TRIBORO DISTRICT TO CONDUCT MAIL PROCESSING STUDY

On February 10, 2009, the Postal Service will begin two concurrent Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility studies between the Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn Processing and Distribution Facilities. The purpose of these studies is to see if it makes sense to consolidate some operations from Staten Island and Brooklyn into Queens, or from Staten Island and Queens into Brooklyn.

Let me be clear; This does not mean that any changes in operations are being made now. These are just studies.

Why are these AMP studies being conducted? Let’s look at what the Postal Service is facing. We all know how mail volume has declined during the current economic downturn. Volume was down by more than 9 billion pieces last year. It’s falling even faster today. By the end of the year, we expect to lose another 12 billion to 15 billion pieces. That means there is less mail to cancel. So we have an excess capacity of equipment, people and space devoted to processing a declining volume of stamped mail. It only makes sense to study whether we can consolidate some of these operations to improve efficiency and reduce costs as long as service is not negatively impacted.

AMPs are not new. The Postal Service has been doing them for decades. We need to constantly update and improve our operations in order to help keep mail affordable, maintain universal service, and preserve the long-term viability of the Postal Service and all of our jobs.

So how does the AMP process work? First a feasibility study is conducted. Based on the data from that study, a proposal is then made. The proposal may recommend consolidating mail processing operations; or it may say that a consolidation should not be made because it would not provide any cost savings or would negatively impact service.

If the study data indicates that consolidating operations makes sense, a public meeting will be held to allow members of the community to ask questions and provide feedback. The business case for consolidation and community feedback will be considered, and then a decision will be made as to whether or not the mail processing operations should be consolidated.

What would happen if the decision is made to move some operations from the Staten Island P & D C and the Brooklyn P & D C to the Queens P & D C or from the Staten Island P & D C and the Queens P & D C to the Brooklyn P & D C?

First, there may be some reassignments made if operations are moved. All reassignments will be made in compliance with the collective bargaining agreements.

Second, there would be no change in local mail service. No change would be made that would negatively impact local mail delivery to our customers. The local postmark will still be available. The majority of originating mail is either metered or permit mail, which will continue to show the [community name] indicia.

Third, there will be no change in retail service. The local Post Office(s) that our customers use will still be open as usual with the same hours.

We are soliciting the public’s input as part of the process. Employees may submit their comments as well. You can submit your comments by mail to:

Consumer Affairs Manager
1050 Forbell Street (Room 20150)
Brooklyn, NY 11256-9631

All comments will be fully considered in any decision.

source: U.S. Postal Service