Reading – As a result of a study begun on September 27, 2010, the Postal Service has made the decision to move some mail processing operations from the Reading Processing & Distribution Facility (P&DF) to the Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley Processing & Distribution Centers (P&DC).
Central PA District Manager Kevin L. McAdams said, “Given the drastic 20 percent decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced since 2007, 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.”
“I understand our employees’ concern over this move,” McAdams added, “but the consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities. The Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley facilities have 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 October, 2011. Some employees may be reassigned to the Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley facilities or to other vacant positions as a result of the move.
“This move will not cause any changes in local mail delivery,” said McAdams. “Letters mailed to local addresses will be delivered the next day, the same as before. 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.”
First class service standards will remain unchanged or improve in 95 percent of the 3-digit ZIP Code areas currently processed in Reading P&DF. The remaining minimum 5 percent would be changed to a two day service area. This change is necessary in order to optimize our mail processing network and achieve the significant cost savings and productivity gains expected with the consolidation.
Full retail services will still be available at the Reading P&DF. The Reading P&DF Business Mail Entry Unit will remain open for large volume business mailers. Drop shipments will continue to be accepted at the Reading P&DF in accordance with the FAST appointment system and DMM regulations.
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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 for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 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 $67 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 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. 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 six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
