Postal Service Under Siege: The Battle for America's Mail

On June 24, the House Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing titled, “The Route Forward for the U.S. Postal Service: A View from Stakeholders.” This was no ordinary hearing; it was a clear attempt by the Republican leadership to push privatization at the expense of postal workers and customers. The witnesses were a who’s who of conservative think tanks and corporate interests, with only one voice representing the workers: Brian Renfroe, NALC President.

The hearing was a blueprint for privatization, with witnesses proposing hiring freezes, public/private partnerships, and matching labor costs with postal revenues. These are code words for subcontracting our work and dismantling the Postal Service as we know it. The only voice of reason was APWU President Mark Dimondstein, who quickly dispelled the notion that privatization would lead to a better financial path. He reiterated that the Postal Service must remain an independent agency to fulfill its Congressional mandate to provide postal services to bind the Nation together, to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas, and to render postal services to all communities.

The witnesses made dangerous proposals for the future of the Postal Service, including hiring freezes, public/private partnerships, and matching labor costs with postal revenues. For those following closely, these were blueprints for how they plan to privatize the postal service. Multiple exchanges between committee members and witnesses took place that admonished the Postal Service for the size of its workforce, specifically regarding the conversions of non-career workers to career employees. One particular exchange that should raise red flags for every APWU member took place between James Comer, Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Jim Cochrane, CEO of the Package Shippers Association, where they discussed the prospect of a private sector solution to the sorting of the mail. This would have a direct and devastating impact on APWU members.

Despite these areas of concern, there were some notable moments during the hearing that highlighted areas where Congress could work with the Postal Service to improve its financial standing. Allowing the Postal Service to invest retirement funds in safe, TSP-like funds instead of the low-yield treasury securities they are limited to investing in now would generate a significant amount of money. Additionally, Congress should direct OPM to fix the misallocation of pension expenses that has plagued it for decades.

In his statement, President Dimondstein advocated for the expansion of non-postal services to local, state, and tribal governments. The opportunities are numerous and could utilize the vast postal retail network to offer a variety of services, such as hunting/fishing licenses and identification verification for government services, as well as resource distribution during natural disasters.

The APWU is ready to work with Congress and the Postal Service to share ideas and advance common goals to benefit the public Postal Service while continuing to push back against any changes that would have detrimental effects on the membership and the people’s rights guaranteed under the law to universal postal services no matter who we are or where we live.

The Postal Service is under attack, and it’s up to us to fight back. We need to stand up for our workers, our customers, and our communities. The Postal Service is a vital part of our nation’s infrastructure, and we cannot let it be dismantled for corporate profit. We need to demand that Congress support the Postal Service and reject any attempts at privatization. The future of our mail is at stake, and we must act now to save it.