Let's Fight for OUR Postal Service
Our US Postal Service is under attack, in case you haven't heard.
(Skip to the end of this page for ways to get involved.)
While the news headlines are focused mainly on the election (for very good reasons), there's a lot more at stake in this conversation. Our Postal Service is not only a major backbone of our country's ability to function, it is also a great equalizer between rural and urban communities.
The USPS is enshrined in our constitution. When the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789, Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 gave Congress the ability to “establish post offices and post roads.”
It's an essential American SERVICE, not a business. It's supposed to SERVE Americans and until a few weeks ago, it did that incredibly well.
Saving our Postal Service is deeply personal for us here at Em & El, as well as for thousands of small businesses across our country. We rely on its efficient, effective, and timely services to conduct business, particularly in the midst of the worst global pandemic in over a century. For small businesses, the survival of the USPS is directly tied to our survival through this crisis.
Did you know that rural America actually depends on the Postal Service far more than urban America does? It creates equal access to mail for equal pricing, and handles what's called "last mile delivery" for private corporations like FedEx and UPS, which otherwise wouldn't deliver to those rural addresses. They even charge extra for delivery to residential addresses.
How much does it cost to send a first class letter from NYC to Portland, Oregon? $0.55 The cost via FedEx? $9.05 UPS letter? $34.93
We send our taxes, rent checks, life-saving medications, and even live chicks through the mail. Voting by mail is safe and secure. Our military has done it for decades. The VA is even required to send prescription medications through the USPS.
40% of USPS employees are minorities. Nearly 1 in 5 USPS employees are veterans and it is one of the largest employers of veterans in the country.
Saving our Postal Service from political attacks is at the heart of saving our democracy.
Ready to join the fight? Here are 4 easy ways to get involved:
- Text "USPS" to 50409 to send letters to your local representatives
- This Tuesday, August 25th, is a day of action to #SaveThePostOffice. Find a local event near you here.
- Sign the petition on change.org to Save the USPS
- Contact the USPS Board of Governors. They have the power to override Postmaster DeJoy and remove him from his post. They work for US, the people, and need to do their jobs. Let them know that you are watching and demand action to fix the damage DeJoy has done.