Web News Article #: 185-2014

10/15/2014 – A group of about 200 impassioned postal workers, elected officials, and community members rallied on Oct. 6, on the steps of the Federal Building in Duluth, MI, to save the city’s mail processing center.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Duluth Mayor Don Ness, and Rep. Rick Nolan (D) joined the protesters; and petitions with over 157,300 signatures were presented to Rep. Nolan. Curt Waite, a Duluth plant worker, told the crowd, “This is ludicrous and unnecessary! It is about the service and not just saving jobs. For years, our focus has been getting the mail out on time but now management wants to delay mail!”

The USPS plan calls for shuttering four small distribution centers in Minnesota and consolidating them in St. Paul. The same strategy is being rolled out elsewhere in the country. It’s a “mindless business strategy,” said National Association of Letter Carriers Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Ryan

Gov. Dayton chastised the Postal Service for considering a plan that he deemed “nonsensical.” “I don’t really understand this theory that if you’re having a competitive challenge, you improve your situation by making your services worse,” he said.

The rally took place in conjunction with the MN NALC State Convention in Duluth, and numerous other unions participated.

via Duluth Rallies Against Consolidation | APWU.