Six positions in the Bradford Post Office will be eliminated
sometime in the next 60 days.

Those six employees, who have the least amount of seniority,
have already been notified. The exact date of the move is not known
at this time.

At least one person is retiring so, according to Steve
Kockersperger, communications specialist for the Erie District, one
position will be eliminated through attrition.

He said five will have to decide if they want to relocate to
another office and position within a 100-mile radius of Bradford,
while three of those five can accept a part-time position, rather
than retain a full-time position at the Bradford Post Office.

“We do not layoff any employees. There are six positions being
eliminated. Will anyone lost their job? No. They will have to
change positions,” said Kockersperger.

“They could move to another area. There are a number of options
they have,” he added.

Kockersperger cited reasons to eliminate the positions include a
lower volume in first class mail and technological advances,
including a declining need for those who sort mail.

He said those wishing to leave the Bradford office for another
full-time position may see a change from sorting mail. For example,
they may have to accept a position such as custodian or letter
carrier.

Kockersperger adds that he believes the positions being
eliminated were in the mail processing department of the post
office. He said he did not know specifics on Monday.

As for when those employees received notice of their job
elimination, Kockersperger said he was not sure but knows that the
employees affected have already received their notices.

“Probably sometime around the end of the year or beginning of
2007,” he added.

Postmaster Dana Klein referred a reporter to Kockersperger for
information on any possible changes in the Bradford Post
Office.

Kockersperger said that this type of situation is happening in
many post offices around the nation.

“The postal service is in a competitive environment now and
needs to maximize its resources and use employees where they are
most effective, and to keep rates down,” he said. “People are using
the mail system less and less creating a less work load … it is not
what is has been.

“We have invested in our employees. We try to hold onto our
people and put them somewhere they can still make a good income,”
added Kockersperger. “We realize it can be disruptive, but we also
know that it is better compared to being unemployed …”

The president of the American Postal Workers Union #2063 at the
Bradford Post Office was not in the office when called for comment
Monday afternoon.

In December of 2005, The Era reported that there was the
possibility of at least eight positions being eliminated. Those
positions included employees who work at the counter.

Whether or not that occurred is not clear, but stories appearing
in The Era indicate that it did not happen.