Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. joined several union members Wednesday in a rally opposing the proposed shutdown of 17 post offices in the Bronx.
“The Bronx cannot afford such a considerable loss of both jobs and commercial activity, and the federal government must seriously reconsider enacting any post office closure plan that would have a serious negative impact on Bronx communities,” Diaz Jr. said in a statement.
The United States Postal Service announced this week it may close more than 3,400 outlets across the country to save money. Of those, 34 outlets in the city are on the chopping block. Of the 34, 17 are in the Bronx.
Manhattan could lose six post offices, Brooklyn and Queens could lose five each and Staten Island would lose one under the proposed plan.
The USPS operates 31,871 retail outlets across the country, down from 38,000 a decade ago, but in recent years, business has declined sharply as first-class mail gave way to the Internet. The recession also took a bite out of advertising mail, on which the agency claims to have lost $8 billion last year.
Over the last four years, the USPS, which does not receive tax funds, has cut its staff by about 130,000 and reduced costs by $12 billion.
Bronx Borough President Diaz Jr. joined with members of the New York Metro Area Postal Union and the American Postal Workers Union on the steps of the Bronx General Post Office on East 149th Street and the Grand Concourse to protest the proposed closures and the removal of processing services from the Bronx General Post Office.
Josie Rivera, a 17-year post office veteran, told the New York Daily News that she feels most sorry for senior citizens who depend on the services.
"We have a lot of seniors here who don't even believe in banks," said Rivera, 54. "This is their therapy, walking from their house to here to buy stamps. They'll have to walk more than a mile."
The mail processing division at Bronx General could shut down even though it's the only mail processing plant in the borough. Moving operations to Manhattan, some say, will mean delayed mail.
Officials say more than 300 jobs would be lost from the general post office alone. The closure, if approved, is expected to happen by the fall.
“My office will continue to follow this process to ensure that the collective voice of our borough is heard on this important matter,” the Bronx borough president said.
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