Post office study draws protest

GREEN BAY - They are the people behind the scenes at the post office. But on Tuesday, postal workers at the mail processing facility in Green Bay came out of the back room to protest the facility's possible closure.

"We literally process hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail a day," said Dave Kroll. Kroll has worked at the facility for nearly two decades.

The U.S. Postal Service is looking into whether Green Bay's processing operations could be moved to Oshkosh. The retail store at 300 Packerland Drive would remain open.

Workers said they're upset because it would mean dozens of lost jobs and slower delivery times. They say mail that would have made it in one day -- might no longer make the cut.

"Mail is going to be delayed, bills are going to be delayed, prescription medicine is going to be delayed," said Kroll.

"We will definitely look at the customer service impact before we make any changes whatsoever," said Marge Oehlke, the spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service.

Some said they are also upset because it would eliminate the Green Bay postmark on most mail. Oehlke, however, said the postmark would still be available to those who bring their mail to designated counters.

Oehlke said closing this processing facility is not a done deal, but that the agency is looking at all possible ways to save some money. She said the U.S. Postal Service is suffering because it is mandated by Congress to put money aside for retirees' benefits. Couple that with a national economic downturn, and the agency will suffer a more than $7 billion loss this year.

"The postal service has seen an unprecedented decline in mail volume this last year. In fact, 9 billion less pieces of mail," Oehlke said.

Postal officials said changes are necessary, but they will have to be weighed against the impact on customers.

Postal workers said they're worried once the changes are made it might be too late.

"Mail volume has been declining for two years now, along with the economy. But when the economy picks up - and it will - so will the volume," said George Dowling, the president of the local American Postal Workers Union.

U.S. Postal officials said they will have a public hearing on the issue before making any final decisions. It is expected to take about two months to complete the feasibility study on whether to move the processing operations.

The U.S. Postal Service does not receive tax dollars for its operations but can borrow money from the U.S. Treasury if necessary. Despite billions in lost revenue, Oehlke said the agency has not had to borrow any money as of yet.