Union wants mail facility investigation

By John K. Manna
New Castle News

June 29, 2009 10:39 am

— A union official wants a halt to a postal study considering consolidation of New Castle’s mail processing operations with Pittsburgh’s.
David Wigley, president of Local 227, American Postal Workers Union, has asked the Office of Inspector General of the postal service by letter to conduct “an immediate investigation” into the postal service’s “violations” of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act and that the study “be immediately terminated.”
A spokeswoman for the postal service had no comment.
The union has said on several occasions that consolidation could result in the loss of up to 75 percent of the jobs at the local facility.
Wigley is basing his request to the inspector general on comments initially made by the postal service regarding the study in April and then events of last week when local officials, along with Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators and U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire reported that the facility on Cascade Street would not close.
In last week’s announcement, they said that 23 New Castle employees would be offered other positions. The facility has about 190 jobs.
Two postal officials originally disclosed the information in a conference call to the three Lawrence County commissioners on June 16.
Wigley also made reference to statements made by Tad Kelley, postal service spokesman in Pittsburgh, that the study has been concluded, but the results have not been released. Kelley added that a public meeting will be conducted the second week of July and the results of the study will be made public at that time.
The intent of the meeting is to obtain public input on the study.
In his letter to the inspector general’s office, Wigley wrote, “Due to the conflicting statements and misrepresentations given by (U.S. Postal Service) officials to media and elected officials regarding both the intent and status of the (Area Mail Processing) study, as well as the communication by USPS officials of a decision regarding the AMP study prior to the required public meeting, APWU local 227 believes that any chance for a fair outcome of the ... study of the New Castle (Processing and Distribution Facility) at this time has been subverted.”