Local workers with the United States Postal Service protested in Bend on Saturday to fight back against threats to privatize the agency by the Trump administration. About 25 employees and union members rallied outside of the east Bend post office to spread awareness about the potential impacts to workers and Americans.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, President Donald Trump suggested privatizing the USPS in December, while Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, voiced support for the idea in March. Trump has also suggested putting the postal service under the control of the Commerce Department. While there are no federal plans currently in motion, workers face uncertainty about the future of the agency.
Impacts of privatizing the postal service could include slower and reduced deliveries, as well as the termination of certain routes, according to Jesse Soto, president of the American Postal Workers Union 555. While places like Bend and other metro areas would see some effects, he said, rural communities would be hit the hardest.
Another union representative at the rally, Daniel Cortez, pointed out other impacts like rising prices.
“We’ve never faced what we’re facing today…it’s a combination of busting the unions and dismantling the services to the American people so the delivery can be sold off to the highest bidder, and prices skyrocket,” Cortez told the Source. “The bottom line is, the Postal Service belongs to the American people as a service, and it must be protected.”
Local post office worker, Sam Mcdonald, said he agrees with a lot of the current administration’s actions around efficiency, but sees the privatization effort as damaging. While he said the postal service could be improved in different ways, he doesn’t understand how this effort would help the American people.
“There are a lot of things that could be done, saving money and whatnot, but to completely take it down makes no sense, especially when the post office isn’t taking money out of the people’s pockets; it’s only helping people,” he said.
Jackie Warden, who works in the downtown Bend post office, also attended the rally to fight for workers like herself. As a disabled veteran with over 36 years of government service, Warden plans to fight to keep the postal service a federal agency that’s for the people and that will continue to honor its veterans.
“[The postal service] has over 70,000 vets. That’s a lot of jobs and a lot of families that are impacted,” Warden said. “I’m retiring next year, but I’m staying on to make sure that the Postal Service is still the United States Postal Service.”
While the possibility of becoming a private agency remains up in the air, Soto said changes are already happening due to efficiency efforts at the federal level. As of today, he said, the postal service is already reducing transportation as a result of budget cuts, leading to longer wait times for mail delivery.
The USPS has dealt with financial troubles for years, losing $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2024, according to the Federal News Network. While Soto acknowledged that there could be changes in the current post system, privatization is not the answer.
“There’s a difference between fixing it and destroying it, and that’s where we’re coming from; let’s fix it, let’s not destroy it,” he said.
In addition to local rallies, spreading the word about proposed federal actions, the American Postal Workers Union 555, is pushing for House Resolution 70, an affirmation that Congress will take all appropriate measures to ensure that the USPS remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
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People in the US have no idea how good they have it with the post office. Trump is undermining postal service to make things worse and to make the notion of privatization seem better. That is a false hope. It will only raise costs for the people and make profits for the rich. We need to do all we can to save the PO and these good union jobs. Happy to join in the struggle. –Michael Funke, National Writers Union
We should not get rid of the U.S. Postal Service or privatize mail because it ensures affordable, reliable delivery for all Americansregardless of income or locationand plays a vital role in distributing medicine, facilitating communication, and enabling mail-in voting. Dismantling it undermines our democracy by weakening a trusted public institution and shifting control to profit-driven interests. I honestly dont understand how people who voted in this administration dont see how our country is being destabilizedthis isnt just policy, its a systematic erosion of public trust and infrastructure thats starting to feel like the beginning of something out of The Handmaids Tale. Under his eye . And the very people
who voted him in are the ones that will probably be the most negatively impacted. I truly dont understand the logic behind those votes.