Postal Workers Protest Privatization | WNEP.com



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SCRANTON, Pa. – Some postal workers were busy on Monday even though post offices were closed for Columbus Day. They held rallies across Lackawanna County to protest the possibility of going private.

Back in April, President Donald Trump created a task force commission to review the United States Postal Service and make recommendations on what he says is a failing agency. The report is now complete, but it has not been released yet.

Postal workers fear the administration is going to propose privatizing the agency.

With the slogan "U.S. mail is not for sale," USPS uses this Columbus Day rallying in downtown Scranton, calling on Congress to postpone privatization.

"Let's take care of our community."

The task force commissioned by President Trump has completed its report. However, Postal Service workers fear they know what the administration is going to recommend, and that's privatizing the agency.

"If they do not get complete privatization, they want to take away all of the parcel package, e-commerce, which the Postal Service makes millions of dollars a year.We have an exclusive contract with Amazon, and it's working, said Kevin Gallagher, American Postal Workers Union.

The USPS has lost tens of billions of dollars over the last decade. However, according to the 2017 financial report, package delivery brought in almost 30 percent of the postal service's annual revenue.

"We are universal, every address, every day," said Walter Sanko, National Association of Letter Carriers.

Postal workers are holding rallies like this all across the country.

"Anybody in a rural area is going to get paid for it." "It's not fair." The Constitution established the Postal Service for universal service delivery. That's what we're trying to keep. "

Postal Service employees say a law passed in 2006 that requires pre-funding retirees' health benefits is a big reason for the loss of income, and they'd like to see a more standard pension plan.

"So we need to go to the postage, everything is good."

We're the government agency with the most favorable rating of 88 percent, "said retired postal worker Richard Dunleaby." You can not take that away from the American people. We want to have a postal service that is not privatized. "

According to USPS employees, the report will not be released until midterm elections in November. Postal Service employees in their local authorities.

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