Providing access at fixed prices across the country is expensive and none of the private carriers have tried to create such capabilities. Perhaps one of the sharpest expressions of this undermining of democratic principles is Trump’s efforts to sabotage mail ballots for the presidential election. Without privatizing the postal service it will go bankrupt and will end up being supported by other government revenues that should be used for other programs. Postal workers must take the initiative to build their own independent rank-and-file workplace committees to coordinate opposition against the Trump administration, his mega-donor turned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and the entire financial oligarchy that both parties represent. Brazilian postal workers oppose privatization. Likely more than a deal could bring. These policies were made possible by the postal workers unions, which negotiated contracts that facilitated the steady attacks on postal workers while blocking the mobilization of rank-and-file opposition against them. Brazil is in the final stages of privatizing the state-owned postal office Correios, after a nationwide 35-day strike was sabotaged by the postal unions in September. The current GOP run Congress, despite its right wing corporate agenda, has no immediate plan to eliminate or privatize the USPS, but it could do so. It pays federal corporate income taxes on its earnings from competitive products, … The fewer the potential buyers, the lower the purchase price. It would take an interesting twist by constitutional originalists to interpret the original intent of the framers to include such a choice. Janine Jackson: One congressmember said it would be “a stunning act of sabotage” if the new head of the US Postal Service is allowed to push through major changes. Related to the public mandate are the consumer interests in affordable service, no matter where one lives. The Postal Service is government-run, but doesn’t get taxpayer dollars like other government agencies. Mail communications and package delivery would mirror the unequal distribution of universal high-speed internet access and quality infrastructure, starving the poor and working class of information and essential goods. Many libertarians argue that the USPS should be privatized and no longer controlled by the federal government. These committees must be democratically controlled by the workers themselves and committed to fight for what workers need, not what the powers-that-be claim is affordable. The Postal Service even has a plan for delivering the mail during nuclear war. Management at the United States Postal Service (USPS) has taken a big step toward privatization with the July 10 release of an internal memo stating that … According to law firm Jones Day, a purchaser of a business must continue to bargain with unions representing employees “if the new employer: (i) continues its predecessor's business in substantially unchanged form, and (ii) hires predecessor employees as a majority of its post-closing workforce.” Either consideration opens opportunities for a private company to change the face of employment. As the World Socialist Web Site wrote in 2010, reviewing the lessons of the strike and the consequences of the Postal Reorganization Act, “The Post Office was abolished as a cabinet department and reorganized along the lines of a business corporation, in which public financing would be phased out in favor of self-sufficiency. is currently number 43 among the Fortune 500, the list of the 500 largest public companies in the U.S., while FedEx UPS Freelance business, economics, finance, and tech journalist. The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 replaced the Post Office Department with the U.S. Doing so would likely result in lower pay, worse benefits, and an increase in overall income inequality in the country by eliminating an important path into a middle-class economic existence. Ultimately, saving the USPS from destruction requires a fight of the working class against the profit-based capitalist system, which compels the ruling class to feast upon public services and destroy democratic rights to continue the enrichment of a handful of people. At 140 gatherings nat If privatization is accomplished whatever democratic content is left in the postal service would be eliminated and rights would become privileges, subordinated to the need to accumulate profits by corporate executives and financial investors. Here are seven reasons why. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. The USPS is way too far in debt and something needs to be done for its immediate future to make sure that it remains solvent, and I think that privitazation would definitely help. Whatever set of private interests that took control could now follow individuals wherever they lived, see what types of mail they received, track shipment origins to make educated guesses as to the types of purchases, and otherwise use and sell access to abundant meta data about written communications. Here’s the gist of Fortune’s reasoning leading to a 2020 privatization: The United States Postal Service shipped more than 13 billion pieces of mail and packages this holiday season. The United States Postal Service first began moving the mail on July 26, 1775. Postal workers can and must take action to organize a real struggle against the dual threats of privatization and a Trump dictatorship. Multiply the effects many fold. Last year, the Postal Service delivered 1.4 billion packages for FedEx and UPS. The opposite is true. In the case of postal service, the roster of negatives far outweighs the questionable wish that somehow things would be more efficient in corporate hands. Now in 2018, the US Postal Service and all its employees are under attack with the threat of privatization. Revenues from the sale of USPS products are supposed to cover the company’s costs. In the United States, the first step towards privatization was undertaken in 1970 with the Nixon-backed postal “reform” proposal aimed at transforming the US Post Office Department into an “independent” Postal Authority while maintaining the ban on strikes for federal employees and proposing a wage increase below the rate of inflation. Although there is not a stated governmental effort to privatize the United States Postal Service, some lawmakers in the U.S.