Postal workers say no to privatization

Hundreds of letter carriers from 18 states descended on the headquarters of the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C., to protest the outsourcing of their jobs to private contractors. The April 16 demonstration was organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, a union representing over 700,000 USPS employees nationwide.   

Letter carriers, along with members of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), protested the

Photo: Roger Scott

USPS policy of Contract Delivery Service. This policy pays private companies to hire and train workers to deliver the mail, but at a much lower pay rate than USPS employees earn.

The USPS has long used private contractors in remote rural areas of the country, but the current USPS administration has rapidly expanded this practice in all areas of the country, both rural and urban. It has been justified as a “cost saving” measure. 

Marching and carrying signs reading, “Don’t contract me out,” and “Save our jobs,” the NALC members accused postal administration of being committed to the rapid privatization of letter carrier jobs.

The workers noted how the practice not only threatens their livelihood and exploits lower paid workers, but is also a large step in busting the large and influential NALC. The union has worked hard to fight for and protect the gains made by the working class USPS employees.   

Speaking at the April 1 Socialism Conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, NALC Local 3825 president Ken Lurch talked about the struggle to maintain letter carrier jobs and the effect of CDS on the working class.

Lurch said, “The Bush administration is now attacking our entire union. They are encouraging the postal service to contract out our work to the lowest bidder in each state. We will have no annual leave, no sick leave, in fact no benefits at all. They will have no postal uniform and will have to use their own car.

“Do we want just anyone coming up to our mailbox who will know when you’re home, when you’re not, when you’re on vacation, and who will know the first names of your kids? Or do we want a respected union letter carrier coming up to your residence daily? Our strategy will be to unite with the communities against this union busting and contracting out of our work.”