HAMPDEN, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and three other senators are urging the postmaster general not to proceed with a planned national consolidation of postal facilities until Congress has had a chance to sign postal reform legislation into law.
Collins and Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; Tom Carper, D-Del.; and Scott Brown, R-Mass., sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe on Tuesday asking him to delay the start of a planned nationwide consolidation plan by the U.S. Postal Service. The plan would include the shifting of processing duties from the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Hampden to the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Scarborough.
Donahoe had no official response to the letter as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Tom Rizzo, spokesman for the USPS Northern New England District.
Employees at the Hampden facility were told it was one of 183 nationwide found to be suitable for consolidation as the USPS tries to cut $20 billion in operating costs by 2015 in an effort to turn a profit.
The consolidation would mean the loss or relocation of 170 of the 183 total positions at the Hampden facility and would make the Scarborough plant the only processing facility in Maine. Hampden would continue as a distribution facility for mail carriers.
In the letter, the senators asked that the moratorium on plant closings, which is due to expire on May 15, be extended until Congress has passed a final postal reform bill.
Last week, the Senate passed the 21st Century Postal Service Act, sponsored by Collins and the other three senators, by a 62-37 vote. The bill includes a one-year moratorium on closures of small, rural post offices unless there is no significant community opposition. It also encourages the USPS to work with communities to explore options such as locating post offices within retail store spaces or sharing space with other government agencies. The bill also relieves some of the financial pressures on the USPS created by a previous Senate bill requiring overfunding of retiree health benefits and the Federal Employees Retirement System. Current law requires the USPS to fund $75 billion over a 10-year period ending in 2017.
Collins authored a key provision that would mandate certain overnight delivery standards in some areas, effectively ensuring the continued operation of the Hampden facility.
The House has yet to take any action on the bill.
The post office has been a bureaucratic mess for decades. When they finally try to do something about it, politicians step in because it is going to affect jobs in their district. The post office should have 3 day a week service and half of the current employees. Collins is just helping to prolong the inevitable.
You do that an you mite as well as close it up than the state can take down the sign that says open for business an put up a sign that says state closed .
Yeah because electronic communications haven’t pretty much completely replaced the Post Office regarding land-based commercial comunications….
how’s that sand you have your head burried in taste?
What do you tell people that don’t have computers . What about companies that relay on the post office ? What about mass mailing to get info to people like super markets ect. what do they do ? What about people that refuse to give out there email address ??
The post office had no debt in 2005 but a combination of events ,including the Republican’s mandate forcing them to fund 75 years of benefits in a ten year period of time, put them on the path of financial ruin. This problem can ,and should be fixed, because the post office does play an important part in our lives.
The problem was fixed by the Senate last week. Just one other problem, the Postal Service is still Losing 25 Million Dollars a day. The Senate answer to losing this money 25 Million every day, don’t close anything for 2 years.
Could you actually posts some facts for once? Nothing was fixed. It still needs to pass the house and president.
It would actually save the PO tons of money and give them back what they overpaid. That money would be used to pay off debt and by out employees.
You love to mention the money borrowed by the USPS but never mention the billions and billions that have been overpaid and deposited from making money.
That is right and good ole Collins supported that ridiculous mandate. She is a sham.
How long would the post office survive with 3 day a week delivery ?
I talked with my post man on April 30 I ask him if he gets paid by the hour an he said no i get paid by the day no matter how long it takes him to deliver the mail . He driver a route an he will not collect a post office pension he will get SS an he has a 401k. The people on foot get paid by the hour now if one of the person calls in sick an no one is available than there route is split up so that means that they work over time to deliver the mail
Wonderful….how does this change the fact that the Post Office is a failed, bankrupt eneterprise?
Because the post office is not aloud to make a profit an they have in the past an have had to turn over all that money to the goverment
This move, among others such as voting for the stimulus, epitomizes Aunt Susan’s career, calling for a moratorium, a preservation of the status quo, of the Post Office.
I wish Collins would come up with a better economic approach for Maine than simply playing spoiler to every idea that comes along. Now our kids will be fat from the french fries that she advocated to keep on school lunch menus and our under utilized postal distribution center will stay fully staffed and remain under utilized. At least people have jobs….I guess.
it was not just french fries if you had read about the potato earler you would of seen the feds wanted to cut way down on ALL potatos served i believe they only wanted to service the potato once a week
When is the last time you saw a second grader eating a baked potato? You and I both know that we’re talking about french fries, hash browns (which are french fries) and maybe potato whipped with a ton of butter and salt. Let’s be realistic.
