The United States Postal Service announced Tuesday it will move some mail processing operations from Hampden to southern Maine over objections from workers and top political leaders.
The decision comes after a months-long review of the Hampden facility as part of its 10-year plan to reverse $160 billion in projected losses by 2030. As a result, mail will be processed at the facility in Scarborough before being delivered to residents around the state and elsewhere.
Postal workers and congressional leaders have warned for months that a consolidation would result in job losses and worse service. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins blasted the postal service’s decision, urging the agency to reverse the move and “be transparent with Mainers about its impact.”
“This misguided decision, which I repeatedly urged the USPS to reject, jeopardizes the reliable delivery of mail, including critical medication for Mainers,” the senator said. “In addition, residents will certainly see their local mail delayed.”
Ahead of the postal service’s decision, U.S. Sen. Angus King and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District also opposed a consolidation, warning it would have a detrimental effect on services and customers.
In January, the postal service told the American Postal Workers Union that the facility will remain open and be modernized, but some mail processing operations will move to a USPS facility in Scarborough roughly 130 miles away.
The following month, the postal service held a meeting in Brewer to collect public feedback before issuing a final decision about the fate of the Hampden facility. Postal workers, city councilors, the Maine Senate president, the secretary of state and others slammed the agency over its plans to transform the facility.
In this week’s announcement with a final decision, the postal service wrote that it will convert the Hampden facility into a local processing center, which involves investing up to $12.1 million. Outgoing mail processing operations will move to the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Scarborough.
The facility will be modernized, including upgrades to employee bathrooms and equipment, among other spaces, according to the agency.
The postal service’s framing of the decision as positive news is misleading, and it will have negative effects on delivery services, said Robert Perocchi, president of Bangor Area Local No. 536. He said he was not surprised by the decision but was disappointed.
“The USPS continues to claim there will be no impact on service standards,” he said. “That is a flat-out lie to the public.”
Perocchi, who represents the clerk craft, has reached out to congressional representatives to discuss the effects of the decision.
As part of the postal service’s 10-year plan introduced in March 2021, Delivering for America, it says it will invest $40 billion into operations to expand services to the public and improve working conditions.
