APWU National Presidents Conference Rallies at Postal HQ Against Cuts, For Better Service

Hundreds of postal workers demonstrated outside of USPS headquarters on Tuesday, May 9 at a rally coordinated by the APWU National Presidents Conference. The rally, which coincided with a meeting of Postal Service Board of Governors, called for a stop to plant consolidations, the restoration of previous mail service standards, and adequate staffing in postal operations.

“We gathered to let the Board of Governors, Postmaster General DeJoy, and the public know that … small or large, we can’t take this essential service away from [our]communities,” said West Virginia State President, Sinikka Melvin, one of the event’s main organizers. “We need to keep up our momentum,” she added.

Customer service is severely strained due to a lack of staffing in retail locations and other postal operations, and customer confidence in the Postal Service has taken a sharp drop.

USPS’s own data show a 12.5 percent decrease in the number of retail counter clerks who staff post office retail counters and distribute mail to letter carriers (79,182 in 2006 to 69,298 in 2023). While mail volume has decreased in that timeframe, package volume has surged from 1.2 billion in 2006 to 7.2 billion at the end of 2022. 

“I salute the NPC for their efforts to stand with the people of this country in defense of a vibrant, public Postal Service,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “Together, we’ll fight to restore the kind of service that is promised under the law and the people need and deserve, and to ensure that no community and neighborhood post offices are closed and services cut behind any management reorganization plans.”