Sen. Fasano and Rep. Fritz to Postmaster General: Keep our facility Open

Wallingford, CT – State Senator Len Fasano (R-North Haven) representing the 34th Senate District of Wallingford, North Haven and East Haven and State Representative Mary G. Fritz (D-Cheshire, Wallingford) representing the 90th Assembly District are standing behind the workers at the U.S. postal distribution center on Research Parkway and asking that the site remain open.

“The Wallingford facility provides vital services to the residents and businesses in our area and its closing will severely impact our local economy; including the loss of roughly 300 jobs,” said Sen. Fasano. “With high unemployment going into the new year now is not the time to lay people off.”

“It is critical for the community, small businesses and the local economy that we keep the Wallingford facility open”, said Rep. Fritz. “This facility was built in 1995 and has more space, more modern equipment and truck bays than Hartford. The proposal to move operations and workers to Hartford just doesn’t make sense.”

Connecticut currently has an unemployment rate of 8.4% (CT Labor Dept. as of Nov. 2011) one of the highest in the nation.

Sen. Fasano and Rep. Fritz joined a statewide delegation of U.S. Representatives and workers from the facility this week, as they discussed the proposed shut down. At the meeting of nearly 400 people – Senator Fasano stressed the importance of keeping the facility open in the community and of the resolve workers showed during the October 2001 anthrax contamination at the site.

“We will fight to keep this facility open,” said Sen. Fasano.

Senator Fasano has sent a letter urging the U.S. Postmaster General to reconsider closing the Southern Connecticut distribution center as the Postmaster General looks to stream line postal service around the country.

In the letter written, Senator Fasano wrote “Businesses and residents throughout our area have expressed valid concerns that the closing will result in significant delay of the processing and delivery of mail throughout our region.”