Postal employees picket in Lenoir

Postal employees of the Hickory mail distribution center drummed up support at the Lenoir Post Office on Monday. The picketers hope to save the mail center that has been targeted for closing. The Postal Service is considering sending the operation to Greensboro.

Members of Local 1807, American Postal Workers Union, say moving the mail sorting facility would disrupt mail delivery. The Hickory facility serves all of the 286 ZIP code area, including Caldwell and several mountain counties. A previous protest was in Hickory in February.

The Postal Service says the move to Greensboro is under scrutiny and no conclusion has been reached. However, the mail workers whose jobs are at stake are taking no chances.

According to Doug Woodward, one of the organizers of the Hickory picket line, some service already has suffered because bulk mail processing was diverted from Hickory to Greensboro last year. “The complaints have poured in,” he said. “People are not happy with the delays in getting their mail.”

He said the problem is because Greensboro can’t match Hickory’s efficiency. The Hickory distribution center consistently ranks as one of the top facilities in the nation for efficiency.

If all Hickory operations are moved to Greensboro, mail delivery will not be as dependable, according to the protesters.

A leaflet handed out at Monday’s picket in Lenoir stated, “The USPS ‘consolidation’ plan could result in slower, less reliable mail service … Mail may be collected earlier in the day and arrive later – possibly after dark.

“Checks could be delayed, bills may not get paid on time, and medication delivered by mail may take longer to arrive, etc.”

Some area towns support the postal workers’ effort.

At a recent visit to Washington, D.C., for a congressional briefing arranged through the National League of Cities, Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright said he told representatives “to not move our mail center.” The Hickory City Council has adopted a resolution of support for keeping the facility in Hickory.

Conover Mayor Lee Moritz Jr. has said complaints about delivery of utility bills has grown considerably since bulk mail handling was given to the Greensboro center.

Between 160 and 200 local workers would be affected if the Hickory center closes. The Postal Service would offer jobs to the workers, but they would have to relocate, and some might be offered jobs outside of North Carolina. Workers say that’s not acceptable.

USPS officials maintain there would be no change in delivery if the Hickory facility closes. Local employees say that’s not true.

“Sending your mail to Greensboro for processing also will hurt local businesses and will drain more jobs from Hickory,” stated Monday’s handout. “The Postal Service claims the move will ‘improve efficiency,’ but it has yet to prove that the plan would save money or that it could maintain the current level of service. Instead they have proven just the opposite.”

“We give personal service,” Woodward said earlier. “We know the area. We get the mail moved on time. That’s not going to happen if everything moves to Greensboro.

“We’re trying to inform everyone of the problems,” said Joshua McCroan, a mail clerk who picketed at Hickory. “People want to know why their mail is later and later. It will be later if we’re shut down.”

The local workers want residents to contact U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, and U.S. Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan and express opposition to the consolidation with the Greensboro center.

 For more information, contact Josh McCroan at endlessrayne@hotmail.com.

 U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry

P.O. Box 1830, Hickory, N.C. 28603,

or 224 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 29515

Email mchenry.house.gov/contact.

Web: mchenry.house.gov.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan

310 New Bern Ave., Raleigh, N.C. 27601

Or 521 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

Email sage_dunston@hagan.senate.gov.

Web: hagen.senate.gov.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr

100 Coast Line St., Rocky Mount, N.C. 27804

Email esther_clark@burr.senate.gov

Web: burr.senate.gov/contactme.