Maine’s independent Sen. Angus King has joined a group of legislators urging the U.S. Postal Service to protect deliveries and jobs while it undergoes restructuring.
That comes after the postal service moved to eliminate its Hampden mail facility after conducting a review of operations. The proposal drew outcry from the community, which fears that if the facility were to close, mail deliveries would be disrupted.
The facility will remain open, but some mail processing operations will move to a USPS facility in Scarborough roughly 130 miles away. Postal workers have said they feel the USPS is selling the consolidation as an improvement, but that it will likely result in job losses and worse service.
King’s letter, which was also signed by fellow independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, highlights the benefits that regular service has to rural communities, in which many people still rely on the post office to deliver crucial documents and life-saving medicines.
“For rural communities, the loss of local jobs and even slower mail service represent further setbacks to the revitalization of rural life,” the letter reads.
“The Postal Service is at its best when it treats its workers right and delivers mail in a timely fashion, We therefore urge you to prevent facility changes or outright closures that will result in any job losses and slower mail.”
A number of Maine communities have reported interrupted service due to lack of staff in the past year.
Joining King and Sanders in signing the letter were Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Col.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard “Dick” Durbin (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jacklyn Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).