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If you are interested in fighting to keep 85 good-paying jobs in Bluefield, and the local mail processing and distribution center on Cumberland Road open, now is the time to speak up.
A public hearing on the proposed closure and consolidation of Bluefield’s Mail Processing and Distribution Center will be held this evening beginning at 7 p.m. at the Bluefield Auditorium at 1800 Stadium Drive. U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., says he will be at the hearing fighting to keep the 85 jobs in Bluefield. But he will need to have a large crowd by his side if we are to make our case for keeping the mail processing center open.
The U.S. Postal Service claims only seven jobs will be lost if the mail processing and distribution center is closed. It calls the closure a “consolidation.” However, if 85 jobs are taken out of Bluefield, and relocated to Johnson City or Charleston, those are 85 jobs that will be lost. It doesn’t matter you how try to spin it, the jobs will be gone from Bluefield. And the odds are pretty good that not every worker currently employed at the Cumberland Road site will be able to pack his or her bags, and relocate to Charleston or Johnson City, in order to remain employed.
The postal service also claims it will save $2.1 million a year by closing the processing and distribution center in Bluefield while keeping the actual post office itself open. But what about the impact upon the community? Can Bluefield really afford to lose another 85 jobs? We are told that our mail service won’t be slowed or delayed, but if the mail is shipped to Charleston or Johnson City, how can the service not be slowed? And will the postal service really keep the entire building it currently leases on Cumberland Road open just for a post office once the processing and distribution center is closed? Will it keep the lights on and the heat on once all of the workers, and all of the mail, is gone? We are talking about the old Kmart after all. This isn’t a small building.
Call it a consolidation if you want to, but by moving all of the workers and mail to Charleston or Johnson City, you are essentially closing the Cumberland Road site.
Rahall says mail service will, in fact, be disrupted if the Bluefield site is closed. He is urging a strong turnout of concerned citizens, business leaders and elected officials at tonight’s meeting. A large crowd will go a long way in sending a message to the U.S. Postal Service about the importance of the Cumberland Road site.
We join Rahall in calling upon all concerned citizens, community leaders, business leaders and elected officials to attend tonight’s meeting. We must speak up. We must fight to keep our postal center open. We must fight to ensure that our mail service is not slowed or disrupted. We should be willing to fight for 85 jobs.
Tonight is the time to speak up. It’s now or never.
Editorials
August 29, 2011
Postal showdown
Tonight is the time to speak up
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