Postal Workers Protest Impending Closures Of Mail Facilities

Postal workers were scheduled to protest in four Wisconsin cities on Friday to speak out against cuts that would slow down mail delivery times.

Organizers scheduled protests in Madison, Eau Claire, LaCrosse and Wausau. Workers in 150 cities were expected to hold demonstrations against the U.S. Postal Service’s plan to close or consolidate 82 facilities.

The Postal Service has been closing offices since 2012 as part of an attempt to reduce the its operating costs by $20 billion by 2017. So far, they’ve closed about 140 facilities, which they say has saved about $865 million a year.

Officials point to declining first-class mail revenue as a reason for the cuts.

About 20 people protested in Madison. They say they aren’t worried about job cuts, but are concerned about slower mail delivery times.

“It’s not about the jobs.” said Martin Mater, a national business agent for the American Postal Workers Union. “We’re all going to have jobs. It’s about service. It’s about the service to the people. It’s the United States Postal ‘Service,’ and they’re trying to turn it into a business, apparently for profit. And we’re not supposed to make a profit.”

The protesters hope that Congress will intervene. Both the House of Representatives and Senate have bills to block the closures, but no vote has been taken.

Keith Steffen, a retired letter carrier, said the cuts will be bad for USPS in the long run.

“The more they reduce service to the American people, the less they’re going to use the Post Office,” said Steffen. “And so it’s kind of a vicious circle.”

The facility in Madison wouldn’t close under the USPS’s plan. It would, however, lose some of its sorting work to another plant in Milwaukee.

The closures and consolidations at the Wisconsin facilities are expected to begin this spring.