The Struggle Continues: The Future of the U.S. Postal Service is at Stake

by Greg Poferl

You may ask why we are writing about the Post Office. Why now? There are a few reasons. One, during the uprising in the of Goerge Floyd’s killing, two Minneapolis post offices were destroyed. In spite of that, the postal workers continue their commitment to their work even as their comrades are falling to COVID. Today, our local postal workers are marching in solidarity for justice for George Floyd. Local postal workers are also carrying on a tradition like they did in 1931 when they stood between angry white mobs and the Arthur and Edith Lee family, a Black family, moved into one of the many exclusively white neighborhoods at 4600 Columbus Avenue. Like AIM Patrol and other community groups, they stood as protectors of businesses, sacred spaces and people often against similarly agent white mobs when no official forces would not. As a teacher, Greg often tells the story of the Lees. Today, he has another.

Lee family home

I have been a member of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) since 1975. As a National Business Agent, I represented workers at the local and national levels until my retirement in 2004. I have been proud of my work – and the work of my brothers and sisters – to provide valuable services and earn decent wages and benefits.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. In 1792, George Washington signed legislation that established the Post Office Department, which has provided valuable services throughout its history. And, the USPS has always been on the front lines in times of crisis. Postal workers process 143 billion pieces of mail each year, while letter carriers provide service to 160 million delivery addresses. They bring medicine, health information, packages, checks, communications, to people’s homes. They regularly go beyond the call of duty to protect the lives of customers they serve, including older customers and customers with disabilities through the Carrier Alert Program¹.

Today, the USPS is still “Americans’ favorite federal agency, with 74 percent saying it is doing an “excellent” or “good’ job.”² And, the USPS has been a tremendous success since its reorganization following the Great Postal Wildcat Strike in 1970. The Postal Reorganization Act (PRA) gave postal employees the right to collective bargaining over wages, hours and working conditions. Taxpayer subsidies, which accounted for 25 percent of the Post Office’s budget in 1970, were eliminated, saving taxpayers more than $100 billion since 1971.³ Yet, despite this success, the USPS and postal jobs continue to be at risk. How can this be?

Unlike any other public or private entity, under a 2006 law, the USPS is mandated by Congress to prefund retiree health benefits at over $5 billion a year, which contributes to its losses. This has had a significant impact during the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a large decrease in mail volume. The law still requires the USPS to pay today for benefits that will not be paid out until some future date. The USPS could be out of funds by September. This has added to long-standing pressure by Republicans in Congress to privatize and dismantle the Postal Service. To make matters worse, President Trump favors this privatization scheme and has blocked coronavirus aid for the USPS.

Postal workers are fighting back. We are now in a fight to save the USPS and 600,000 good union jobs. Our current APWU president, Mark Dimondstein, since his first election in 2013, has led the effort to establish and build A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service, which includes the postal unions and over 80 national organizations.

The Alliance is working to save the public postal service, and protect postal employees who are doing essential jobs on the front line of this pandemic. Richard Haefner, Minnesota Postal Workers state president, says, “As of today [05/25/20] about 2,000 postal workers nation-wide have tested positive for Covid-19, and over 60 have died. Some operations make social distancing impossible by their nature and folks working in those operations are required to wear masks. Fans have been removed from the workroom floor as was done during the anthrax attacks in 2001.” Postal workers are clearly “essential” workers.

When postal workers are carrying out the mission of binding our country together, I am outraged we have a president that has called the U.S. Postal Service “a joke” and continues to act to bring about its demise. We postal workers have learned from the past lessons in our tumultuous history that we can only win if we mobilize. The struggle continues. Our future depends on it! We all have a lot at stake.

Take Action

On May 26, 2020, bipartisan lawmakers introduced the “Postal Preservation Act” to save the Postal Service from closing its doors. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform states, “the Postal Preservation Act will make an emergency appropriation to the Postal Service of $25 billion—a request that is supported by the bipartisan Postal Service Board of Governors appointed by President Donald Trump; and require appropriate oversight of that funding by the Postal Service Inspector General.” Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney adds, “Can you imagine our nation actually allowing the Postal Service to shut its doors? We can’t let that happen. This is a national emergency that Congress must address.”⁴ I encourage everyone to contact their representatives in Congress and their organizations to support the “Postal Preservation Act” and to join A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service. We all have a lot at stake.

Side bar:

A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service is a broad coalition of national, state, and local organizations including the NAACP, Vote Vets, Jobs with Justice, National Council of Churches, and Rainbow Push. These groups come together to take a stand against the unprecedented assaults on the Postal Service including efforts to dismantle and privatize it. To join A Grand Alliance, visit www. AGrandAlliance.org.

Greg Poferl is an active, retired APWU member who currently teaches at Cretin Derham-Hall and works part-time at the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul, MN.