On July 24, hundreds of postal workers, labor allies, and members of the community took to the streets of New York City in a rally with a message: The U.S. Mail Is Not for Sale.
Spurred by a proposal from Wells Fargo Equity Research, activists protested in front of the 7th Avenue Wells Fargo branch. Wells Fargo’s memo to their investors, titled “USPS Privatization: A Framework,” outlined the money their clients could make in a sell-off of the public Postal Service. To raise awareness about this privatization threat, APWU created an ad to alert the public. It is currently running on television and social media nationwide to postal customers across the country.
“If you want to see higher parcel prices, closed post offices, and unreliable mail delivery, side with Wells Fargo,” APWU President Mark Dimondstein said. “If you want affordable, universal service no matter who you are or where you live, stand with us. Postal workers and the public are united in saying the ‘U.S. Mail is Not for Sale!’”
In its report to investors, Wells Fargo called the USPS “an obvious source of value.” They suggest that mail and parcel operations be split and that “Parcels could be carved out and sold or placed on the stock market. If the Wells Fargo plan come to fruition, prices would rise by over thirty percent. Private contractors are interested in the more than $80 billion in revenue the USPS generates each year.
“We rallied in New York to take the message straight to Wall Street, and to alert the public across the country of the threat to our public Postal Service. APWU members and postal customers are united in our fight to defend and expand our national treasure,” said Dimondstein. “A big salute to the local and national leaders in the New York area for their organizing, and to the members and supporters who came out to make this event a success as the struggle continues.”
More than 600,000 postal workers serve communities throughout the country. On July 26, the Postal Service celebrated its 250th anniversary.
