Shifts ahead at suburban postal centers
Processing outgoing mail in a Carol Stream distribution center rather than the Palatine center will affect 131 positions but not cut any of them, U.S. Postal Service managers said Tuesday night.
There are no plans to close the Palatine center, said Greg Johnson, senior plant manager for Northern Illinois. And while no employees would lose their jobs, there will be changes in duties, shifts and locations, arranged according to union contracts.
The move would save about $10 million annually, the managers said.
One customer joined about 160 union leaders and employees in protesting that not enough information on the move was being released.
Patricia A. Ciston, first vice president and senior operations manager for JPMorgan Chase Card Services in Elgin, said she gets better service at Palatine than she previously got in Carol Stream.
Her office sends mail to 80 million customers and receives millions of pieces, Ciston said. If she needs to make changes, she would like to know when it would be.
Johnson said any changes are further down the road, but he could not say when.
Ciston also said she had learned of Tuesday night's meeting only when an employee read a notice on the Daily Herald Web site, but officials said large customers and local officials were notified.
Johnson said repeatedly it would not be appropriate to release details about the consolidation because nothing was finalized yet. A summary on usps.com said initial results support the move.
About 900 people work in Palatine and 1,100 in Carol Stream, he said.
Jackie Engelhart, president of Northwest Illinois Area Local of the American Postal Workers Union, complained that employees and unions are being kept in the dark about things that affect people's lives.
"I have been told I have a deer-in-the-headlights look," she said. "I don't know what's going on, and I attempt to find out what's going on."
Mary Corner, a mail processor in Palatine, asked why so much money had been invested in equipment and an addition in Palatine.
Robert Hart, district manager of customer services and sales for Northern Illinois, said when that decision was made, the economy was in much better shape.
Johnson said the 50,000-square-foot addition cost about $11 million and will be used for something, but the use has not been finalized.
Delivery of mail to homes and businesses will not change, but city routes also are being consolidated, and that could affect delivery times, Hart said. Palatine postmarks will continue to be available.
The hours that business mail is accepted will change, the summary of the highlights said, and commercial mailers who presort mail will continue to receive discounts and drop ship mailings can be deposited at Palatine.
The postal service says the consolidation is necessary because the amount of business - especially first class mail - has decreased dramatically due to electronic communications and the recession, Hart said.
Large-volume customers also are doing much of their own processing and even some of the transportation, too, officials said.
Cuts have been made such as reducing the staff at regional headquarters by 15 percent and freezing some management salaries.
Comments must be postmarked by Oct. 7 and can be sent to Manager Consumer Affairs, Northern Illinois District, 500 E. Fullerton Ave., Carol Stream IL 60199-9631.
Postal: Delivery times may be affected by route consolidations