SPOKANE, Wash. — Dozens of mail carriers rallied in support of the United States Postal Service on Sunday.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has expressed interest in possibly privatizing the USPS.
Attendees at Sunday’s rally said doing so could have major repercussions for communities across the country.
“Do we want to reduce costs and increase revenue? Yes. But is privatization the answer? No,” said Maggie, a rally speaker.
Sunday’s rally was the second in the INW this week and was part of a nationwide rally organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers.
The USPS has been a staple of the United States for 250 years. Even so, it is facing significant financial struggles.
According to a recent USPS report, the service reported $9.5 billion in loses in 2024.
The Postal Service is self-funded through the cost of postage, not tax-payer dollars.
“Our union has been fighting for years to correct the financial issues,” Maggie said.
Workers with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) said President Trump’s potential idea to privatize USPS would be a threat to service across the county.
“What that would do then is put us to a for-profit model instead of the universal service model that we’ve been doing. Outlying areas would suffer because it’s not profitable to deliver to them anymore,” said Steve Thrift, VP of NALC Branch 442.
The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 passed by the United States Congress abolished the then U.S. Post Office Department. The act outlines service must be provided to everyone, everywhere.
Thrift said privatizing the service could take away the mandate of “every door, every day, the same cost, same price.”
He worries that if that were to happen, people in rural areas would not be able to get mail service.
“We’re a service, not a business,” said Sharee Eschenbacher, president of NALC Branch 442.
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