Officials, workers, public rally to demand Postal Service keep Stewart facilities open

MONTGOMERY — Public officials, postal workers and the general public lined up Thursday night to tell U.S. Postal Service officials why the Mid-Hudson Processing and Distribution Center should be spared. And at least one member of the audience couldn’t wait his turn to speak. “Tell them to bring Albany’s mail here,” shouted a man in the audience as the first speaker, Orange County Executive Ed Diana, was finishing his remarks. The U.S.P.S. is studying consolidating its processing operation at the local plant at Stewart International Airport with a plant in Albany. The Postal Service says the move will save $15.3.million a year. Nationally, they’re studying closing about half of their 500 processing plants to save $13 billion a year. Several Town of Newburgh officials were among those who spoke, including Town Clerk Andrew Zarutskie, He questioned why they would close a plant in a county whose population is growing, as is the town’s.—“Consolidate your other resources here,” Zarutskie said. “We want you. We need you. We love you.” Two local lawyers, Jonathan Jacobson and Michael Sussman, questioned another element of the Postal Service’s proposed changes — increasing the standard delivery time for first-class mail from one day to two to three days. “Your service is becoming obsolete,” Sussman said. “To counterbalance that, you don’t change the standard of service.” Members of other unions showed up to support the plant’s workers. “These people give their heart and soul to that damn plant,” said Mark Buckley of Local 363 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. John O’Malley, president of the Hudson-Catskill Central Labor Council, urged that costs be cut by making other changes — including the law that now requires the Postal Service to put aside money for health and other retirement benefits many years before it is needed. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, in a statement read by his district representative Chris White, said he’s working in Congress to change that law.

For once Rep Hinchey and both our senators are on the right side of an issue. The USPS desperately needs to run more efficiently, but this hairbrained scheme of processing mail at an already crowded facility 85 miles away is insanity. The cure is worse than the disease. Esp. considering that the PO has a $1/yr lease on the current facility for the next 70+yrs, it's easily accessible to 2 of the busiest interstate hwys in the NE and it's right next to an underutilized airport.

This is what happens whenever the USPS tries to consolidate and shut down these out dated little post offices in little towns as well. The oldster raise hell because their little hamlet is losing it’s identity to home delivered mail. Someone at the USPS needs to just shut down facilities and make thing more efficient or the are done.

Most of the hair-brain ideas are coming from those in middle to upper mgt trying to save their own jobs/pensions without having to relocate. Seldom does a decision make sense on the ground level. Glad to see someone, or many someones with some influence trying to interject some reason into the discussion. Decisions at the Post Office are still made by the ‘good ol’ boy's club.

These areas are turning into what they would have been without pork; in upstate NY the air force bases closed, the economy is grinding to a halt as the young people leave due to the high unemployment, and now it is time for the post office to pull up stakes.

The Hudson valley is beautiful country with some very expensive areas, but there are also large pockets with economies dependent on welfare and illegals (I suspect this is where the population growth is occurring - both parties admit the legitimate economy is declining in the area); it isn’t sustainable. The Postal Service contractions are happening across the country.

.....to save $13 billion a year....

Some real heavy questions:

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Has the Postal Service EVER saved money?

The answer to #1 is hard but I think I know.

The answer to #2 is easy. The answer is NO!

I hope you realize these “rallies” are staged by union thugs and are taking place at every sorting facility on the closure list?

If they listen to people like you, the post office will close nothing and taxpayers will be burdened with keeping them afloat.

Stop being selfish.

(Yes, I have a sorting facility 5 miles away that is closing)

Actually,when the dust settles, chances are this facility wil not be completely shut down, they’ll just change the operations. What is notable is, given Hinchey’s and Sussman’s MO, no OWSies, even the local ones who appear more “respectable” were anywhere near this meeting. The sorry state of affairs the USPS is in has been a team effort, by labor and mgmt. A culmination of yrs of poor planning and missed opportunities. Peesonally I’m just a couple of yrs from retirement, if they give me an early out I’m outta there. Right now my word of advice to any kids just starting out, like I told my daughter, take any exams they post but don’t seek employment in the USPS except as a last resort. Take it from someone who’s been in the PO for 27 yrs, everything they touch, turns to crap. Also most of the mgmt started out as union people so tend not to have a grasp of what it takes to run a real business.

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