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Network Realignment

Protests of Ill-Advised Plans Expand in Number, Size, Impact

(This article first appeared in the November/December 2006 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

APWU members from three states march in Nashua, NH, during a nationwide “Day of Picketing.” (Click on photo for larger view.)

With a nationwide day of picketing representing both a crest and a continuing wave of protest, APWU locals continue to press the Postal Service for accountability in its plans to consolidate postal facilities across the country.

The picketing was part of the APWU’s campaign to expose the poorly conceived — and often well-hidden — network realignment plans and the serious negative impact they would have on mail service for consumers’ and small businesses.

“Postal workers are standing up on behalf of postal customers to tell the United States Postal Service that enough is enough,” said APWU President William Burrus, speaking at a “Save Our Service” rally in Baltimore on Oct. 26. “It’s time to stop catering to the interests of big corporate mailers.”

“By galvanizing community support of citizens, we are forcing the Postal Service to rethink these ill-advised plans, and encouraging our elected officials to question what is being done to a valued constituent service,” Burrus said.

Ongoing Campaign

APWU pickets and other forms of anti-consolidation activities have been on going almost from the moment that the Postal Service first began to implement, in late 2005, its Evolutionary Network Development (END) initiative.

One of the more active efforts has been in western Maryland. Throughout 2006, Cumberland Area Local APWU members have been spreading the word about the problems of shifting of mail-sorting operations to Frederick — nearly 90 miles away. Jim Lawhorn, Secretary-Treasurer of the Cumberland local, said that the Postal Service has been “studying” its Cumberland consolidation plans for nearly a year — “My God, how long does it take?”

Protests in Helena, MT, and Canton, OH, in early October were timed to coincide with the broadcast of the APWU’s television and radio ads protesting consolidation.

Helena postal workers distributed leaflets and held a press conference (Oct. 4) to protest plans to truck much of the capital city’s outgoing mail 170 miles to Great Falls. Janet Kosnik, president of APWU’s Helena Local, said that the additional transporation would require earlier collection times and result in later delivery times.

Some of the largest mailers in the state are located in the state capital. The move of some Helena workers to Great Falls would be bad for employees, and it also would hurt service, Kosnik said, because that facility is already working at capacity.

Protests in Canton focused on plans to send mail to Akron. As Canton Area Local APWU President Carmine Russo points out: “They would take the mail from Canton, truck it up the road into Akron, process it there, then truck it back down, and then we would have to deliver it from Canton. So I can’t imagine it won’t take longer period of time to get the mail out to the people.... We’re a public service, and this is going to delay people’s mail and we’re concerned with that.”

Clint Burelson, president of the Olympia (WA) Local, where consolidation has already taken place, pointed out on the eve of the national day of picketing that “Our outgoing mail has already been consolidated to Tacoma — and Tacoma just cannot handle the extra volume. The Tacoma plant is using overtime and, in order to handle the overload, is often sending Tacoma mail to Seattle. In essence, Olympia mail is being worked in Tacoma and Tacoma mail is being worked in Seattle. It’s easy to see that the consolidation of the Olympia mail has increased costs and reduced mail service.”

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