Fewer Than 170 Offices Remain Candidates for Consolidation

Five post offices in Georgia remain on the list- three in Atlanta, one in Port Wentworth and one in Macon.

/PRNewswire/ -- Fewer than 170 offices remain under review for possible consolidation under the U.S. Postal Service station and branch consolidation initiative.

Today's announcement updates a review process begun earlier this summer that initially examined about 3,300 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively close proximity to one another. The initiative looks to determine where consolidations might be feasible without compromising customer access to postal services.

The Postal Service receives no tax subsidy to operate the nation's mail service. Revenues from the sale of postage, products and services fund its operations. At the conclusion of its 2009 fiscal year in October, the Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion.

"To shore up its finances, the Postal Service is looking at every aspect of its business to economize. Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a smart business move. Every effort is being made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services," said Steven J. Forte, senior vice president, Operations.

With over 36,000 Post Offices, stations, branches, contract and community post offices, the Postal Service has the largest retail network in the United States. An additional 56,000 locations such as supermarkets, drug stores, and other retailers sell postage and selected postal services. Nearly 18,000 ATMs dispense sheets of stamps. In addition postage can be purchased online at usps.com and printed on personal computers.

As part of the consolidation process, the Postal Service has filed periodic updates with the Postal Regulatory Commission identifying the retail stations and branches that remain under consideration. The filing does not represent a final decision on consolidation. At this point no facility-specific final decisions have been made as a result of this initiative.

New initiatives also are being undertaken to build revenue, including Flat Rate Priority Mail pricing and the introduction of greeting cards to 500 select Post Offices.

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MCA Drivers in Atlanta Vote for Teamster Representation

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Truck drivers who haul U.S. mail for Mail Contractors of America (MCA) out of the Atlanta terminal have voted for Teamster representation. The 116 truck drivers will be members of Teamsters Local 728 of Atlanta.

"These workers were extremely committed to having union representation," said Randy Brown, President of Local 728. "We are proud to welcome them into our great union and we look forward to beginning bargaining for their first contract."

Gaining respect on the job, having a voice against arbitrary work rules and achieving improvements in wage rates and benefits were some of the reasons why employees voted for Teamster representation.

"I just want us to have a good contract that provides a level playing field for all employees," said Sam Glass, a 6-year employee of MCA. "We have a strong group and we look forward to negotiating our first contract."

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) recently wrote to the MCA's terminal manager in Atlanta encouraging the company to respect workers rights. "I am a firm believer that unions play a positive role in our community by raising peoples' living standards and helping to negotiate positive changes in the workplace."

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