Thursday, September 15, 2011

USPS says it wants to close most sorting centers

"Snail mail is about to get even slower." That's how Patrick Rizzo of MSNBC summed up today's announcement by the U.S. Postal Service that it would move to close more than half of its regional mail-sorting facilities. "The moves will mean first-class mail will no longer reach most customers the day after it was dropped in the mailbox," Rizzo wrote.

Ed O'Keefe of The Washington Post notes, "Lawmakers are considering four competing legislative proposals that would generally grant USPS the flexibility to end Saturday mail deliveries, close post offices based on market conditions and recalculate how much it pays annually into federal retirement, health-care and workers compensation accounts."

The Postal Regulatory Commission recommended in March, after testimony from the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, that the postal service conduct more research on the impact of five-day delivery on rural areas.

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