Letter carriers speak out against Trump plans to privatize U.S. Postal Service
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Demonstrators rallied in St. Paul, Duluth and other cities on Sunday to speak out against President Trump’s attempt to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.
About 200 people gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, holding signs reading “Hell No to Privatization!” and “First Class Service, First Class Pay.” The rally, organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, comes after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy struck a deal with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reform the Postal Service, a self-funded agency.
The deal is meant to address the agency’s struggle to stay financially afloat. In the next 30 days, DeJoy plans to cut 10,000 jobs and work with DOGE to slice billions from the Postal Service’s budget.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., called the move a “hostile takeover” by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. “The United States Post Office belongs to the people, not the billionaires,” she said. “The hard working people of the United States Post Office are our public servants, not Elon Musk’s servants.”
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Emily Painter of Bloomington was among the protestors in St. Paul. She works in payroll at the Postal Service and is worried she’ll lose her job.
“We are already short staffed, and I think the fear of that becoming worse is at the forefront for us all,” Painter said. “Anybody who’s relatively new, like myself — I’ve only been with the Postal Service for two years. I definitely am more worried because I’m newer.”
Meanwhile in Duluth, about 150 people gathered outside the Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building. Among them was TJ Lydon Jr., president of the Duluth branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
He talked about how much he liked his job.
“It’s a really cool thing to have people on your route come out and greet you when you’re bringing the mail up to [their] house,” Lydon said. “You get to know their names. You get to know their family. You’re a connecting person in the community.”
Lydon, 49, said the Postal Service is already understaffed. He said mail carriers often work six 12-hour days a week to complete their extensive mail routes.
He said forcing 10,000 workers to retire would worsen staffing issues without saving a significant amount of money. There are better ways to save money, he said, like switching to mail trucks powered by electricity.
Joel Tracey is also a member of the Duluth union. The 37-year-old said he worked a variety of jobs before becoming a mail carrier in 2015. He said his job unites people from all walks across the country.
“We get to see the good things that happen in people’s lives, the greeting cards that show up when … celebrating a birthday or a new baby,” Tracey said.
He said a private mail service that might not deliver to every U.S. address and wouldn’t be able to connect communities in the same way. Tracey admits the Postal Service has room for improvement. He said the job takes a toll on his body. He’s had occupational injuries that took a long time to heal because the schedule was so demanding.
“It’s such a meaningful vocation and job for me that I am willing to deal with that,” Tracey said. “There’s just something about being out in the community and seeing people that makes it worth putting up with those physical challenges.”
