Labor union wants Mizzou to reconsider decision regarding Print and Mail Services facility

Members of Laborers Local 955 are calling on the University of Missouri to postpone the closing of the university’s printing services operation in Columbia. Mizzou officials announced in July that they’ll phase out the university’s printing facility on McGuire Boulevard within the next calendar year.

Mizzou’s Print and Mail Services has been serving campus needs since 1935. Mizzou officials have said the current business model for printing services is not sustainable. They say revenue has declined by 50 percent in the past decade and that operating costs are projected to increase. They also cite staffing challenges at the printing operation, saying they’ve lost nine full-time staff members in the past five years.

But Laborers Local 955 says Print Services’ in-house status saves Mizzou money, adding that the university’s analysis misrepresented several concerns. They’ll also call for University officials to make what they describe as “some significant policy adjustments” to allow Print Services to generate more revenue for Mizzou.

The Union has called a press conference for 4:45 this (Friday) afternoon at the plant near Lemone Industrial Drive to brief reporters. Laborers Local 955 says they’ll be joined by elected officials and some retirees.