Mail-processing facilities in Tacoma and Tumwater are among as many as 252 plants throughout the country that could close early next year as the U.S. Postal Service continues to look for ways to cut costs.
But before the Postal Service takes that step, it will conduct a study to determine whether the Tacoma and Tumwater plants should be consolidated with mail operations in Seattle.
Mail operations in Everett also are under consideration to move to Seattle and sites in Wenatchee, Pasco and Yakima could move to Spokane, according to Postal Service data and spokesman Ernie Swanson.
The study is expected to be completed in early 2012. If the postal service decides to close those sites, it could mean 848 job losses statewide and as many as 35,000 in the U.S. Currently there are 487 mail-processing sites throughout the country.
The nearly 70,000-square-foot Tumwater facility, which is near Olympia Regional Airport, employs 118 people; the Tacoma plant, north of the Tacoma Mall at 4001 Pine St., employs 286 people, Swanson said.
The Tacoma plant handles mail for ZIP codes that begin with 983 and 984, which includes all of Pierce County and parts of the peninsula, Swanson said.
The Tumwater site handles mail for all five-digit ZIP codes that begin with 985, which includes Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Grays Harbor County and parts of Pacific County, he said.
If the study determines a need to consolidate mail operations, the Postal Service will hold a public meeting to explain the proposed changes and potential changes to service, as well as solicit public feedback before a final decision is made, postal officials said in a news release.
The first sign of the Postal Service’s larger consolidation plan was when some Olympia mail was sent to Tacoma for processing a few years ago. That resulted in Olympia losing its own postmark, one of the few state capitals in the country not to have its own postmark.
A letter mailed within Thurston County now carries a “Tacoma-Olympia” postmark.
The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion last year and is facing ever more red ink this year as the Internet siphons off the lucrative first-class mail and the stagnant economy holds down the growth of advertising mail. Over the last five years mail volume has declined by more than 43 billion items.
In addition, the agency said it plans to reduce current delivery standards for first-class mail.
Such mail is now supposed to be delivered in one-to-three days depending on how far it has to go. That will be changed to two-to-three days, meaning mailers could no longer expect next-day delivery in their local community.
Officials said that could have some effect on commercial mailers, but individual customers would not likely notice the change.
The closings and service changes could save the post office as much as $3 billion annually and are part of an effort to reduce annual costs by $6.5 billion.
Other savings are being sought through requests that Congress allow the post office to eliminate mail delivery on Saturdays and change or eliminate an annual $5.5 billion payment the post office is required to make into a fund to cover future retiree medical benefits.
Last year the Postal Service had revenue of $67 billion and expenses of $75 billion.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403 rboone@theolympian.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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