Columbia Gains as Postal Service Cuts

More mail will head to a Columbia-area U.S. Postal Service processing facility as the ailing organization attempts to right-size its operation amid a tide of red ink.

The Postal Service announced today preliminary plans to close and consolidate 140 processing facilities to save $1.2 billion annually. The Postal Service is projected to lose $14 billion in fiscal year 2012.

A processing facility in Columbia will absorb the mail volume from two closures in the Florence area, according to plans released today.

"We simply do not have the mail volumes to justify the size and capacity of our current mail processing network," said Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the Postal Service.

The Postal Service plans a nine-month effort to shed its massive overhaul as mail volumes shrink and profits evaporate.

The initial phase of closures includes 140 processing facilities, and that could expand to another 89 by February 2014. There are 461 processing facilities across the country.

"To return to long-term profitability and financial stability while keeping mail affordable, we must match our network to the anticipated workload,” Donahoe said.

The closures will allow the Postal Service to slash its workforce by 13,000 employees, according to a news release. Already, USPS has shed 244,000 workers since 2000, and it is negotiating with its unions on more employee cuts.