BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- In an age of e-mail, instant messaging, Facebook and Twitter, not as many people are using the Post Office to exchange messages anymore, and the drop in business is causing rounds of Postal Service consolidation that some find painful.

USPS is considering consolidating the operations of part of Bloomington's sorting facility with Indianapolis, citing a dramatic decline in mail the facility handles and the organization's need to trim its budget, 6News' Sarah Cornell reported.

The move has angered some residents who rely on quick service from the USPS and are concerned the change will slow things down, and employees who don't want things to change.

"I sell all my textbooks back. The quicker these books get there, the quicker I get paid," said Kayla McBride.

Over the past year, USPS' load has been reduced by approximately 20 billion pieces, creating a major drop in revenue.

The Bloomington consolidation plan is among many similar moves USPS is considering to cut costs.

"Their average daily volume in the evening is about 66,000 pieces. We have six cancellers in Indianapolis to spread that 66,000 pieces over six machines in a few minutes time," said Kim Yates, of USPS.

Officials estimate the consolidation would save the Post Office $1.1 million, but it would affect nearly 15 workers, whose scheduled would likely change. They could also be reassigned to new territories.

Union representative Kevin McCaffery said the money could be saved in other ways.

"We've got the postmaster of Fowler, Indiana is in Bloomington, and he's getting hotel and per diem. Our plant manager is up in Lafayette," McCaffery said. "The postmaster in Ellettsville is here. The postmaster of Washington is here. We think there are a lot of place where they could save the kind of money they want to save."

McCaffery said he's also worried that service will suffer, but USPS officials said shipping mail to Indianapolis and back won't slow down delivery times.

People who spoke at the public meeting Wednesday weren't convinced.

"Service is all we sell, as you all know. We all recognize that," said one speaker. "We need to keep that service to keep our customer base."

A decision about the consolidation plan will be made within a few months.