Blog Post

In June, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) put out a proposal to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.

OMB’s proposal claims — with no evidence — that the USPS “can no longer support” the current requirement for universal postal service.

The Trump administration is essentially arguing that some people should be excluded from postal service. With a privatized postal service, residents of hard-to-reach places or rural areas may no longer receive mail. And when the United Kingdom privatized their postal service, rates rose a whopping 80 percent, and many post office branches were shut down.

Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, said, “We all get the same rights and the same service. That would all disappear if the U.S. postal office was sold.”

Make no mistake — Americans overwhelmingly approve of the U.S. Postal Service. According to a February poll from Pew Research Center, fully 88 percent of Americans approve of the Postal Service; it is by far the most popular federal government agency.

And despite the Trump administration’s mischaracterizations, the Postal Service remains efficient and financially sustainable. In fact, the Postal Service delivers 40 percent of the world’s mail without receiving any funding from taxpayers.

In response to the Trump administration’s privatization proposal, all four postal unions, along with countless other labor and community groups, rallied on Oct. 8 against privatization.

Thousands of postal workers and supporters rallied in 140 cities across the country. Working America members joined in the display of solidarity with postal workers.