—including Trump—have previously suggested that privatization … Would they remain so? Big Trump donor—surprise—Louis DeJoy issued a series of memos, disclosed to the Washington Post, calling for significant operational changes, including restrictions on overtime that many, including the Postal … Memos leaked this summer revealed DeJoy’s plans to consciously slow delivery speed, cut overtime hours, consolidate operations in his hands, and remove thousands of mail sorting units. There is no provision in the Constitution for Congress to abdicate its responsibility and leave the regulation of mail to private interests, even down to the level of deciding what facilities could process the mail. In 2019, it had 633,108 employees. That’s almost certainly an overestimate, since fully privatizing the Postal Service might face constitutional issues and would certainly require action from Congress. ernieyeball says: Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 20:08 Instead of wagering the interests of the public in a sale to “fix” the USPS, a far easier solution would be to remove the harmful and unnecessary restrictions on the service. ... That doesn’t mean not being constantly at war is unconstitutional. Delivery prices would sharply increase, cost-cutting measures would be expanded, and many rural areas of the country would be cut off from accessible mail delivery since low-volume stores would not generate adequate profit margins. Colorado’s mountains? In one sense, there is no legal requirement that only the government deliver the mail. Employing over 600,000 workers and handling 48 percent of the world’s mail volume, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is the world’s largest mail carrier service. Rather than remaining in the hands of the Board of Governors and Congress, the USPS must be transformed into a public utility democratically run and controlled by the working class, along with Amazon and other logistics corporations. Without privatizing the postal service it will go bankrupt and will end up being supported by other government revenues that should be used for other programs. With their own means of connecting with one another on social media, workers can share critical information about what’s taking place in their area and can coordinate independent action. International Committee of the Fourth International, US: Forty years since the national postal strike. But they are all tiny in the area of handling packages. Move it into private hands and the terrible choices, particularly the madness of how pensions are handled, would be buried. The Democrats and all their affiliated organizations, including the unions, refuse to warn the working class of the dangers that exist and mobilize popular opposition. Would privatizing the US postal service be unconstitutional? In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, postal workers join all logistics workers in playing an ever more “essential” role, as they deliver food, medications, checks, communications, and much more to millions of homes. The US postal service is losing money every day and needs to be privatized in order to continue to provide a service to the public. Management at the United States Postal Service (USPS) has taken a big step toward privatization with the July 10 release of an internal memo stating that … Postmaster DeJoy, a multi-millionaire GOP donor who held a large number of shares in Amazon, XPO Logistics and UPS before taking the top post at USPS, has accelerated efforts to fully privatize the US postal system. The Postal Service was established in 1775. This is part of a global offensive against the working class. The Main Consequences of Privatizing the Postal Service. That means privatizing the United States Postal Service. A citizen, and a business, can send and receive mail. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images), EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation with Forbes Insights, USPS, in comparison, managed 142.6 billion pieces, purchaser of a business must continue to bargain with unions representing employees. In addition, privatization could allow USPS to set higher rates for mailing and shipping services. It has more than 600,000 employees and more than $70 billion in annual revenues. Depending on who would oversee such a transaction, the potential for a sweetheart deal with a politically connected buyer would be high. Postal Service will make major structural changes to the agency by privatizing and selling pieces of it. As a result, over 300,000 full-time positions were slashed or transferred to part-time positions from 1999 to 2019. United States Postal Service (USPS) employees are expected to gather at locations across the country on Monday to protest of the Trump administration’s proposed plan to privatize … The United States Postal Service shipped more than 13 billion pieces of mail and packages this holiday season. Postal Service has lately been a political lightning rod. These casualties are a direct result of the policies enforced by USPS management and politicians at every level, along with the four postal unions that seek to suppress the opposition of workers and subordinate them to the Democratic Party. There is no private company even slightly prepared to take on the workload the federal postal system requires. In their 2019 fiscal years, FedEx and UPS each handled about 5.5 billion packages, or 11 billion in total. I am against privatizing the Postal Service, but also believe there is room for improvement in how it … The US postal service is losing money every day and needs to be privatized in order to continue to provide a service to the public. It can borrow up to $15 billion from the U.S. Treasury at low interest rates. - Everyday the United States Postal Service (USPS) employees work and deliver essential mail to customers. One is Donald Trump’s campaign against the USPS to hinder mail voting and raise delivery prices for Amazon Cato publishes Miller calling for privatizing the Postal Service and first class mail, in particular. But now, President Trump is apparently bent on destroying it. In 2007, a series of steps were taken for smooth transition of privatization. The U.S. Speaking of the postal service, why not finish the job of privatizing it? If the ruling class succeeds, privatization would mean the transformation of postal workers into an ever more low-wage, part-time, and expendable workforce. The USPS also enjoys a range of other benefits:1 1. By asserting that rights to decent work conditions, universal and affordable mail delivery, and even fair elections must not be subordinated to private profit or the authoritarian plans of Donald Trump, postal workers can win the active support of the working class in the United States and internationally. The postal service annually is voted the most trusted agency of our federal government. To cover up for their betrayals, the