Press release:

November 2, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today sent a letter urging the U.S. Postmaster General, John Potter, to address concerns raised by the Portland Chapter of the American Postal Workers` Union at today`s event marking the grand opening of a new postal processing facility in Scarborough.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Postmaster General Potter:

We are writing to draw your attention to concerns raised by the Portland Chapter of the American Postal Workers’ Union (APWU), Area Local 458. Its grievances include the belief that it will be facing the consolidation of over 70 day shifts to 22, and the transfer of junior clerks into other job crafts including maintenance and mail handler duties. The union is also concerned that some postal workers may lose the seniority benefits they have spent years attaining in their areas of expertise.

As we celebrate today’s opening of the state-of-the-art facility in Scarborough, it is critical we not lose sight of the fact that the success of the mail processing center depends on the dedicated people who work there. We also believe it is important and ultimately beneficial to the mission of the postal service to consider keeping people in the jobs in which they excel.

In that light, we urge you to review and reconsider your decisions with regard to these job reclassifications at the Scarborough facility. We also request you inform us with respect to the justification for your decisions. Further, the union believes that the United States Postal Service actions with regard to these job position changes are in violation of contractual agreements, and we request the Service`s response to that assertion.

We hope that this matter is resolved as expeditiously as possible and that this outstanding new center will serve Maine well for many years to come - while employing Maine people and maximizing the skills they have attained to the betterment of the overall service that the postal system provides. We thank you for your attention to these concerns and look forward to your response.

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