is privatizing the postal service unconstitutional

Contrary to the claims of the postal unions and pseudo-left organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the defense of democratic rights will not be won by appealing to the Democratic Party, the same organization which has actively sabotaged the USPS and deliberately conceals Trump’s coup plans. Through these changes, DeJoy aims to undermine the reliability of the USPS, erode overwhelming public support for the USPS, and implement cost-cutting measures, all of which serve to facilitate an easier selloff to the vultures on Wall Street. This wouldn’t necessarily continue. The Main Consequences of Privatizing the Postal Service. The United States Postal Service shipped more than 13 billion pieces of mail and packages this holiday season. Cato publishes Miller calling for privatizing the Postal Service and first class mail, in particular. In their 2019 fiscal years, FedEx and UPS each handled about 5.5 billion packages, or 11 billion in total. People already worry about privacy and corporate prying. Democratic politicians have since called for an investigation into DeJoy’s changes to the service. The USPS was made an independent agency of the executive branch and designed to be financially self-sufficient, relying on the sale of postage, mail products, and services for revenue. Citizens have a right to mail access and many millions depend on it, whether to vote, pay bills, hear from relatives, obtain medicines, or receive packages from online purchases, a literal lifeline for many during this Covid-19 pandemic. Postal workers in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2013 (Mike Blake/Reuters) The Postal Service is in dire financial straits. It needed government administration as it was so important for communication. At 140 gatherings nat Janine Jackson: One congressmember said it would be “a stunning act of sabotage” if the new head of the US Postal Service is allowed to push through major changes. Postal Service will make major structural changes to the agency by privatizing and selling pieces of it. These committees must be democratically controlled by the workers themselves and committed to fight for what workers need, not what the powers-that-be claim is affordable. Big Trump donor—surprise—Louis DeJoy issued a series of memos, disclosed to the Washington Post, calling for significant operational changes, including restrictions on overtime that many, including the Postal … It can borrow up to $15 billion from the U.S. Treasury at low interest rates. International Committee of the Fourth International, US: Forty years since the national postal strike. These casualties are a direct result of the policies enforced by USPS management and politicians at every level, along with the four postal unions that seek to suppress the opposition of workers and subordinate them to the Democratic Party. None of these reasons is adequate to make such a change. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the largest postal union in the nation and world, endorsed Obama in 2008 and 2012, Bernie Sanders during the primaries in both 2016 and 2020, only later to back Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. As for Amazon, one analyst firm estimates that even in 2023, USPS will carry 45% of Amazon deliveries. The Democrats and all their affiliated organizations, including the unions, refuse to warn the working class of the dangers that exist and mobilize popular opposition. Congress, not the Constitution, created the US Postal Service, and Congress can change or eliminate it. “Their goal has always been to privatize, to make a profit off the Postal Service for private purposes,” Ms. Pelosi added, referring to Republicans. Number 2, Amazon.com, has been building out its own delivery capabilities. Multiply the effects many fold. It has more than 600,000 employees and more than $70 billion in annual revenues. Pull the government's tendrils out of it and let it loose in the private sector. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. Memos leaked this summer revealed DeJoy’s plans to consciously slow delivery speed, cut overtime hours, consolidate operations in his hands, and remove thousands of mail sorting units. Management at the United States Postal Service (USPS) has taken a big step toward privatization with the July 10 release of an internal memo stating that … Without privatizing the postal service it will go bankrupt and will end up being supported by other government revenues that should be used for other programs. The latter would directly hurt the interests of Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, which has been so critical of Trump. The fewer the potential buyers, the lower the purchase price. As a result, over 300,000 full-time positions were slashed or transferred to part-time positions from 1999 to 2019. Postal Service is the most popular government agency in the country, with a favorability rating of nearly 90 percent. The opposite is true. But do they want to deliver that postcard to a remote area somewhere in rural America that is a money loser? Rank-and-file action committees would serve as the means through which postal workers can mobilize their own strength, appealing to the broader working class to take part in the fight to defend all social and democratic rights, including the preparation of a general strike. That’s almost certainly an overestimate, since fully privatizing the Postal Service might face constitutional issues and would certainly require action from Congress. In fact, it delivers the last mile for almost a third of FedEx packages. Yes, I think that if the USPS was privatized then it would be better off both financially and fiscally. 1988 The Privatization Commission urges the privatization of the Postal Service, and Citizens for a Sound Economy applauds that proposal and more. He will come in, likely with the aid of the US military, and immediately embark on an historic program of fiscal austerity to finance the massive bailout of Wall Street, along with military aggression and a crackdown on political dissent. . The postal service has long been a major employer in the U.S., providing upward mobility to minorities and low-income individuals. One reason private companies lean on the USPS for delivery is the value of public service over profits. The service owns 228,940 vehicles and who knows how much in equipment, fixtures, storage, tools, computers, service counters, inventory, and so on. