The U.S. Postal Service said it will offer early retirement to almost one in four workers, close administrative offices and eliminate more than 3,000 jobs as it grapples with a financial crisis. The announcement follows the service’s statements in January that this year’s deficit may dwarf the $2.8 billion loss in 2008 and may force it to reduce the six-day-a-week delivery schedule. Mail volume has dropped as economic activity slows and people and businesses turn to e-mail and electronic billing and payment, postal officials have said. The service today said it sees ‘no signs of economic recovery in sight. About 150,000 of the service’s 646,000 workers will be offered early retirement, the service said in a statement. The agency also is closing six district offices that together have ‘a little over 500 positions, spokeswoman Sue Brennan said in an interview. The targeted administrative offices are in Lake Mary, Florida; North Reading, Massachusetts; Manchester, New Hampshire; Edison, New Jersey; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Spokane, Washington, officials said. The closings will not affect customer service, the service said. An additional 1,400 staff in the remaining 74 district offices will be eliminated, Brennan said. More than 1,400 mail processing […]