US Postal Service workers are staging a day of action today in over 150 cities, protesting what they describe as an “illegal hostile takeover” of the USPS under the Trump administration. Their main concerns include job cuts, rising prices, and the potential closure of local post offices.
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to move the USPS under the control of the Department of Commerce, which would take away its independence. There are also talks about privatizing the postal service, which has many people worried about the future of mail delivery.
Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, spoke out against these plans. “This is the people’s postal service, emphasis on ‘service.’ If this administration succeeds in taking over the USPS, it will lead to higher prices and reduced service, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Harrison Fields, the White House principal deputy press secretary, responded by stating, “The American people depend on the United States Postal Service, and it’s unacceptable for political interference to disrupt its operations. President Trump supports the hard work of these individuals and is solely working to make the entire federal government more efficient and uproot waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Porter McConnell from the Save the Post Office Coalition, a network of 300 public interest groups, added, “This administration wanted to sell off the postal service for parts the last time they were in power, and it was deeply unpopular. This time is no different.”
The protests are happening in cities like Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington DC. Demonstrators are concerned that privatizing the USPS will lead to higher prices and less reliable service, especially in rural areas that rely on the USPS for communication.
Dimondstein emphasized, “It belongs to the people on Main Street, it shouldn’t be handed over to Wall Street. The US mail is not for sale.”
Trump had previously suggested that he was open to privatizing the USPS. In February, reports emerged that he was considering firing the postal board of governors and placing the USPS under the control of the Department of Commerce.
Ruth Rhoades, who is part of the local American Postal Workers Union protest in Redding, California, told the Redding Record Searchlight, “They are threatening your services here locally. They want to shut down the smaller post offices.”
Earlier this month, the USPS agreed to work with Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge) to find ways to make the service more efficient, including cutting 10,000 jobs through a voluntary retirement program. Musk has publicly supported the idea of privatizing the USPS.
US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, appointed by Trump in 2020, has faced heavy criticism for his cost-cutting measures, which include consolidating postal facilities and reducing hours at certain post offices. DeJoy recently announced plans to resign.
The USPS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
