This week the American Postal workers Union (APWU) launched a national advertising campaign on to alert the public about proposed plans to privatize the public postal service. The ad called “Memo” highlights a document sent by Wells Fargo Equity Research to investors detailing how proposed plans by the White House to privatize postal services would lead to the closing of local Post Offices, skyrocketing price hikes to send a letter or package, and an end to the “Universal Service Obligation” where mail is delivered six and sometimes seven times a week to 169 million addresses.
“The Wells Fargo memo spells out what is being whispered in Washington,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “Wall Street stands to make huge profits if all or parts of the USPS are sold off, but those who live on Main Street would have less service and higher costs. Those who live in rural areas would be especially hard hit. It also would be devastating to many small businesses, the trillion-dollar ecommerce industry and threaten the ability to vote by mail.”
In its report to investors, Wells Fargo says a privatized USPS would be forced to raise prices “30 to 140 percent across its product lines” and that many local Post Offices would be closed and the real estate sold so that “value can be harvested.”
National Public Radio’s Midwest Newsroom in a lengthy investigative piece that aired on Tuesday, July 15, titled Privatize or downsize the USPS? Rural customers worry either option will hurt them, documented how a privatized postal service would be devastating to postal customers who live in rural communities.
Also, on Tuesday, David P. Steiner became the 76th Postmaster General of the United States. Steiner, a controversial pick to lead the USPS, had, until recently, served on the board of the USPS’ competitor FedEx.
In his first-term President Donald Trump, who called the USPS “a joke” proposed privatizing the USPS. In this term he has discussed both privatization and transferring the independent agency to the Department of Commerce. Before leaving the Trump administration this past spring, Elon Musk said that privatizing the public postal service was a priority.
“The USPS is a national treasure,” said Dimondstein. “This month marks the 250th anniversary of this vital service. It belongs to the people. The people need to understand what’s at stake and send the message: The U.S. Mail is not for sale.”
