A Baltimore UPS customer center is planning to close in August, according to a Maryland state filing. The move will affect hundreds of workers.
A UPS (NYSE: UPS) on Vero Road will shutter Aug. 23, resulting in the layoffs of 540 employees, according to a Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed June 20 with the Maryland Department of Labor. The same UPS location laid off 118 employees in March.
A representative from UPS sent this statement to FreightWaves, “As a part of our Network of the Future initiative we’re modernizing our Baltimore facility at 3901 Vero Road and will temporarily close the facility on August 23, 2024. Our employees are extremely important to us, and we are working to place as many employees as possible in other positions at our onsite temporary hub or in nearby facilities. We remain committed to working with them throughout this transition and providing support. This temporary closure won’t impact customer service and we have plans in place to continue servicing the Baltimore community. We expect the enhanced Baltimore facility to reopen in late 2025.”
UPS announced earlier this year plans to shutter up to 200 facilities over the next five years in a modernization push. The plan is expected to save $3 billion per year by 2028.
The company plans to replace a facility in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 47 miles from Boston, allowing the consolidation of four regional facilities. Similarly, UPS plans to modernize a facility in Albany, New York, to increase capacity, resulting in the closure of another site. UPS has closed at least 15 centers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
