Transfer of Mail Processing Functions From Toms River, New Jersey, to Trenton

The U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) decision to transfer mail processing functions performed at the Toms River, New Jersey, processing center to a new facility in Trenton, New Jersey, was reassessed.

The transportation savings produced by the consolidation should become more significant in future years. However, a precise determination of the impact of the consolidation on actual personnel costs was not possible. Comparisons of actual direct mail processing hours before and after the consolidation indicate that the consolidation did not produce personnel savings during the first 2 years. In the long run, it should prove economically advantageous if USPS can maintain or improve the current productivity rate and prevent future substantial increases in equipment maintenance costs. Although the number of complaints from the Toms River area about mail delivery increased during the year following the consolidation, it was found that the mail service provided by the Trenton facility surpassed the service provided by the Toms River facility. USPS took steps to assure that the timing of mail delivery to and from the Toms River area remained essentially unchanged. The USPS investment in the Trenton facility, the quality of mail service being provided, and the good prospects for making the consolidation economically advantageous suggest that Toms River should not be returned to its previous status as a mail processing center. The consolidation combined, within a short time period, two separate and distinctly different operations into a large facility with a more than adequate mail processing capability.