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Highlands Today

Postal Cutbacks Don't Include Highlands

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

United States Postal Service Window/Distribution Clerk Judy Galm serves a customer, Elizabeth Yuzenas, on Tuesday at the North Ridgewood Drive location in Sebring.

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: March 25, 2009

SEBRING - The U.S. Postal Service's plans to close the Lake Mary office and consolidate the central region with the Sun Coast region will not affect Highlands County, spokesman Gary Sawtelle said Tuesday.

Highlands County is already in the Sun Coast, which is headquartered in Tampa.

However, older postal carriers and clerks here are being offered early retirement, he confirmed. "There probably will be people within those areas who will be affected."

"This is the fourth wave of early retirements," he said. Most postal workers who have been offered early retirement have declined.

Nationwide, management staff is being reduced by 15 percent, and 1,400 processing, supervisory and management jobs at 400 facilities are being eliminated. An additional 150,000 postal workers are being offered early retirement, but postal unions have discouraged their members because no severance pay was offered.

The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion in 2008 and is facing even larger losses this year, despite a May 11 rate increase to 44 cents for first class mail, according to the Associated Press.

Highlands Today senior reporter Gary Pinnell can be reached at 863-386-5828 or gpinnell@highlandstoday.com

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