New Castle Postal Meeting

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" More like the needs of the EAS employees who serve only their own greed and PFP goals, outweigh the needs of the few...CRAFTS that is (you know us as the ones who ACTUALLY do the transport of communications like Ben Franklin offered).

"You're going to have a minimum of one extra day for the mail to take place," "Postal employees at New Castle did their own study". Come on folks...naturally they will skew any argument to their advantage. The truth is, it will not take an extra day as trucks will run the mail to Pittsburg, the mail will go through the AFCS's (Automatic Facer-Canceler System) and then be sorted down to the carrier street delivery level and sent back to New Castle served cities for next day delivery. That is reality. The noise is just scare tactics by the employees at the processing plant. Yes, they will be negatively impacted. In this harsh climate, many Americans are forced to deal with similar issues. There is much talk about the need to streamline the USPS workforce, facilities and processes, but whenever the Service tries to do something, the local citizenry (led by impacted employees ... who would have guessed?)run to the local Congressman to have him say "No not here!! Do it somewhere else but not my District!" This is the same guy, or gal, making noise about how inefficient the Postal Service is and decry the need to have the Postal Service tighten its' belt. The reality is New Castle, and many more stations, branches and Plants, NEED to close in order torun an efficien Postal Service for ALL Americans. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

The USPS claims this will yield savings. The Office of Inspector General did follow up studies on several USPS consolidation in other parts of the country. The promised "savings" never materialized. In fact, it wound up costing MORE to shift the mail in the cases studied. The relocated employees will still have jobs (no savings there), The New Castle building will not be sold (no savings there) and it will cost MORE to truck the mail back and forth from Pittsburgh! Demand real answers from the USPS! ~~~~~~~~ The talking heads are quick to claim no deterioration in service but this goes beyond mail delivery. It is about losing 150 families from the city. Families who shop, dine and spend their money locally. Families who pay taxes into the city, county and township coffers. All of this will be lost as well. Mr. Coffee Shop Owner, your mail service may not decline, but how will the loss of customers affect your business? ~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, the USPS had problably made its decision long before the public meeting was held, but don't let them off easily. Demand transparency in the study, demand to be heardm and demand to keep your local post office.

I am President of the Red Bank Postal Workers Union out of NJ. Our Local Union represents the Monmouth Processing and Distribution Center in Eatontown NJ. In April of 2006 our outgoing mail operations were consolidated with facilities 30-40 miles away. Over 100 employees were excessed or diplaced from their jobs to other locations throughout the State of New Jersey at that time. Postal Management stated that the rational was is would save money, but never considered or cared about how it would affect the service to the public. The "Service" to the public is why the Postal Service was estabilshed and till this day remains a part of the Constitution of the United States of America! After the consolidation of the mail from the Monmouth Plant to the Kilmer and Trenton facilities some 30-40 miles away, the delivery of first class mail has cost Postal customers a 1-2 day delay in the delivery of their essential first class mail products. The town of Eatontown and its surrounding towns lost the business of more than 100 well paid employees who shopped and regularly went to breakfast, lunch and dinner on a daily basis to the local establishments that surround the Processing Plant that is open 24 hours a day, 7 day a week. Many employees who were excessed, ultimately moved closer to towns near the facilities that they were relocated too. Since the consolidation of mail from the Eatontown Monmouth Processing Plant to the Edison NJ Kilmer Plant and the Trenton NJ Plant in 2006 the first class service to the public has diminished and the price of postage has gone up twice since its institution. You tell me, are we better off by consolidating our Postal facilities? I think not! If you care about your town and you mail service, please do everything you can to keep the mail at the New Castle facility. Sincerely, Joe Shevlin President Red Bank Local, APWU

This happened in a similar way back in the late eighties in my Grandpa's served area from West Yellowstone NT'L Park borders (WY) to Ashton ID. The mail was "proposed" to go to Pocatello ID and back up. Everyone cried foul, and my Grandpa went to his grave in the Nineties STILL WRITING bi-monthly letters to PM General then. Nobody will listen. They are closing places left and right, like the SHADY way they snuck the Stambaugh Ave. station in Sharon PA. down. The Managers who are responsible, as it does NOT accurately reflect what the TRUE Postal Service would decree...have made up their LITTLE minds. Sad decay when the ones in charge have NO service as the standard in the Postal SERVICE! Leon B. Nichols PA Area, Sharon Local

Wigley knows his business... listen to the man. He has the experience and knowledge to prevent catastrophic impacts on New Castle (and surrounding areas) residents and businesses. The USPS just wants to save a buck or two. They dont care about whether or not gramma gets her pills on time or you receive a $40 dollar late fee because of their proposed changes. If they were really serious about saving money they would re-examine their own manager-to-employee ratio and discontinue the grossly over-reduced discounts to their bulk mailing partners. But no, its just easier to inconvenience the general public... the same public the USPS was created to serve. I cry BOGUS... take a stand and fight this half-baked injustice. Jason Treier Lancaster, Pa. Area Local 95