Love in Action : Save the USPS Toolkit
Love in Action : Week 4
Love in Action : Wednesday 12-1pm mst
Please join Lead with Love for zoom work sessions each week that highlights current issues related to social justice, civic engagement, environmental stewardship and child advocacy that need of our help. We will provide tangible actions and perform these efforts within the 1 hour meeting.
This week our efforts will focus on saving the United States Postal Service.
Protecting the services of the USPS has widespread impact. It is a social justice issue, an employment issue, a health issue, an issue of democratic participation and an issue for small, independent businesses.
In 2020, we are relying on the USPS more than ever. The postal service enables Americans to receive the goods and medications they need when many people are being asked to stay home or need to stay home due to underlying health issues. An election year, the USPS is also enabling many voters to safely vote from home by delivering mail in ballots.
The postal service is in dire straights and needs attention and action for its protection. Please join us to better understand this cause and take action to help ensure that the USPS doesn’t fall into the hands of corporate America.
If you haven’t yet registered for Love in Action, please do so by clicking the button below.
Tools to Have on Hand
Pen/Pencil
Stationary/Postcard/Greeting Card/Envelopes
Stamps
Paper/Journal
Computer with Email/Wifi
Phone
About U.S.P.S
The statute that created the Postal Service begins with the following sentence:
“The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by an Act of Congress, and supported by the people.”
The objective of the postal system, by the founding fathers, was to connect the country. To bring the disparate colonies together. To enable commerce, business and correspondence between all Americans. To that end, they built postal roads and created systems to move goods and information. This U.S. system was acknowledged as one of the best in the world and grew to become the highest rated and most trusted entity in our government.
Services
The USPS is committed to the delivery of all mail. Famously, the USPS uses mules to deliver mail, food, medications and supplies to the Havasupai tribe at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Because it isn’t profitable for private competitors to deliver to super remote, rural regions, they offload their packages to the USPS as a cheaper option for delivery. This service is referred to as “The Last Mile.” If not for the USPS, many rural areas, including Indigenous People, would be cut off from deliveries of any kind.
Employment Comparison Chart
Budgets
While the USPS has a long history of breaking even or small profits, it was never intended to be a money-making enterprise. Its founding purpose was supporting our democracy through the reliable delivery of information.
Unlike most other government agencies, the USPS relies on ZERO tax dollars for its operations. The USPS runs entirely on postage sales.
Employment
The USPS is a massive employer in the United States with over 600,000 employees, of which 39% are POC and 40% are women. With over 100,000 employed vets and military members as employees, they are also one of the top employers of vets in the country. The USPS pays out $2 billion in salaries and benefits every two week, so by comparison it would easily be on the fortune 500 list if it weren’t a government entity.
What’s the Problem with the USPS
The USPS has had a rough go, losing money, for many years now. To start, the internet age diverted revenue streams. People began using email rather than snail mail for correspondences and businesses began using online services for solicitations over mailed services.
The main cause of the problem, however, was in 2006, when Congress, with bipartisan support, passed the Postal Accountability Enhancement Act that required the USPS to prepay on retiree health benefits 50 years in advance starting with setting aside $5B per year for 10 years. All the while, the same bill capped their postage rates essentially locking their income potential while dramatically increasing their expenses. This massive and incomparable burden took the USPS budget from net profits of $900M in 2006 to a loss of $3.8B only 3 years later.
The impacts of this law and the 2007 financial collapse, which reduced business mail marketing and shipping dollars, created a situation whereby the USPS has continued to lose billions of dollars a year ever since.
Now, with recession caused by Covid, the USPS is dramatically impacted once again with loss of business despite it being a time that we need their services most with it being a time that people are unable to leave their homes due to Covid, an election year and a census year.
Government Response
Under the pressure of its financial crisis and foreseeing cash flow problems that could upend major services, the USPS requested $89B from congress in the form of Coronavirus relief.
In the $2T CARES act, congress included $13B for the USPS to keep their service running through the fall. However, the White House refused that line item despite bail outs to many large corporations.
Based on Trump’s own words, it appears that the relationship between the USPS and Amazon is interfering with this relief. Trump believes that Amazon is being cut deals and has only agreed to offer the relief in the form of a loan with the stipulation that USPS raises its rates 400-500%. An increase that would surely backfire for the viability of income for the USPS and would certainly abruptly impact widespread systems but especially small businesses. Some also believe that slowing down the USPS is a tactic to undermine mail in voting, a system to which Trump has been vocally opposed.
