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June 26, 2012

Mail changes leave some workers with nothing to do

Sue Loughlin The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — About a dozen mail processing clerks in Terre Haute reported for work Monday, but they had nothing to do now that the mail they used to process is being sent to Indianapolis.

The clerks work at the mail processing facility on Margaret Avenue.

“They are reporting to work, but there is nothing for them to do here,” said Ann Barnes, president of American Postal Workers local 618 in Terre Haute. “I cannot get any figures on where this will save money. I don’t see the advantage of it now … All I see is that it will delay the mail.”

Under the union contract, the workers cannot be laid off.

USPS spokesman Victor Dubina confirmed Saturday that mail placed in collection boxes starting with zip codes 475 and 478 would begin going to Indianapolis for processing, instead of Terre Haute. Items mailed from Terre Haute and destined for Terre Haute will continue to be delivered overnight, he said.

The change began Monday, Barnes said. The clerks work evening shifts, some 3:30 p.m. to midnight or 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

The U.S. Postal Service is trying to find other jobs for the affected clerks, Barnes said. Five lettercarrier jobs are being offered, she said.

Nationally, USPS and the American Postal Workers Union are working on an early retirement agreement, but that has not been finalized yet, she said.

While USPS says that first-class items mailed within Terre Haute will continue to be delivered overnight, Barnes is skeptical.

“They say the public won’t notice a difference,” she said, but she’s going to test it. She mailed herself a letter at 2:30 p.m. Monday to see if she will get it today.

“It’s very frustrating for employees. If we could see the advantage of this, we probably wouldn’t have a problem. But to me it’s costing more,” she said.

The dozen mail processing clerks are being paid yet they have no work to do, she said. Also, there’s the added cost of shipping Terre Haute mail to Indianapolis for processing, and then transporting it back to Terre Haute the same evening for delivery the next day.

The change was supposed to happen about three weeks ago, but then it was delayed, Barnes said. The clerks were told last week that it would go into effect today.

The Terre Haute processing plant has about half the employees it did 18 years ago when she began working there. “We have adjusted the number of employees as volume has come down,” Barnes said.

Not affected at this time are the 25 to 30 mail processing clerks who work overnight and prepare the incoming [destinating] mail for delivery in Terre Haute.

Last month, Dubina said it was less clear when processing for incoming mail will move to Indianapolis. He anticipated incoming mail for the 475 zip code would likely move early next year, while a decision about incoming mail to the 478 zip code area would not be made until 2014.

Also last month, the USPS announced plans to move ahead with a modified plan to consolidate its network of mail processing locations in phases. Officials said that consolidation would begin this summer at 48 locations, including Terre Haute. A notice describing potential job losses was sent to employees.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

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