(AP) U.S. Postal Service workers in several Georgia cities have been told that mail processing centers where they work will close, with the work done elsewhere.

In north Georgia, the changes mean processing now done in Acworth, Athens, Cartersville, Douglasville and Marietta will be shifted to Duluth.

"In some cases, employees who work in those facilities may be moved to the Duluth facility, or we will be looking to find work for them in other operations," U.S. Postal Service spokesman Michael Miles said.

The closings are part of an overall strategy by the Postal Service, which has operated in the red for years, to reduce costs.

Mail processing now done in Augusta will be moved to centers in Macon and South Carolina, according to documents from the Postal Service.

Mail processing in Albany, Valdosta and Waycross will be shifted to centers in Florida. Mail processing in Columbus will be moved west to Montgomery, Ala.

Savannah's mail processing operations will be moved to centers in Macon, South Carolina and Florida, according to the Postal Service.

The number of employees at the centers varies, Miles said. The Marietta facility, for instance, employs 31 people and the Athens center, 18.

It was not immediately clear how many employees will be affected in the south Georgia cities.

Miles says the north Georgia facilities would not close until after May 15.

The Postal Service is working with labor unions to find work for employees at the places scheduled to close, he said.

Post offices and retail sites where people buy stamps and mail packages are not affected by the changes, Miles said.