SIOUX FALLS, SD—Sunday, March 23rd saw nationwide protests from the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) under the “Fight Like Hell” campaign as USPS is under threat of privatization from the current Trump regime. Sioux Falls, South Dakota had a sizeable turnout at their event with close to 150 attendees show up including members of the NALC, International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), Association of Federal Government Employees (AFGE), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and other unions and activists. NALC steward of Branch 491 Justin Claussen was the MC for the event and opened with a speech centering on the history of the postal service; from the creation of it in 1775, to the wildcat strikes in the 1970s, and to the current attack that USPS is now facing.
“The Postal Service is more than just a delivery system—it’s part of the backbone of our democracy, our economy, and our communities. It’s older than the country itself! Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first Postmaster General in 1775, before we even declared independence. And for nearly 250 years, the Postal Service has connected every corner of this nation, no matter how rural, no matter how small the town—because the mail belongs to the people, not to billionaires that only care about profits.
“The White House is now pushing to move the Postal Service under the Department of Commerce. That might sound like just a bureaucratic shuffle, but let’s call it what it really is—the next step toward privatization! And we know what privatization means: higher costs, worse service, and abandoning rural America because it simply isn’t profitable to deliver to those communities.”
Justin Claussen, NALC Branch 491 Steward
Other speakers provided experiences of how essential the postal service is, including a firefighter speaking on how postal workers are sometimes the first to call 911 for citizens in an emergency situation, especially with elderly people. When asked how many mail carriers have had to call 911, many hands were raised in the crowd, putting perspective on the fact that carriers do more than just deliver mail.
Many speakers touched on the topic of rural Americans being affected by the potential privatization. Mark DeBelts, another member of Branch 491, commented to news sources, “If the privatization came around, it would affect maybe 55 million rural communities, and we as South Dakota, we live in a rural community. So, it would affect everybody.”
Claussen would end the event motivating attendees to start connecting with other members saying, “this fight won’t be won by individuals, it will be won by a movement” and by building working-class power.
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