The US Postal Service (USPS) is facing financial difficulties, and some are warning that the Trump administration may sell it to the highest bidder. Unions representing postal workers plan to hold rallies in 150 cities, including Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota, to protest this move.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has proposed a voluntary early retirement plan for postal workers, which would reduce the workforce by 10,000 employees and save billions of dollars. However, unions say this is just a stepping stone towards selling the USPS, which they claim would lead to higher rates and reduced services, especially in rural areas.
President Donald Trump’s plans for privatizing the USPS have sparked outrage among labor unions. The Commerce Department, which would oversee the post office, has only 40,000 employees compared to the USPS’s 640,000 workers. Union leaders believe this is a thinly veiled plan to sell off the USPS to private companies like FedEx and UPS.
The union representing over 2,500 postal workers in Minnesota, Rep. Angie Craig (D-2nd District), says she is skeptical of the number of buyouts planned and believes the Trump administration wants to sell the USPS. A recent report by the USPS Office of Inspector General found that only 79% of mail delivered in Minnesota met the USPS’s two-day standard, ranking the state 38th in the country for on-time delivery.
The union is also concerned about DeJoy’s agreement with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to downsize the USPS. Union officials and lawmakers have requested a copy of this agreement but have not received it.
These protests highlight concerns among labor unions that privatizing the USPS would harm workers, consumers, and businesses who rely on the service for mail and package delivery.
Source: https://www.minnpost.com/national/2025/03/postal-workers-rally-to-raise-alarm-about-trump-plans-to-privatize-postal-service