Editorial: Send a Letter to the Post Office: Keep the Hamtramck Branch Open

Since our story last week about a rumor that the Hamtramck Post Office branch is slated to be closed, we’ve been approached by a postal carrier.

The carrier asked to remain unidentified – even avoiding a gender description – for fear of losing his job.

What the carrier said is that the branch indeed will be closing, but when that will be is not known.

However, upon further questioning, the carrier conceded that the information about the closing is basically coming from other union postal employees – not management.

We also reported last week that a spokesman for the Detroit area Postal Service said there has been no decision on whether to close Hamtramck Post Office and if there is a plan to close it, a community meeting would be held to hear from the public.

The carrier we mentioned above said not to believe that. Once a decision is made, there will be no community meeting, the carrier said.

Quite frankly, anything is possible and it would not be the first time a government agency made an abrupt decision without first getting community feedback.

But at this point, the rumor is not based on firm information. Just like any other large organization, rumors can spread like wildfire and take a life of its own.

It’s true, though, that the Postal Service is looking at all of its branches to see if some can be consolidated. The Post Office is bleeding money because of the slumping economy and drastic drop in mass mailing from advertisers – the main source of revenue for the agency.

Cuts have to be made.

Hamtramck’s Post Office may indeed end up on the chopping block.

But before any decision is made, it’s imperative the pubic and city officials go on the offensive and let the Postal Service know that this branch gets a lot of foot traffic and is an integral part of the city’s basic functions.

City Manager Bill Cooper has already contacted state and congressional legislators about this possibility and there are promises to look into it.

We suggest, however, that residents and those who use Hamtramck’s Post Office to send in a letter in support of the Post Office here and protest the closing of the branch.

We have some time, apparently, to bombard the Postal Service with our concerns. Let’s make our voice be heard immediately.

By Charles Sercombe