LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UPS announced Thursday it is laying off workers at the Louisville Centennial ground hub due to low package volume.
The company is eliminating the day sort at the hub, effective Feb. 16. UPS said in a statement the move is the "result of fewer packages in our network."
"In our industry, packages equal jobs, and we need to match capacity and the number of jobs with current package volume," spokesperson Mechelle Stanchfield said. "Our employees are extremely important to us, and we understand the impact this may have on their families. We are working to minimize the impact to our people wherever we can."
UPS did not disclose how many people would lose their jobs. The layoffs will affect a "relatively small portion" of the overall workforce.
Some employees will have opportunities to be re-assigned to other positions.
UPS said the layoffs are not related to the unionization effort by some administrative and specialist employees. Earlier this month, UPS and Teamsters reached a last-minute agreement to avoid to a strike after 35 workers who were let go were later re-instated.
Those workers voted to join Teamsters 89 in October. The union made claims of unfair labor practices and threatened to strike.
The layoffs will impact part-time employees who sort packages at Centennial, and some administrative employees and management. Drivers are not affected.
UPS has implemented similar layoffs at other facilities across the US.
The Centennial hub is located on Air Commerce Drive in southern Jefferson County. UPS is the largest employer in Louisville, according to the Greater Louisville Inc. Metro Chamber of Commerce.
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