Although the U.S. Postal Service won’t close a Hampden mail processing facility, workers there are worried a planned consolidation of operations could lead to job losses and worse service.
The postal service revealed in November that it was reviewing the Hampden facility as part of its 10-year plan to invest $40 billion into operations. The agency told the American Postal Workers Union earlier this month that the facility will remain open, but some mail processing operations will move to the Scarborough facility roughly 130 miles away.
The postal service did not specify which operations will move in its Jan. 12 notice, but it wrote that a significant portion of mail collected in Hampden will travel across its wider network before reaching its destination, which is more efficient than current practices.
The postal service’s lack of details and data to support its decisions troubles some of Maine’s workers — so much that union leaders have filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, said Robert Perocchi, president of Bangor Area Local No. 536. He argued that the USPS is trying to sell a consolidation as an improvement for the agency, employees and customers, but in reality the move likely means delivery delays.
Despite the postal service’s claim that this move will not lead to “career-employee layoffs,” it could eventually cost workers their jobs through attrition or relocation, said Perocchi, who represents the clerk craft.
“There is no transparency here,” he said. “They are bundling up something that sounds like the latest and greatest thing, but they haven’t provided any details as to how they came to this determination. If they move operations and machinery, it will affect jobs, even if it’s not immediate.”
A regional spokesperson for the postal service, Stephen Doherty, declined to answer specific questions about the plans Wednesday. He instead shared a Jan. 12 news release about a Feb. 2 meeting when the agency will share the initial results of the review and collect public feedback.
Union leaders have repeatedly requested information about how the postal service came to its decision. Because of the agency’s unwillingness to provide it, they filed the charges, said Perocchi, who asked U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to intervene.
Collins raised concerns about the review in late November. She and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden opposed a consolidation, warning it would have a detrimental effect on services and customers, particularly those who rely on the postal service to get medication.
The postal service’s 10-year Delivering for America plan, introduced in March 2021 to reverse $160 billion in projected losses by 2030, calls for establishing 60 regional processing and distribution centers across the country, among other changes. If the Hampden facility is repurposed into a local processing center, mail canceling will move to Scarborough and could eventually move to Massachusetts, where a regional center is supposed to be built, Perocchi said.
At some point, the postal service could make the case that processing mail in Maine is no longer necessary, which would mean further delays for the state’s people and businesses, Perocchi said.
While some reacted positively to the news of the Hampden facility staying open, union leaders never anticipated it would close, said Scott Adams, president of the Portland chapter of the American Postal Workers Union. They expected operations to be consolidated to southern Maine, which is exactly what is happening, he said.
The planned updates at the Hampden facility won’t do anything to improve services, Adams said.
“You’ll get your mail when you get your mail, but they’ll hold fast to claiming they’ve improved service, reduced transportation costs and lessened the carbon footprint,” he said.
Perocchi has called a special meeting for his local on Sunday, where members will discuss next steps and whether to hold an informational picket leading up to the meeting on Feb. 2. In the meantime, he is reaching out to government officials, chambers of commerce and others to educate them on how the consolidation will affect Maine, he said.
During the meeting, the postal service will share initial results of the review and collect feedback from the public, which can also be submitted online. It is slated for 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, at Jeff’s Catering and Event Center in Brewer.