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Maine’s postal workers are rallying support as the Hampden mail processing facility undergoes a study that some fear could lead to a consolidation of its operations.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office revealed in late November that the U.S. Postal Service had announced a study of the Hampden facility. It would explore whether it makes sense to consolidate operations in Hampden to a facility in Scarborough, roughly 130 miles away, she said.
The senator opposes the move and wrote in a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that consolidating the facilities would have a detrimental effect on services and postal customers across the state.
Stephen Doherty, a regional spokesperson for the Postal Service, said that there are no plans to close the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Facility.
While the conflicting information creates confusion about what’s in store for the Hampden mail facility, workers are preemptively rallying community support to show the Postal Service that a consolidation would be harmful to people in eastern and northern Maine who rely on its services. Such a move could cause delivery delays for residents and businesses and cost workers their jobs, they said.
Robert Perocchi, who is president of Bangor Area Local No. 536 and represents the clerk craft, received notice of a facility review that will “see if it makes operational sense to consolidate the remaining outgoing operations” into Scarborough.
He interpreted the notice as not necessarily a plant closure, but rather a partial consolidation. It would likely mean Hampden would lose some workers and machinery, which the community should oppose, Perocchi said.
“The outreach is mostly informational at this point,” he said about efforts to inform governmental officials and the public. “It’s in a holding pattern until they make the determination to move forward [with a consolidation]. We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”
The Hampden mail facility has approximately 210 employees, not including carriers who pick up mail and go on their delivery routes, then bring back what they collected at the end of the day, Perocchi said.
He has spoken with the offices of Collins, U.S. Sen. Angus King and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District to inform them about what is happening. He also has written to city and town councilors across Maine and entities like the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, among others.
It’s important to get ahead of a possible meeting that the Postal Service would hold to collect public feedback if the study supports changes to Hampden’s operations, he said.
If such a meeting is announced, that is likely when area workers would hold an informational picket, Perocchi said. He also hopes representatives and senators would attend to oppose any consolidation.
If a consolidation is approved, operations could move to southern Maine and eventually to Massachusetts, where a distribution center is supposed to be built, he said, basing the information on the Postal Service’s 10-year Delivering for America plan. It calls for establishing 60 regional processing and distribution centers across the country, among other changes.
The plan was introduced in March 2021, and the agency says it’s needed to reverse $160 billion in projected losses by 2030.
“The people in Maine will see a decline in their mail delivery service, and the USPS will not see a reduction in transportation costs,” he said, which is one of the plan’s goals.
During a visit to Presque Isle earlier this month, Collins spoke against the study, saying that losing the Hampden mail facility could devastate many Mainers. The senator confirmed that she had received a notice that the Postal Service had put the Hampden center on a list for likely closure.
“They listed Hampden as ‘under review for consolidation,’ which means closure,” she said. “I’m in Aroostook County today. If mail has to go clear to Scarborough and be trucked back here, it will lead to enormous delays.”
Particularly for people in The County and other rural areas of Maine, a number of veterans receive their prescriptions through the mail, she said, and prompt delivery matters.
She knows the Postal Service is in financial trouble, but cutting services will make it lose even more customers, she said.
The Postal Service’s failed attempt to consolidate in 2012 made clear that it provides an essential public service, Perocchi wrote to city councilors. Mainers rely on the Postal Service for sending in ballots and college applications, among other time-sensitive items.
“These facts have not changed,” he wrote.
BDN writer Paula Brewer contributed to this report.