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, postal workers join all logistics workers in playing an ever more “essential” role, as they deliver food, medications, checks, communications, and much more to millions of homes. Mail carrier Oscar Osorio continues to deliver mail in Los Feliz amid the Covid 19 pandemic on April ... [+] 29, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. How many tens or even hundreds of billions might they be worth? Big Trump donor—surprise—Louis DeJoy issued a series of memos, disclosed to the Washington Post, calling for significant operational changes, including restrictions on overtime that many, including the Postal … Under Article I, Section 8, only Congress has the power to “establish Post Offices and post Roads,” the latter meaning mail routes. The employees of the US Postal Service have been sorting and delivering the mail to the citizens of the United States for 243 years. Further, with the presidential election less than one month away, USPS workers perform the essential task of transporting mail-in ballots, the safest means of voting in the midst of the rampant spread of the coronavirus. There is no private company even slightly prepared to take on the workload the federal postal system requires. Move it into private hands and the terrible choices, particularly the madness of how pensions are handled, would be buried. What is the value of the USPS? The new leader of the U.S. Doing so would mitigate the losses USPS suffers from mail delivery (yes…the Postal Service doesn’t really make money from delivering the mail). The second reason is likely a whitewash of past policies. ... That doesn’t mean not being constantly at war is unconstitutional. Last year, the Postal Service delivered 1.4 billion packages for FedEx and UPS. The ability of the population to freely circulate information is seen as an existential threat by the ruling class, which is increasingly resorting to censorship against the decimation of any ideas it does not deem acceptable. Providing access at fixed prices across the country is expensive and none of the private carriers have tried to create such capabilities. This sparked an 8-day wildcat strike by 210,000 postal workers in defiance of Nixon who failed to get the mail restarted with National Guardsmen. This course of action would be disastrous to the American public. Here are seven reasons why. This expectation has expanded over the years. Postal workers must take the initiative to build their own independent rank-and-file workplace committees to coordinate opposition against the Trump administration, his mega-donor turned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and the entire financial oligarchy that both parties represent. One is Donald Trump’s campaign against the USPS to hinder mail voting and raise delivery prices for Amazon He has hinted several times for the privatization of the postal service. Depending on who would oversee such a transaction, the potential for a sweetheart deal with a politically connected buyer would be high. UPS Despite the critical position of this workforce, postal workers have been treated as if their lives have no value. In the long run, this could only be achieved through postage rate increases, reductions to ‘inefficiencies,’ and by driving down labor costs.”. But now, President Trump is apparently bent on destroying it. The Japanese postal service was fully privatized in 2007. That means privatizing the United States Postal Service. Corporations that provide delivery services can be immensely large. Then there is the likely dizzying value of the intellectual property. Whatever set of private interests that took control could now follow individuals wherever they lived, see what types of mail they received, track shipment origins to make educated guesses as to the types of purchases, and otherwise use and sell access to abundant meta data about written communications. Congress confers on the USPS monopolies over the delivery of first-class mail and access to mailboxes, the latter of which is a unique protection among the world's postal systems. The postal service annually is voted the most trusted agency of our federal government. - Everyday the United States Postal Service (USPS) employees work and deliver essential mail to customers. Some workers have already begun to disobey management, refusing to dismantle mail sorting units and working overtime to deliver essential items. Postal Service, everybody would love to have that high-end part of the business that FedEx and UPS are already in, business to business you make a lot of money. In the UK, the Royal Mail was privatized in 2013, and now the postal workers union is negotiating a contract with Royal Mail, which will result in mass layoffs. If privatization is accomplished whatever democratic content is left in the postal service would be eliminated and rights would become privileges, subordinated to the need to accumulate profits by corporate executives and financial investors. The United States Postal Service first began moving the mail on July 26, 1775. The effort has returned in force, seemingly for three reasons. In that same time span, the annual salary of the lowest-tier postal worker employee fell from $64,691 (adjusted for inflation) to $39,218. FDX is number 47. Doing so would likely result in lower pay, worse benefits, and an increase in overall income inequality in the country by eliminating an important path into a middle-class economic existence. - Everyday the United States Postal Service (USPS) employees work and deliver essential mail to customers. It is subject to the partisan whims of Congress, however. Even before 1776, Franklin was driven by the democratic ideal of creating a system that would facilitate the circulation of letters, newspapers and other forms of communication within the Colonies and with Europe, thereby strengthening the opposition to the British Crown. You may opt-out by. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The U.S. Many hold union jobs with reasonable pay and benefits. The president has been critical of this, claiming the agency is handling these packages at a rate that is a loss. Donald Trump has openly endorsed the dismantling of USPS, releasing his own privatization plan in 2018. However in Article I Section 8 it says that one of the duties of congress and the federal government is to maintain a … In the United States, the first step towards privatization was undertaken in 1970 with the Nixon-backed postal “reform” proposal aimed at transforming the US Post Office Department into an “independent” Postal Authority while maintaining the ban on strikes for federal employees and proposing a wage increase below the rate of inflation. Cato publishes Miller calling for privatizing the Postal Service and first class mail, in particular. AMZN Those had increased over the previous year by 1.3 million. Related to the public mandate are the consumer interests in affordable service, no matter where one lives. A few days ago, the Trump administration announced that one of its goals is to privatize the Postal Service. Although there is not a stated governmental effort to privatize the United States Postal Service, some lawmakers in the U.S.