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Postal service sets date for public forum

Worker would like to see 1,000 to 2,000 people at meeting.

Robert C. Reed | Hickory Daily Record

Norman W. Allen, local president of the American Postal Workers Union, discusses the possibility of the distribution center being moved from Hickory to Greensboro.

DETAILS

Municipalities that have passed resolutions against the Area Mail Processing study:

• Cajahs Mountain

• Connelly Springs

• Conover

• Granite Falls

• Hickory

• Hildebran

• Lenoir

• Long View

• Maiden

• Morganton

• Newton

• Rhodhiss

• Sawmills

• Valdese

• Alexander County

• Avery County

• Catawba County

• Watagua County

• Alexander County Chamber of Commerce

• Catawba County Chamber of Commerce

By Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record

Published: November 4, 2009

HICKORY - Local postal workers have spent more than three months working to stop the United States Postal Service from closing the Hickory Processing and Distribution Facility.

This week they learned the USPS is one step closer to shifting the distribution center's second-shift operations to Greensboro — a move that could eliminate about 40 jobs, said USPS employee Doug Woodward.

The USPS has scheduled a public forum on the closure for Nov. 19 at the Hickory Arts and Science Center at 243 N. Third St., NE.

Woodward said the venue is subject to change if the number of people attending exceeds the building's capacity. He said he'd like to see 1,000 to 2,000 people at the meeting speaking out against the proposed consolidation.

Woodward said he's concerned that, in addition to the loss of jobs, customer service will plummet.

"We want to keep everybody informed about the impact this could have on them," he said.

Woodward and his fellow postal employees met with Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright, Conover City Manager Donald Duncan and representatives from Congressman Patrick McHenry's office Wednesday in an effort to save their jobs.

One item discussed was the memo issued from the senior plant manager of the Greensboro Performance Cluster, Donald R. Kelley, which praised the Hickory Processing and Distribution Facility's performance for the previous year. The memo was issued days before the USPS announced its intention to continue its feasibility study to consider the consolidation and schedule a public forum on the issue.

"We're the best in the nation at what we do and they're going to send this work out of town? Why?" Woodward asked.

Joshua McCroan said he and his fellow USPS workers have visited three local government council meetings. Their efforts have resulted in 20 municipalities passing resolutions against consolidating the distribution center.

"Our local governments have been incredible," he said.

For more information, go to www.conovernc.gov and click on "Local Postal Service Operations Could Be Cut!"