Backed by a study released Wednesday that shows almost $4 million in savings, U.S. Postal Service representatives will meet with the public Nov. 10 about the possible closure of the Duluth mail processing center.
Packing up and moving operations to St. Paul has been on the minds of the 126 employees in Lincoln Park since Sept. 15, when the Postal Service announced the study and possible move. Several post offices in the region also face closure as the Postal Service tries to rein in spending while suffering what it calls a "deep decline in mail volume due to current economic conditions and continuing electronic diversion," meaning the use of e-mail and electronic bill paying over sending a letter.
The release of the study is not a death knell for the Duluth center, said Pete Nowacki, a Postal Service spokesman based in Minneapolis. "It's an uncertain time for all of us," he said of the economics that are driving recent decisions. "It's sitting there and hits us all the time."
The Postal Service said it would schedule a meeting once the study was done "to explain the proposed operational changes and potential impacts on service, and to solicit public feedback, which will be considered before a final decision is made."
According to the study, closing the Duluth processing center would cut 58 jobs. Others would be saved under union contract rules or moved to St. Paul. The postal service predicts a savings of $1.9 million there. The study says it would save an additional $1.6 million in maintenance costs and $349,000 in transportation costs.
ADVERTISEMENT
The post office portion of the center at 2800 W. Michigan St. would remain the same.
"They should hold off and see what happens in Congress," said Todd Fawcett, president of the local unit of the American Postal Workers Union. He's talking about a bill that would end how the Postal Service has to pay in advance for worker pensions. Some say it has overpaid $50 billion to
$75 billion, meaning the processing center cuts, which are planned for across the country, wouldn't be needed.
Aside from the loss of jobs, Fawcett said the worry is about service. Mail will take longer to get to its destination, the Postal Service admits, a few days on first-class mail and more on periodicals. "They haven't tested the service yet," Fawcett said of the delays.
"I hope the public comes out," Fawcett said of the
6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 meeting at the Holiday Inn in downtown Duluth. The Postal Service did not specify where in the hotel the meeting would take place.
More than 250 processing centers are being studied for closure savings across the country. In Minnesota, only the St. Paul and Minneapolis centers aren't being considered, Nowacki said. The other facilities under study are in Bemidji, St. Cloud, Rochester and Mankato. Thousands of post offices could be closed, several in the Northland, and public meetings are planned to discuss those as well.