I say potatoes in any form they the feds wanted to cut down to once a week
This air head is the same LOSER that has put the Postal Service into near bankruptcy by passing legislation forcing the Postal Service to over withhold pension benefits. Now she wants no Postal Facility closures even though the Postal Service is LOSING 25 Million Dollars a day. She is on the way to totally destroy the Postal Service. In February the Postal Service had to borrow 12.1 Billion Dollars from TAXPAYERS just to make payroll. This LOSER needs to go back to picking Potatoes and stay away from any kind of Finances. She is truly incompetent.
Are we suppose to hand more kudos out to Senator Collins? Preserving another inefficient federal bureaucracy doesn’t get my vote. The postal service is archaic and needs a total transformation. One could even argue it has outlived it’s purpose. After all, Fed Ex and UPS could more than meet any mail demands. When do we let a dying horse die??
An cost you lots of money to send mail too . Like to mail a letter from Waterville to portland would cost you 10 bucks i know i took a letter to UPS an showed her an she look it up an said 10 bucks an to send that same letter to CA it would cost about 13 bucks an if they pick up that letter at you house if will cost even more to send that letter.
This sounds like another susan collins save loring afb speech and we all know how that turned out she sacrificed lafb for bigger and better things hopefully she will do better for the postal service
consolidate and only run them 3 days a week might help.
We need a Moratorium on Susan Collins!
She was in part responible for the 2006 Law enacted to destroy the Post Office!
Congress should have gotten out of the Post Office when it reorganized in 76. If they had maybe things would have been different now. Nothing will be done about closing Post Office’s that need to be closed until after the up coming elections. As it is now MS Collins is out of touch with ME, she says we need Hampden plant for one day delivery. That is a joke, in some areas for a 1st class letter to travel 14 miles it takes 2 to 3 days now. It might be faster if there is only 1 plant in ME that sorts. I do think that if the PO is to succed the Congress needs to give them their head and let them run like a private business.
That 1st class would be done away with an that letter could take up to 8 days to get there
This may be a first in Washington: a federal agency wants to reform itself to save money but Congress won’t let it.
Typical republican…Screaming “CUT CUT CUT” but never “HERE HERE HERE”, always “THERE THERE THERE.
That is true. The Ds are much more honest about saying, “keep spending, as long you spend it here.”
There are going to cut . First there will be buy outs for people near retirement age 100,000 people that will be able to take advantage of it that would save lots of money . Than at post offices the times that they are open will be cut down that will save money . Renting out part of the place were they sort will save the post office money too
When I was a kid, some 50 years ago, I can remember that they use to delivery mail twice a day. Now that’s gone by and both my wife and I believe that the daily delivery of mail has served its usefulness. If the mail wasn’t delivered but two or three times and week would be more than enough. It is time to tighten up a losing federal agency.
What about business that need mail delivery every day ?
What oh are saying is that we need to this for “junk mail”. That is so stupid.
Sent from David’s IPad
A lot of businesses depend on the mail every day just because you don’t so you thing that no one else dose all you are thinking about is me me me . Do you know how much the junk mail brings into the post office every year ? Try 17.2 BILLION dollars a year an thats not chicken feed either. People just want 3 day a week delivery good an when the post office close than the United State will suffer . So you think the USA is bad nowwatch what will happen with no mail delivery an if people use UPS or FEDEX it will cost any were from 10 to 13 bucks to send a letter. If thats what you want than go for it
Perfect. An effort to keep postal operations open that should be closed, but no new funding (taxes) to pay for it. No wonder DC is such a mess.
How many people would three day a week deleivery effect beside the post office people did any one think of that ?
The full time rural carriers work maybe 6 hrs a day/5 days a week and get paid between $50,000-$75,000 a year. What other job can you get that kind of pay. They are obviously overpaid and the post office has created their problems themselves. All postal employees are overpaid. I’m not saying their jobs aren’t challenging at times but they still get paid way too much.
I talk with the guy thats my rural carrier an he dose not make that kid of money he gets paid x number of dollars for the day no matter how long it take him . He will not collect a pension from the post office he will collect SS an he has a 401k
It depends on the size of the route they have and how long they’ve been there. yes, I probably stretched it with the $75,000 but I know a lot of carriers there and they do make a minimum of around $45,000 – $50,000. They typically get 75% of their income as part of their retirement. Not a bad gig for what they do.
Yes i asked my route driver he said the older workers are making that money 50,000 plus but not the younger workers