New United States Postal Service Proposal Unfair To Staten Island Residents?
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The United States Postal Service is considering a change in the way it handles mail on Staten Island, and residents are leery of the plan.
The so-called consolidation would move operations at the Manor Road Processing Center on Staten Island to Manhattan and Brooklyn. The process is likely to delay the time it takes for residents to get their mail.
"They're punishing you for living on Staten Island," one resident told CBS 2's John Slattery.
Under the change, mail bound for Staten Island would first head to the other boroughs for processing.
"I think it's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. Why should it go to Brooklyn or Manhattan? It should just be sorted from here and disposed from here," Michelle Costantino said.
"Now they move it to Manhattan to move it to Staten Island? It doesn't make sense to me," Joanne Schiffner said.
The Postal Service, however, argues the plans does make sense because of what it says is a 20 percent drop in mail volume since 2007.
A spokeswoman said, "With declining mail volumes and growing deficits, the postal service has an excess capacity of equipment, staff and facilities to process a declining volume of mail."
As fuel costs rise, some workers have also questioned the wisdom of trucking mail to other boroughs just to bring it back to Staten Island.
Postal union representatives said the move would definitely mean slower deliveries.
"It's going to affect parcels to the customers. It's going to affect Social Security checks to the customers. It's going to affect first class medication that people rely on," Vincent Sapone, of the Mail Handlers Union, said.
A union spokesman said under the plan, no postal workers would lose their jobs. Some may be reassigned to other boroughs, but a decision isn't expected for several months.
SOUND-OFF: What do you think of the Postal Service's plan? Make sense? Share your thoughts in the comments section...
