WHAT’S HAPPENING?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is under attack.
Throughout the pandemic, Trump and the Republican controlled Senate have rejected giving emergency funds or grants to the USPS. Trump has repeatedly threatened to veto any relief bill that included postal aid. He has lied and spread false claims that voting by mail is fraudulent. There’s no evidence that expanding voting by mail hurts or benefits either political party.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has financial interest in USPS competitors and has now implemented measures to intentionally undercut the effectiveness of the postal service. Just as troubling, the USPS’s current deficit is a result of a 2006 congressional directive that the USPS pre-fund retirement health care benefits for the next 75 years within 10 years, a financial burden placed on no other agency, while also restricting them from raising their rates for regular mail service.
WHY DO WE NEED THE USPS?
600,000 Americans including nearly 100,000 veterans are employed by the USPS. In fact, the USPS is the only service used by the military.
Zero tax dollars are used to fund the USPS. The Postal Service receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
The USPS is absolutely critical to Americans health and wellbeing, they deliver medicines, medical supplies and 143 billion pieces of mail to over 160 million addresses, serving more than 46 million rural addresses, and being often the only delivery option for much of rural America. The week before Christmas, the USPS handles over 3 billion pieces of mail.
OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE
Read U.S. Women’s National Team player and Women’s World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe‘s Open Letter demanding accountability from the United States Senate and the USPS Board of Governors, the only two entities with the power and authority, to #SaveThePostOffice.
TAKE ACTION
STEP ONE: SIGN THE OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE
Pledge to join Megan Rapinoe to demand accountability from the United States Senate and the USPS Board of Governors to #SaveThePostOffice.
STEP TWO: FOLLOW THE AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION (APWU)
The APWU represents more than 200,000 USPS employees and retirees, and nearly 2,000 private-sector mail workers. For more than four decades, APWU has fought for dignity and respect on the job for the workers they represent, as well as for decent pay and benefits and safe working conditions. As an AFL-CIO affiliate, the APWU supports the struggle for social and economic justice for all working families. Follow the American Postal Workers Union account @APWUnational
STEP THREE: DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY
CALL AND EMAIL YOUR SENATOR
Download the #SaveThePostOffice script and demand that your Senators:
1) Return to work and pass legislation NOW. Both the HEROES and the Delivering for America Acts provide critical immediate relief for the United States Postal Service and the hundreds of millions of Americans who rely on them.
2) Demand immediate answers from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and hold him accountable for sabotaging our elections for Trump. He needs to be removed
3) Forgive the USPS’s present debt and provide $100 billion to ensure that they can get through the COVID-19 pandemic
Download the #SaveThePostOffice script and demand that the USPS Board of Governors:
The USPS Board of Governors appointed Louis DeJoy to his current position and have the power to hold him accountable for his actions. Although DeJoy has said he will halt all changes, we need to call and email USPS Board of Governors to ensure that he will not reverse course and that demand that they:
1) Reverse all new protocol slowing the delivery of mail.
2) Reverse the actions to remove mail sorting equipment and mail boxes
3) Remove Louis DeJoy from his position
4) Prohibit the proposal to increase the cost of mailing ballots
Robert M. Duncan
Chairman & CEO, Inez Deposit Bank
(606) 298-3511
John M. Barger
Managing Director, NorthernCross Partners
(213) 629-8356
Ron A. Bloom
Managing Partner, Brookfield
(212) 417-7000
Donald L. Moak
CEO, The Moak Group
(202) 838-2800
Roman Martinez IV
(212) 634-1190
roman@rmiv.com
DirectorAccessmailbox@cigna.com
(also serves on the board at Cigna)
William D. Zollars
(913) 696-6100
DirectorAccessmailbox@cigna.com
(also serves on the board at Cigna)
STEP FOUR: MAKE A PLAN TO FIGHT BACK
1) Make a plan, find your early voting location and vote EARLY, either in person or by mail. Go to WhenWeAllVote.com and Vote.org to register and find out how to vote early in your state.
2) Apply for your mail ballot NOW, fill it out, and send back using the methods your state allows as soon as possible.
3) If you vote in person, wear a mask and maintain social distancing.
4) Share this information with your family and friends.
STEP FIVE: USE YOUR SOCIAL FOR GOOD
Educate yourself and others by posting any or all of the #SaveThePostOffice social assets. Make sure to tag #SaveThePostOffice #USPS #APWU and #Athletes4Impact on all posts.
