United Parcel Service Inc., the Atlanta-based package delivery company, said Monday that it plans to close part of its New Orleans East distribution hub for a renovation in September, a move that will impact 177 part- and full-time employees.
The New Orleans East “streamlining” is part of the major overhaul UPS has been undertaking over the last three years, which has resulted in tens of thousands of job losses and outlet closures, amid a slowdown in its package delivery volume and efforts to automate more of its operations.
A company spokesperson said that the Morrison Road facility will reopen sometime next year, but she could not give a timeframe or say how many of the affected workers would be retained and how many let go permanently.
Uncertain job losses
UPS last week filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, about the closure of part of the distribution hub, saying that 164 part-time and 13 full-time employees would be impacted. A WARN is a federally required notification of closures or other disruptions that might cause temporary or permanent displacement of jobs…