The post office in Boston University’s George Sherman Union is set to close permanently as a result of the US Postal Service’s ‘Retail Optimization and Consolidation Plan,’ according the American Postal Workers Union.
The GSU branch is one of nine offices set to close in the Boston area. Branches at Boston College, Babson College, Faneuil Hall, Logan Airport, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nonantum Station, Soldiers Field and Tufts University will close, based on data provided by the Postal Service.
Due to a sharp decline in mail volume caused by the recession and the movement towards email, the agency could have a deficit as large as $7 billion this year, according to the Associated Press.
However, some Boston members of the Postal Workers Union said the Postal Service is using overall business losses as an excuse to close offices that are actually profitable.
‘If you’re making a profit, why close?’ Boston Postal Workers Union Vice President and Treasurer Bob Dempsey said. ‘They’re trying to capitalize on this bad economy to get rid of our careers.’
Bob White, vice president central of the union, said he has worked as a clerk at the Kenmore Square and GSU post offices for about fifteen years.
‘I know the ins and outs of the BU Post Office,’ he said. ‘It’s a convenience for the students. All they’ve got to do is go downstairs from the cafeteria and they’ve got their service. That post office is not losing money.’
George Sherman Union Post Office clerk Nancy Paine said she thinks it’s easier to close college locations because students do not care like residents of a small neighborhood would.
‘The community is more transient,’ she said. ‘The kids won’t care. They’ll just go somewhere else.’
The Postal Regulatory Commission, headed by U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, is currently sorting through the proposed closings and making final decisions, with offices potentially closing as soon as Oct. 9, Dempsey said.’
The union is attempting to spread the word and solicit more public opinion among students, Dempsey and White said. Union members recently met with state Rep. Mike Rush, who promised to submit a letter on behalf of the Boston Delegation to Lynch supporting cutting cut back on the closings.
‘Once the post office is gone, it’s gone for good,’ White said. ‘We’re the least expensive in the world, we’re the most efficient, and they’re trying to take it.’
Brian Simon, a BU graduate student, started a Facebook group in protest of closings titled ‘Save the BU Post Office’ after finding out that a temporary six-week summer closing could potentially lead to a permanent shut-down of his P.O. Box location.’
‘I was angry, upset and a little confused,’ he said. ‘It’s not like the post office just sits there empty all day. The two nearest offices, near Coolidge and Kenmore, are insanely busy at all hours of the day, so the fact that they’re closing the one at the GSU just made no sense to me.’
College of Communication sophomore Ken Petti said he’s used the post office maybe twice.
‘I live by Myles, so there’s a post office right there,’ he said. ‘It’s too bad it’s closing, but I don’t know who uses it that frequently.’
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To The Men and Women of Boston University,<p/>As the General President of Boston Metro Area Local 100, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, I feel it is necessary to inform you about an urgent matter regarding your post office within the university. <p/>Let me preface my remarks with the following. The American Postal Workers Union (circa 2008) notified the American public in Boston and surrounding towns of a United States Postal Service management initiative to close local post offices and the consequences for doing so. We alerted the public by Op-Eds in many newspapers throughout the Boston area, as well as going to the State House where we presented our concerns to elected officials, and the Boston City Council.<p/>While we are always apprehensive about such plans and the impacts they will have on our membership, our immediate concern focuses on our ability to continue provide quality service to the citizenry of America; and in that regard our track record is exemplary.<p/>Now, you may ask, how does this affect me, a university student from Boston or Seattle, or any city or town in the U.S.A., as well as a host of countries throughout the World? Well, your local post office is on the list to be reviewed for permanent closure.<p/>The United States Postal Service, one of the most venerable institutions in America, is being systematically dismantled by the “powers that be” and the results will be disastrous for the American public. By closing your post office, you will now be forced to go to a post office further away, and the additional customer impacts will certainly delay your business dealings at that post office. <p/>Millions of Americans depend on their local post office to send and receive checks, legal documents and, of course, letters and packages from family and friends. Your local post office also serves as the first line of defense in protecting the sanctity of your mail. The questions asked by your local window clerk are designed to protect the public through coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.<p/>One only has to recall one of the darkest days in our history – 9/11, and the subsequent biochemical attacks on our mail service. The quiet heroics displayed by postal workers during the anthrax attack showed America the character, strength and resolve of our membership; and that continues today as we keep the lines of communication open throughout the United States and the World. <p/>However, those in positions of authority within the Postal Service will tell you they’re looking to close your post office because of factors such as “low mail volume” and the current economy. But, much of the Service’s dilemma is due to deficient forecasting and poor financial practices. <p/>It is important that you know the Boston University Post Office provides the Postal Service with a tidy profit. In fact, after expenses the BU Post Office is expected to provide the Service with $172,509 profit in FY 2009. So one must ask, if the Postal Service is supposedly bleeding money, why would it consider closing a profitable operation. ???<p/>I don’t think Ben Franklin, the first Postmaster General, would approve of what is happening to the Service he established and envisioned. <p/>This American tragedy is not about whose to blame, however. It’s about how; we as Americans can stop the destruction of our Postal Service.<p/>We ask that you please contact university officials, as well as local politicians, to let them know you strongly disagree with the Postal Service’s plans to close your post office.<p/>In the early part of September we will be leafleting your campus to further inform you of our collective plight. We ask for your activism and help us, the American Postal Workers Union, keep our Postal Service strong, as our forefathers intended. Let’s not let them down. It’s that important!<p/>Sincerely,<p/>Moe Lepore, General President<br/>Boston Metro Area Local 100<br/>American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO