Postal Workers Protest Consolidated Facilities

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A handful of people turned out Wednesday to protest against actions by the U.S. Postal Service.

Members of the Postal Workers Union claim the U.S. Postal Service wants to consolidate facilities across the country. The postal service said it’s not planning any layoffs, but the union wants the public to know what the impact would be if the post offices consolidate.

“It’s our position that would delay mail up to a week or maybe more and, of course, it would mean a loss of jobs and that type thing, too,” said Harold Terry of the postal workers union.

A postal service spokeswoman said she has no knowledge of any planned layoffs and released this statement: “The Postal Service is constantly looking for ways to improve productivity and increase efficiency. Nationally, we are reviewing mail processing and transportation operations across the nation to determine if there are opportunities to increase efficiency and improve productivity by combining some operations into a single location.”

The postal workers union said it’s staging protests nationwide to voice its concerns.