unions sought to feign opposition and channel workers’ immense anger behind the Democratic Party. Postal Service, everybody would love to have that high-end part of the business that FedEx and UPS are already in, business to business you make a lot of money. Corporations that provide delivery services can be immensely large. Out in the prairies of Kansas? We urge all workers who agree with this statement to reach out to us. The Service was created a year before the Thirteen Colonies proclaimed their independence in 1776 as the United States of America. United Parcel Service “Their goal has always been to privatize, to make a profit off the Postal Service for private purposes,” Ms. Pelosi added, referring to Republicans. Under the Republican Bush administration, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, with near-unanimous support by both Democrats and Republicans, including that of Senator Bernie Sanders. This course of action would be disastrous to the American public. Postal Service says it … Postal Service matters as much as it ever did — as much now in the 21st century as when it was founded in 1775 as the United States Post Office. Even if Biden becomes the occupant of the White House, this will not slow down the assault on the postal service. - Everyday the United States Postal Service (USPS) employees work and deliver essential mail to customers. . The Trump administration has utilized the COVID-19 pandemic to starve the USPS of financial resources and appoint his supporters to the Board of Governors with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. A few days ago, the Trump administration announced that one of its goals is to privatize the Postal Service. Postal Service is the most popular government agency in the country, with a favorability rating of nearly 90 percent. Congress confers on the USPS monopolies over the delivery of first-class mail and access to mailboxes, the latter of which is a unique protection among the world's postal systems. In fact, it delivers the last mile for almost a third of FedEx packages. While Trump openly appeals to far-right militias to guard polling stations and intimidate voters and postal workers, the Democratic Party seeks to cover up the threat of dictatorship. Further, with the presidential election less than one month away, USPS workers perform the essential task of transporting mail-in ballots, the safest means of voting in the midst of the rampant spread of the coronavirus. Even then, USPS provides the final delivery muscle for significant percentages of FedEx and UPS deliveries. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the largest postal union in the nation and world, endorsed Obama in 2008 and 2012, Bernie Sanders during the primaries in both 2016 and 2020, only later to back Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Rubio: I think the U.S. Even in today’s age of Internet communication, 20 percent of the… What's the best way to make the Post Office faster and cheaper? He will come in, likely with the aid of the US military, and immediately embark on an historic program of fiscal austerity to finance the massive bailout of Wall Street, along with military aggression and a crackdown on political dissent. This is part of a global offensive against the working class. USPS, in comparison, managed 142.6 billion pieces. Some workers have already begun to disobey management, refusing to dismantle mail sorting units and working overtime to deliver essential items. In the long run, this could only be achieved through postage rate increases, reductions to ‘inefficiencies,’ and by driving down labor costs.”. Louis DeJoy, a Trump donor the president appointed as postmaster general in May after rejecting bailout funds for the USPS, has slashed its funding and staffing. Postal Service (USPS) is a large business enterprise operated by the federal government. The U.S. In the UK, the Royal Mail was privatized in 2013, and now the postal workers union is negotiating a contract with Royal Mail, which will result in mass layoffs. Even before 1776, Franklin was driven by the democratic ideal of creating a system that would facilitate the circulation of letters, newspapers and other forms of communication within the Colonies and with Europe, thereby strengthening the opposition to the British Crown. There are business processes and practices and software. For decades, many conservatives have pushed to privatize the United States Postal Service. In 2019, it … These brave steps forward must be consciously organized, expanded, and connected to the fight of all postal workers and the broader working class through the formation of rank-and-file workplace committees, independent of the unions and both corporate-controlled parties. One reason private companies lean on the USPS for delivery is the value of public service over profits. AMZN Privatization of the United States Postal Service would help it compete in a digital world but it's still one of the strongest pillars for businesses with its expertise in last mile delivery. Doing so would mitigate the losses USPS suffers from mail delivery (yes…the Postal Service doesn’t really make money from delivering the mail). And unlike a union contract with a typical corporation, there may not be a robust so-called successor clause to protect workers’ interests. The latter would directly hurt the interests of Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, which has been so critical of Trump. The U.S. Then there is the likely dizzying value of the intellectual property. The service owns 228,940 vehicles and who knows how much in equipment, fixtures, storage, tools, computers, service counters, inventory, and so on. The Trump administration on Thursday called for the privatization of the U.S. As for Amazon, one analyst firm estimates that even in 2023, USPS will carry 45% of Amazon deliveries. But now, President Trump is apparently bent on destroying it. Since then, every successive administration and Congressional body, comprised of both Democrats and Republicans, have progressively accelerated the attack on the USPS and postal workers. Many hold union jobs with reasonable pay and benefits. It’s a definite eye-catcher, but most people who have been dealing with the USPS for any length of time will probably react with more of an eye-roll. At least 10,000 postal workers have been infected and 83 have died from the coronavirus. About 250 Long Island postal workers rallied outside the post office in Huntington Station Monday, joining a nationwide protest against the privatization of the postal service. The second reason is likely a whitewash of past policies.