July 9, 2014
By Stephanie West
The U.S. Postal Service will be expanding its program of closing processing plants. The closures and consolidation of facilities will increase in 2015 with over 80 plants to be closed. Over 142 processing centers have been shut so far. USPS maintained 487 processing centers nationwide before the consolidation began in 2012.
“It is projected that these consolidation will result in significant savings for the Postal Service,” USPS wrote in a letter to American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein. “Some affected career employees may be reassigned to other vacant positions.” The relocations will be made in accordance with the union’s collective bargaining agreement, USPS said.
APWU vowed to fight the closures, noting the Postal Service turned an operating profit last quarter. A Senate bill cleared by committee and awaiting a vote on the Senate floor would place a two-year moratorium on processing plant closures.
“We will make this fight a nationwide campaign and ask all Americans to stand up and fight back,” said Debby Szeredy, the unions executive vice president. “Get ready for the crusade. We cannot sit back and let the [postmaster general] destroy our Postal Service.”
