WHEELING, WV – As a result of a study begun in September 2009, the Postal Service has made the decision to move the evening, originating mail processing operations from the Wheeling Post Office to the Pittsburgh Processing and Distribution Center (P&DF) in Pittsburgh. Local mail service will not be affected by the move.

Western PA District Manager Charles P. McCreadie said, “Given the drastic decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced, with a decline of 26 billion pieces this past year, we must take action to reduce the size of our mail processing network. Consolidating operations and placing our people where we need them is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation.”

“The consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities, he added. “The Pittsburgh P&DC has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there.”

The transition is expected to be completed by July 1, 2010.

“I am confident the transition will be smooth and transparent to our customers and they will continue to receive the same excellent service they always have,” said McCreadie.

Full retail services will remain available at the Wheeling Post Office and the Wheeling Post Office Business Mail Entry Unit will remain open for large volume business mailers.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.