The ILWU’s International Executive Board met over Zoom on September 24- 25. The Board passed a Statement of Policy defending the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The policy calls on Congress to fully fund the USPS, restore the Postal Services’ operational efficiencies that have been undermined by the Trump Administration and conduct a thorough investigation of the management of the USPS to determine if they implemented changes in order to make it more difficult for people to vote by mail in the upcoming election.
Statement of Policy on the United States Postal Service (USPS)
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has played a vital role in connecting Americans since the founding of the 13 original colonies. Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution empowers Congress to “To establish Post Offices and Post Roads.” The USPS dates back to 1775. It has exclusive access to “letter boxes” (residential and business receptacles for receiving mail) and is obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at a uniform price and service level.
The USPS is managed by a “Board of Governors” consisting of nine members appointed by the U.S. President with the consent of the Senate, a Postmaster General, and a Deputy Postmaster General. The current Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, has been the CEO of logistic companies and has been a large Republican Party fundraiser.
The USPS plays a critical role in the lives of many Americans. It delivers social security and pension checks to retirees and their spouses. It delivers critical medicines to those individuals who can’t (or shouldn’t) venture out of their residences to pick them up at a pharmacy. And importantly, in an election year such as this, it delivers mail ballots. These, and other functions of the USPS, are made even more critical due to the COVID19 pandemic where all individuals, especially those at higher risk, should minimize their possible exposure to the virus.
Under President Trump’s appointees, the management of the USPS has engaged in a concerted effort to hamstring its capacity and efficiency. This year alone, more than 700 high speed sorting machines have been removed from service under the false premise of improving efficiency. Obviously, efficiency and capacity will suffer. Additionally, many mailboxes in towns and cities across the nation have been removed and Postmaster DeJoy has slowed mail delivery by refusing to authorize overtime. DeJoy stated at a U.S. Senate hearing in August that the removal of the high speed sorting machines and mailboxes will stop until after the election in November. He denied that he halted overtime. DeJoy refused to reinstall the sorting machines and mailboxes. DeJoy’s actions, and the statements of others in the Trump Administration, such as Attorney General William Barr, are intended to support Trump’s unfounded accusations that mail balloting will lead to fraud, thereby giving Trump an excuse to contest the election or question its validity if he loses.
It is imperative that Congress take action to (1) fully fund the USPS, (2) restore the operational capacity and efficiency of the USPS, and (3) conduct a thorough investigation of the management of the USPS as to how they have done Trump’s bidding to tilt the election in his favor.