Updated 2 p.m. April 5: UPS clarified Friday afternoon that it is scaling back operations at its Roanoke facility, not closing it altogether as was reported in an earlier version of this story.
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UPS is cutting a daytime package sorting shift at a Roanoke facility, affecting 153 employees.
Employees working that shift at the customer center at 3941 Thirlane Road NW, by the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, “will be separated from employment, unless otherwise required by the applicable collective bargaining agreement” by June 3, according to a letter dated Wednesday from the Atlanta-based shipping company to a Virginia official.
The letter cites a “reduction in volume” and said 120 part-time hourly employees, seven full-time hourly employees, 22 part-time management employees and four full-time management employees will be affected.
“This action is expected to be permanent due to the lack of available work at this location moving forward,” states the letter from Raul Simons of UPS Human Resources to Brett Tavel, Virginia’s Rapid Response state coordinator.
Rapid Response is a state program designed to assist companies and workers affected by layoffs and closures. Federal law requires employers to give 60 days’ notice of mass layoffs and closures that meet certain criteria; such actions in Virginia are reported to the Rapid Response program and posted on the Virginia Employment Commission’s website.
“UPS remains in the above-referenced facility, but there are currently no plans to retain UPS employees assigned to the sort beyond June 3, 2024. … UPS will attempt to mitigate this loss by offering work to affected employees if other positions become available,” the letter states.
A UPS spokesperson said Friday that the shift being cut is one of four at the facility. In a statement, UPS said it continues “to right-size our network and staffing to meet volume demands and maintain industry-leading service.”
“Our employees are extremely important to us, and we are working to place as many employees as possible in other positions. We remain committed to working with them throughout this transition and providing support,” UPS said.
Roanoke city spokesperson Carol Corbin said in an email that the city “recognizes the challenges and hardships that will result from the announcement of layoffs by UPS, and we are committed to assisting the employees impacted by this decision.”
“Fortunately, the economy in Roanoke is strong with multiple opportunities available with several outstanding companies,” Corbin said. “The Department of Economic Development will work closely with those companies in the coming weeks to publicize those opportunities.”
Roanoke Economic Development Director Marc Nelson said city officials are “reaching out to companies from similar industries to let them know an influx of talent might soon be on the market.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 171, the union covering that UPS location in Roanoke, did not return a message Friday seeking comment.
In July, UPS and the Teamsters ratified a new five-year contract just a week before the union of 340,000 UPS workers nationwide was set to go on strike, raising wages for full- and part-time workers. UPS also agreed to commitments including equipping new delivery vehicles with air conditioning and ending forced overtime, according to news reports.
News reports indicate that UPS has cut operations around the U.S. in recent months in locations including Charlotte, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and Portland, Oregon. The company announced in January that it would cut 12,000 jobs in an effort to save $1 billion in costs.