Ed Markey calls for Waltham postal facility to remain open

Congressman Edward J. Markey, D-7th, urged the United States Postal Service (USPS) to keep the Northwest Boston Area Mail Processing Center in Waltham open and to hold off any decisions to consolidate the plant, after the postal service announced plans to close it.

Last week, the USPS announced that they would be moving mail-processing operations at the Waltham location to the Boston Processing and Distribution Center and the Middlesex-Essex Processing and Distribution Center in North Reading.

Markey said Congress is working on comprehensive postal legislation, and the USPS should hold off on any closures or consolidations until they can act.

“It’s no secret that the postal service is facing considerable fiscal challenges, but cutting jobs and creating a poorer service standard is not the way to fix it,” wrote Rep. Markey in a letter to Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman. “(Area Mail Processing) closures will result in slower delivery time for USPS customers. These delays will hurt consumers and businesses not only nationally, but especially here in the thriving high-tech Route 128 area, Greater Boston and MetroWest business community.”

According to a release from Markey’s office, the Waltham plant employees 400 employees and processes 1.8 million pieces of mail per day.

Markey is a cosponsor of H.R. 1351, which would reform how the Postal Service funds its pension plan.

“We do not need mass closings to fix the USPS budget gap – we need to repeal arbitrary rules created by Congress that are gutting the postal service,” wrote Markey.

A moratorium on any postal closures until May 15, 2012, was enacted to give Congress enough time to pass the comprehensive postal legislation before any cuts were decided.

“It is vital that USPS provide Congress sufficient time to enact comprehensive postal legislation,” wrote Markey.

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