Thursday was a “Day of Action” for postal workers across the country as members of one of the nation’s biggest unions rallied against the idea of privatizing the USPS. Demonstrations were held throughout the United States, including Springfield, Mass.
Come rain, shine, sleet or snow, the Post Office delivers mail across the U.S. The same stamina applied to a protest in front of Springfield’s post office on Main Street Thursday afternoon as dozens chanted in dreary weather.
Holding signs reading “Not for sale” and “USPS is a service, not a business,” members of Local 497 of the American Postal Workers Union spoke out against reports of the White House looking to overhaul the mail system.
“The Post Office is in danger of privatization - the President wants to move us to the Commerce division: that'll be the first major step in privatization,” Dave Bogacz, a union clerk craft director told WAMC. “They aim to dismantle the Post Office, see where they can make a profit in privatization, and that would disrupt service.”
President Trump brought up the proposal in February – floating the idea of folding the USPS back under the executive branch’s umbrella – something it broke away from in the 70s, when it gained independence under the Postal Reorganization Act.
With over 600,000 employees, it’s also in the sights of DOGE. Last week, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared receptive to working with the brainchild of Elon Musk – possibly shedding 10,000 workers at the "$78-billion-a-year agency," the Associated Press reported.
It’s something the Massachusetts protesters aren’t crazy about – their rally featured a mock “Messla” vehicle and demonstrator in a Musk mask, armed with a chainsaw.
Joining the postal workers and supporters Thursday was Democratic Congressman Richard Neal of the 1st district – who touted the devotion of USPS workers and the service’s mission, which could be hampered by scaling back.
“It provides America with more eyes and ears, security in neighborhoods, and what it does for shut-ins alone, when you consider what those footprints in the snow mean on a cold winter day…” he told reporters. “There are still lots of people in America that pay their bills by using the Postal Service, particularly seniors, and I think that this is ill-considered. It’s unwarranted, and it's almost this now billionaire’s crusade to order the rest of us as to how we're going to live.”
Gary Forte, who works at the nearby Indian Orchard bulk mail center, tells WAMC that he’s been with the Post Office for 32 years.
First joining as a disabled Air Force veteran in the 90s, he says the job transformed his life, and that USPS workers all share a common mission of delivering mail across the country – something he doesn’t want to see compromised.
“A post office is a family - we all have something connected, to people's mail, and that's what binds us together - getting everybody's mail out and on-time,” he said. “Our biggest thing is we want people to get their mail in a timely manner.”
According to Bogacz, APWU Local 497 represents 68 facilities in Western Mass., totaling about 800 employees.
The demonstration itself was greeted with a plethora of honks at the corner of Main and Liberty Streets – a reception union Legislative Director Jake Carroll considered a welcoming sign.
“It's been great to see. The weather hasn't been the best, but that didn't stop people,” Carroll said. “We're all out here ready to fight - that's what we're here to show them, that we're watching and we're waiting and we're ready for whatever they bring our way.”
Reached for comment, a regional corporate communications team for USPS said in a statement that “we respect our employees’ rights to express their opinions and participate in informational picketing while off the clock.”
