Local postal workers affiliated with the American Postal Workers Union at a rally in Raleigh (Photo: by Ahmed Jallow)
Postal workers rallied in Raleigh on Tuesday as part of a nationwide “Day of Action” to protest recent and upcoming changes that have caused delays in mail delivery times.
Tonya Freeman, local president of the American Postal Workers Union, criticized Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s policies and plans to consolidate mail processing facilities. She warned that these changes would lead to slower mail deliveries, especially in rural areas where residents rely heavily on the postal service for essential services like prescription medications.
“People get medicine by mail,” Freeman said. “What happens when the people in these rural areas don’t get their medicine?”
Freeman, who has worked for more than two decades at the Raleigh mail process plant, said the plant is slated to be closed, and its operation relocated to Greensboro. DeJoy, who hails from Greensboro, was appointed by former president Donald Trump and is the husband of Aldona Wos, who served as North Carolina’s Secretary of Health and Human Services under former Republican governor, Pat McCrory. His tenure has been marked by several controversies and allegations of conflicts of interest.
Earlier this year, under pressure from Congress, the agency paused plans to consolidate numerous processing facilities until at least January 2025, delaying the overhaul until after the upcoming presidential election when millions of Americans will vote by mail. Lawmakers from across the political spectrum have called on DeJoy to postpone or halt these changes, which involve relocating significant mail processing operations across state lines. It is part of the Postal Service’s plan to save $3 billion annually beginning next year. The agency has amassed more than $87 billion in losses from 2007 through 2020.
The APWU said election mail won’t be affected, officials said. “The postal service is doing an excellent job ensuring that ballots and election-related mail are delivered in a timely manner. But efficient and timely service also should apply all year to the delivery of prescription drugs, Social Security checks, financial documents, personal correspondence, and other mail and packages,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein in a press release.
The APWU is pushing for increased staffing levels to improve customer service and demanding greater transparency from the Postal Board of Governors, which the union says has made many of its decisions affecting postal services behind closed doors.
Three years ago, DeJoy announced the 10-year “Delivering for America” plan, which includes reducing delivery time expectations, consolidating plants, and implementing other changes aimed at making the agency more competitive and modern. The plan faced backlash from politicians from both sides of the aisle when it was released.
While the agency has converted thousands of temporary, non-career positions to career-track roles over the past couple of years, these changes have not been sufficient to address turnover issues and staffing shortages, the APWU said in a statement.
“Staffing is an issue that needs to be addressed. It’s not just new hires and retention. We need more staff. The public sees the long lines at postal counters, where we handle more packages today than ever before, but while the number of packages handled has dramatically increased, the number of clerks has declined over the past two decades by over 10,000,” said Dimondstein.
Freeman expressed concern about job losses and the economic impact on communities that would be affected by the closure of mail processing plants, noting that non-career workers would be the first to lose their jobs. “We want the public to know this is their post office,” Freeman said. “It’s a public service, and they can speak up and contact their senators and representatives to address these issues.”
The APWU represents 200,000 Postal Service employees and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.