By Shereen Siewert
Wausau is one of 18 mail processing facilities nationwide slated for closure, as the U.S. Postal Service proposes major operational changes.
The proposed changes are taking place in the context of the Postal Service’s 10-year plan and proposed network and operational changes. Under the plan, central Wisconsin’s sole processing and distribution facility would be consolidated with a facility in Green Bay.
The move is drawing fire from officials with the American Postal Workers Union who say they are concerned about changes in the workforce.
Management has prematurely begun “stand-up” talks in the affected facilities. Management as of yet has not provided the union any impact statements on how these changes will affect the workforce, whether there is any planned excessing of employees, or whether some of these facilities will be “repurposed” to address the changing mail mix.
“We have made crystal clear to postal management that any further plant consolidations are a misguided strategy that not only disrupts the lives of postal workers but will further delay mail,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The previous plant closings and consolidations were a complete failure and we will fight back facility-by-facility and community-by-community to save these processing plants. After a year of courageous and essential frontline work in this pandemic, management’s actions are a slap in the face of postal workers.”
The 18 facilities listed are among the 62 Mail Processing facilities whose consolidation was halted in 2015. Management has stated that the proposed mail moves are to be completed by November 2021.
