GREENSBORO, NC — As a result of a study begun in August 2009, the Postal Service has made the decision to move some mail processing operations from the Hickory Processing & Distribution Facility (P&DF) to the Greensboro Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) in Greensboro. Local Post Offices, mail service and retail services will not be affected by the move.

Don Kelly, Senior Plant Manager for the Postal Service’s Greensboro District 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,” Kelly added. “The Greensboro P&DC has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there.”

The transition will begin on Saturday, April 3, 2010 and is expected to be completed within several months. Some employees may be reassigned to the Greensboro P&DC or to other vacant positions as a result of the move. All assignments will be made in accordance with the collective bargaining agreements with the employee unions.

The Hickory 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 tax dollars. 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 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.