TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) held an emergency rally Sunday to defend the U.S. Postal Service amid threats to dismantle and privatize the service.
The protest was held at the Vigo County Courthouse and during the event dozens of protesters, including postal service workers, concerned citizens, and Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun, wore shirts that said, “FIGHT LIKE *****” Protesters also held up signage that said, “U.S. mail not for sale”, “oppose postal privatization” and “protect our constitution”
These rallies were held to oppose reported efforts to take away the independence of the USPS and degrade its universal delivery mandate, according to a press release.
In a flyer shared with WTWO/WAWV, the NALC said they were fighting to protect the jobs of 640,000 USPS, including 73,000 veterans.
The NALC stands firmly against dismantling a nearly 250-year-old public institution that serves the public in every location in all 50 states and U.S. territories, that is older than the country itself—and that is based in the Constitution.
National Association of Letter Carriers
According to our sister station in Rockford, Illinois, rallies like these were held at more than 200 USPS branches across the nation.
President of the NACL local branch 245, in Rockford, Lawrence Steward delved deeper into these issues.
“This is not a business,” Steward said. “People always want to show we lose money, but we’re a service. This privatization would further decrease the service. People out in smaller towns would have to come into a bigger city to receive things like medicine, post cards, anything.”
Steward also explained how privatization would affect everyone, including those who shop online.
“We are the forefront for people like Amazon,” Steward said. “If our quality decreases, their quality will decrease, and their prices will increase. We deliver most of Amazon’s last mile, so for the people in smaller towns, Amazon doesn’t go out there because it’s not cost efficient. We do because it’s a service, it doesn’t matter if it’s cost efficient or not. No matter how far away you live from the station we’re going to make sure you get quality service.”
The NALC said if the privatization of the USPS is enacted, it would strip the USPS of independent oversight, jeopardize 7.9 million jobs tied to the postal industry, raise shipping costs and reduce postal service to rural Americans.