During the pandemic, in May, the White House brought on Louis Dejoy, a big time Trump and RNC donor to serve as Postmaster general. His employment is dubious as he’s the first Postmaster General in decades with no internal experience and a background in private business. He and his wife also carry investments and assets in USPS’s direct competitors. On July 10 he issued a memo that with put budget issues and efficiencies in the spotlight. He included include new protocol such as eliminating overtime (which covers about 20% of all deliveries) and suggesting some mail may be left behind, which is already slowing down deliveries. These measures are not only in direct contrast with the historic ethos of the agency, putting service over profit, but also were notably implemented at a troubling time - during Covid and an election year.
Also many small government proponents, such as Secretary of Treasury Mnuchin , and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, believe this crisis within the USPS could open up a pathway for privatization. They believes that the USPS has received unfair advantages in the competitive landscape and advocate for shifting to privatization as a solution to many years of losses. This push has a chance of gaining traction in this vulnerable moment unless we act now.
What’s Wrong with Privatization?
Like most businesses, and particularly in this instance, privatization would likely put profits first. We would see massive layoffs during a time where we are already reeling from an employment crisis. Prices for postage would dramatically increase to meet market standards. And, without the obligation to reach all Americans, many Indigenous and rural communities could be left with access to deliveries as these companies have already deemed these locations as unprofitable and so unreachable.
The most likely populations to be harmed by privatization include:
People who lack access to internet services
14.5 million Americans and rely on mail for communication, information and to receive and pay bills.
People with health issues who receive their medication in the mail
In 2019 1.2 billion prescriptions were delivered by mail.
This would particularly impact the elderly and veterans who are most likely to receive their medications in the mail at any time, but in particular during Covid.
Native Communities and Rural Areas
they aren’t serviced by private shipping companies.
Small Businesses and artist
they consider USPS a lifeline and whose customers would likely switch over to larger corporations whose economy of scale enables them to absorb some of the rate hikes for shipping.
Resellers like ebay and Poshmark
their business model is premised on re-use and upcycling which benefits our environment and offsets consumerism .
People who rely on timely paychecks by mail.
Voters
The USPS guarantees delivery of ballots- even with incorrect postage- helping to ensure every vote is counted.
“Privatizing the Postal Service is not in the public interest and would be nothing more than a raid by corporate pirates on a national treasure.”
Mark Dimondstein,
The president of the American Postal Workers Union
Issues Arising from this Cause
Unemployment
Health and Access to Medicine
Communication and Right to Information
Voting and Elections
Small Business
Social Services
Let’s Take Action!
Email / Call Your Representative
OR better yet, take this script, or make your own and mail them a letter!
Find your representative’s contact information by clicking here.
Senator [Senator Name],
The USPS is a one of the most well regarded and trusted entities in our government. It provides essential delivery services to Americans at reasonable prices and employs hundreds of thousands of Americans, including veterans and minorities.
During this time of Covid, we need timely deliveries (including food, medications, and ballots), and stable employment more than ever.
Please vote yes on H.R.2382, the USPS Fairness Act, to repeal the required prepayment of Postal Service retirement benefits. This bill will help the USPS maintain their affordable and equitable services to American homes.
Please, also, de-politicize this non-partisan issue and protect Americans by protecting our vital postal service.
Thank you.
Text
“USPS” TO 50409
This service will walk you through the steps and automatically send your reps an email on your behalf.
Write Your City/County Council
Use this link to find the contact information for your city or county council members. Encourage them to pass a resolution calling on Congress to fund the USPS.
Sign
Say thank you, leave a note
Be patient and kind to your USPS delivery person. These slow downs are out of their control. Consider leaving a note on your mailbox to thank them.
Resources
Buy Stamps and Write a letter!
Postage is still the primary source of income for the USPS. Commit to writing a letter today and more over the next weeks.
Post
POST to encourage voting, using the hashtags:
#SaveTheUSPS
#USPS
#SaveUSPS
#SupportUSPS
#savethepostoffice
Tag your friends!
Please help us support these amazing artists by tagging their work in your post!
Invite your friends to Love in Action!
The more people we have participating in this empowering experience, the better. Maybe today for your action, you send an email or letter to your friends/family, letting them know about and inviting them to these action sessions! You can take it from us, it feels sooooooo heart-warming to see the people you love taking action beside you.
To help explain how awesome these sessions are, you can share our Love in Action page with them. And share the Love in Action toolkits too!: