"People had contacted me and they’re like, ‘Yeah they’re going to take our flats,’ and by Monday it was implemented,” he added. “That’s also part of my grievance because we got no notice.”
Flats arriving from Casper previously reached Cheyenne around 2 a.m., were processed that day and returned to Casper that night, usually for delivery the next day. Flats from Cheyenne’s operating area were also returned for delivery the next day.
Now, Jacknitsky said, mail received from carriers at night leaves for Denver the next morning. He said processing details show flats being sorted around 5 p.m. and returning to Cheyenne around 9 or 10 that night for delivery the next day.
“So that’s why I’m saying it’s delaying it at least 24 hours,” Jacknitsky said.
An About-Face, But Questions Remained
In February 2025, the USPS announced it was rolling back part of its Delivering for America plan in Wyoming, preserving certain local mail-processing operations it had proposed moving from Cheyenne to Denver and from Casper to Billings.
The cost-cutting overhaul threatened to leave Wyoming without any of the large regional processing hubs envisioned under the plan. Postal workers, including Jacknitsky, warned that sending mail out of state for sorting would slow deliveries, while residents raised concerns about receiving critical items like medications.
Amid the outcry, Wyoming’s congressional delegation sponsored legislation seeking to prevent USPS from stripping a state of all its large mail processing facilities.
The legislation didn’t pass, but USPS eventually reversed course on certain originating mail-processing operations from Cheyenne and Casper. It said savings of around $3 billion annually from broader operational changes would allow it to continue local cancellation service.
But the announcement never resolved whether mail traveling between Wyoming communities would still leave the state for processing. USPS spokesman James Boxrud told Cowboy State Daily at the time he could not confirm how that mail would be handled.
“While I appreciate the local mail processing capabilities, all in-state mail and packages should be processed within Wyoming,” U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, said at the time. “A piece of mail from Cheyenne to Casper shouldn’t have to be processed through Denver and Billings to reach its delivery point. USPS still must take bold steps to address its ongoing issues to serve rural states like Wyoming.”
A Change That’s Helping
Not every change in Cheyenne’s mail operation has been a setback.
A parcel sorter is now processing packages for destinations across Wyoming, Jacknitsky said. About three months ago, workers started using it to sort Cheyenne parcels as well.
Before that, the packages were sorted by hand, consuming substantial overtime.
“They had a huge problem figuring out the run program and getting everything right,” Jacknitsky said. “But they finally got it.”
He estimated that manual sorting required about 20 combined staff hours a day among five or six workers. Now, with the machine, he said sorting can be completed in about an hour and a half.
“That’s how powerful these machines are,” he said, adding, “We’re still having some bumps and bruises trying to figure things out, but the time that is saved on a daily basis is tremendous.”
The sorter processes tens of thousands of parcels daily, sometimes running them more than once to sort packages into increasingly specific destination groups.
Jacknitsky said he’s seen the sorter reach rates of 8,000 to 9,000 pieces an hour.
Fight Will Continue
For now, Jacknitsky’s challenge is confined to the union grievance process.
That grievance was denied at its first step, which Jacknitsky said he expected. He hopes that it will eventually reach arbitration, where it might get more of a chance for consideration.
His challenge disputes the idea that moving flats processing to larger regional facilities is more efficient and saves money. He also alleges the change violates the Postal Service’s universal service obligation.
There’s no guarantee his grievance will succeed.
“It’s s shot in the dark,” he said.
But he wants frustrated customers to know that workers are challenging the changes, too.
“It’s always a struggle. It’s always a fight,” he said. “We’re trying to do the right thing. There are still people who are fighting on their behalf and trying to do things the right way.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
