| Dear Katy, The U.S. Postal Service is one of America's most beloved institutions. It handles 47% of the world's mail, employs half a million people, generates $1.4 trillion in annual sales, delivers more mail every 16 days than UPS and FedEx combined do all year and connects even the most remote corners of the United States.1 So of course, Donald Trump wants to destroy it. Trump has already proposed privatizing the Postal Service and turning it over to unethical, greedy for-profit operators. Now, the USPS board of governors is poised to appoint a new postmaster general – who might help Trump push privatization.2 We need to speak out to make sure the new leader is a fierce advocate for public ownership of USPS. Tell the USPS board of governors: No privatizer as postmaster general. Click here to sign the petition. The Trump administration has proposed selling off the USPS to the highest bidder. Privatizing government services simply hands public trusts over to mercenary corporate entities who care only about their bottom line.3,4 Trump's proposal would lead to post office closures in rural areas and layoffs for already-marginalized communities. Stamp and shipping costs would grow and the scale of the network would shrink. Republicans would like us to believe the post office is in trouble, but in fact, there's nothing wrong with the post office that Congress can't fix. A 2006 law requires USPS, alone among private or public agencies, to prefund its retiree health benefits for the next 75 years. That ridiculous law makes the USPS appear to be in financial trouble and gives politicians an excuse to push for privatization. If Congress repealed the law – and allowed post offices to offer new services like postal banking and notarization – the USPS would thrive.5 The push to privatize the USPS is because of its success, not because it is struggling. First-class mail is declining, but shipping is on the rise. The USPS would rank around 40th on the Fortune 500 if it were a private company and presents a major money-making opportunity. Thanks to Mitch McConnell's obstruction, the USPS board of governors lacked sufficient members for a quorum for years. Now, McConnell has helped Trump pack the board of governors with his own appointees – appointees who will pick the next postmaster general after current chief Megan Brennan retires early next year.6,7 There is a very real risk that the board of governors will install an advocate for privatization as the new head of the USPS – and we cannot let that happen. Tell the USPS Board of Governors: No privatizer as postmaster general. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/postmaster-general-privatization?t=9&akid=35378%2E12967895%2EKogwju Thank you for speaking out, Heidi Hess, Co-Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Bill Pascrell, Jr., "Congress Is Sabotaging Your Post Office," The Washington Monthly, April/May/June 2019.
- Louis C. LeBrecque, "Postal Unions Uneasy as USPS Chief Prepares to Step Down," BloombergLaw, Oct. 21, 2019.
- Katrina vanden Heuvel, "Trump's privatization plan would destroy the Postal Service," The Washington Post, Aug. 7, 2018.
- Aaron Greg, "Lawmakers press Pentagon on oversight of 'slumlord' housing contractors," The Washington Post, Dec. 3, 2019.
- Pascrell, Jr., "Congress Is Sabotaging Your Post Office."
- Eric Gatz, "USPS Regains a Functioning Governing Board for the First Time in Five Years," Gov Exec, Aug. 2, 2019.
- LeBrecque, "Postal Unions Uneasy as USPS Chief Prepares to Step Down."
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