More than 200 post offices and other U.S. Postal Service facilities are set to shed some of their operations as soon as this year as the agency seeks to consolidate those functions at larger buildings, according to documents shared by management. Locations include Georgia, New York, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Kentucky, Washington, North Carolina, Indiana and Arkansas. The initial consolidations are expected to begin as soon as next month.
The changes will mean letter carriers no longer go to their local facility to pick up mail for their route, instead traveling farther distances after starting at a consolidated location. The impacted post offices will still conduct their retail operations, but many of the back-end functions will be stripped away and relocated.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has repeatedly said the USPS operating model is inefficient and can lead to as many as dozens of such units in one metropolitan area. He is looking to open “sorting and delivery centers” around the country, as well as larger mega-centers, that can take on more work in less space. Letter carriers will have to travel farther to take mail to its destination, but DeJoy said it will save costs on the contracted trucks that USPS hires to bring mail between various facilities.
