CLEVELAND – As a result of studies begun five months ago, the Postal Service has made the decision to move all mail processing operations from the:

• Akron OH Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to the Cleveland OH P&DC.
• Athens OH Customer Service Mail Processing Center (CSMPC) to the Columbus OH P&DC.
• Canton OH Processing and Distribution Facility (P&DF) to the Cleveland OH P&DC.
• Chillicothe OH CSMPC to the Columbus OH P&DC.
• Dayton OH P&DF to the Columbus OH P&DC.
• Ironton OH CSMPC to the Columbus OH P&DC.
• Steubenville OH CSMPC to the Pittsburgh PA P&DC.
• Toledo OH P&DF to the Detroit MI P&DC, the Michigan Metroplex MI P&DC and the Columbus OH P&DC.
• Youngstown OH P&DF to the Cleveland OH P&DC.

Once transfers are completed, the mail processing operation of the above facilities will cease. There will be no change to any Retail Units, Business Mail Entry Units or Vehicle Maintenance Facilities at these locations at this time.

It also has been determined as a result of the study of the Cincinnati Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) that there was no significant opportunity to improve efficiency or service through consolidation of mail processing operations, and no changes will be made at this time.

The Postal Service has experienced a 25 percent decline in First-Class Mail volume since 2006, and receives no tax dollars for its operations, relying instead on the sale of postage, and postal products and services.

“The decision to consolidate mail processing facilities recognizes the urgent need to reduce the size of the national mail processing network to eliminate costly underutilized infrastructure,” said Chief Operating Officer Megan Brennan. “Consolidating operations is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation.”

Specific dates have not been set for the transition. Until a specific date has been announced, residential and business mailers will continue to be served through the current facilities.

In December 2011, the Postal Service agreed to impose a moratorium on closing or consolidating post offices and mail processing facilities prior to May 15, 2012, to give Congress and the Administration the opportunity to enact an alternative plan.

This delay was designed to allow Congress sufficient time to enact comprehensive postal legislation. In the meantime, the Postal Service continued all necessary steps required for the review of these facilities, including public notifications, public input meetings and consideration of public comments.

Implementation of this consolidation is contingent upon the outcome of pending rulemaking for a proposal to revise existing service standards. This announcement is provided in advance so that appropriate planning and notification can be made in accordance with existing employee agreements.

A list of mail processing studies and their status is available at usps.com/ourfuturenetwork. Specific information about individual studies, including public meeting summaries and summary briefs, is posted on the website, usps.com/areamailprocessing, as it becomes available.

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A list of processing facilities studied, FAQs, mail processing b-roll, and additional information can be found at usps.com/ourfuturenetwork.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With nearly 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.