Stabenow Joins Protests Over USPS Mail Center Closings

LANSING (AP) - Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow joined about 40 people protesting the planned closing of a Lansing mail processing center.

MLive.com reports Stabenow spoke Friday outside the Capitol to a group that included workers and labor leaders. The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to close dozens of centers nationwide, including those in the Lansing, Gaylord, Saginaw and Iron Mountain areas.

Stabenow says "the shortest distance between two points does not go through Grand Rapids." Mail handled in Lansing will be shifted to Grand Rapids.

Protests also were held elsewhere.

The postal service says the planned consolidation of work at five Michigan distribution centers will restart in January. A moratorium that put consolidations on hold since 2012 was lifted this year.

Postal officials hope to save millions of dollars.