—including Trump—have previously suggested that privatization … While Trump openly appeals to far-right militias to guard polling stations and intimidate voters and postal workers, the Democratic Party seeks to cover up the threat of dictatorship. Janine Jackson: One congressmember said it would be “a stunning act of sabotage” if the new head of the US Postal Service is allowed to push through major changes. USPS, in comparison, managed 142.6 billion pieces. Postal workers in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2013 (Mike Blake/Reuters) The Postal Service is in dire financial straits. Delivery prices would sharply increase, cost-cutting measures would be expanded, and many rural areas of the country would be cut off from accessible mail delivery since low-volume stores would not generate adequate profit margins. Many libertarians argue that the USPS should be privatized and no longer controlled by the federal government. Under the Republican Bush administration, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, with near-unanimous support by both Democrats and Republicans, including that of Senator Bernie Sanders. The Australian government is leading a restructuring of Australia Post that threatens 2,000 jobs while workers have been punished for speaking out on COVID-19 conditions. Postal Service (USPS) is a major business enterprise operated by the federal government. The Postal Service has been caught up in the president’s feud with Amazon’s CEO and founder, Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post … Postal Service has lately been a political lightning rod. 1988 The Privatization Commission urges the privatization of the Postal Service, and Citizens for a Sound Economy applauds that proposal and more. The USPS also enjoys a range of other benefits:1 1. With the help of DeJoy’s wrecking ball operations, Trump has denounced mail-in balloting as “fraudulent” and completely unreliable, even going so far as accusing mail carriers of “selling the ballots.” Trump repeatedly states that he will not accept the results of a “rigged election,” effectively establishing himself as dictator of America. Neither company alone, nor the two together, have equivalent networks nor are they experienced in managing any of such scale. My credits include Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Magazine, Zenger News, NBC News, CBS Moneywatch, Technology Review, The Fiscal Times, and Inc. Get. Postal Service (USPS) is a large business enterprise operated by the federal government. Speaking of the postal service, why not finish the job of privatizing it? Since then, every successive administration and Congressional body, comprised of both Democrats and Republicans, have progressively accelerated the attack on the USPS and postal workers. There is no provision in the Constitution for Congress to abdicate its responsibility and leave the regulation of mail to private interests, even down to the level of deciding what facilities could process the mail. But now, President Trump is apparently bent on destroying it. As it is, USPS prices to deliver packages and letters are significantly less than those from UPS or FedEx. There are business processes and practices and software. On January 23, 2006, Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd. was created as the holding company of separate entities of the government-owned postal system including postal savings and insurance. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. It is noteworthy that the nation’s first Postmaster General was Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution. Out in the prairies of Kansas? The US postal service is losing money every day and needs to be privatized in order to continue to provide a service to the public. The cost to recreate delivery routes and address information on virtually everyone in the country would be staggering. This is because the Democrats and the unions fear a popular movement in opposition to Trump could quickly evolve into a revolutionary challenge to the dictatorial rule of the corporate and financial elite, which the Democrats defend, just as much as Trump and the Republicans. Without privatizing the postal service it will go bankrupt and will end up being supported by other government revenues that should be used for other programs. In a backwater of Maine? ... That doesn’t mean not being constantly at war is unconstitutional. 29, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. As of last year, USPS managed 147.2 million residential delivery points and 12.8 million business ones. About 250 Long Island postal workers rallied outside the post office in Huntington Station Monday, joining a nationwide protest against the privatization of the postal service. Arizona’s deserts? The Postal Service Act of 1792 made clear that the postal system was intended to benefit the public good. The USPS does use private contractors on a regular basis. Instead of wagering the interests of the public in a sale to “fix” the USPS, a far easier solution would be to remove the harmful and unnecessary restrictions on the service. Postal Service matters as much as it ever did — as much now in the 21st century as when it was founded in 1775 as the United States Post Office. The Postal Service has been caught up in the president’s feud with Amazon’s CEO and founder, Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post … United States Postal Service (USPS) employees are expected to gather at locations across the country on Monday to protest of the Trump administration’s proposed plan to privatize … In 2019, USPS reported $8.8 billion in operating losses, despite increasing revenues by more than $1 billion. United Parcel Service Postal workers can and must take action to organize a real struggle against the dual threats of privatization and a Trump dictatorship. Brazilian postal workers oppose privatization. The chance of the American public receiving fair value for what it owns, low. Management at the United States Postal Service (USPS) has taken a big step toward privatization with the July 10 release of an internal memo stating that … With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Postal Service was privatized in 1989. While bailing out major corporations and Wall Street following the Great Recession in 2008, Obama oversaw the closure of over 3,700 post office buildings and the removal of at least 150,000 career employee positions. Doubtful. Postal Service says it … The US postal service is losing money every day and needs to be privatized in order to continue to provide a service to the public. However, there is a constitutional snag for private ownership. By asserting that rights to decent work conditions, universal and affordable mail delivery, and even fair elections must not be subordinated to private profit or the authoritarian plans of Donald Trump, postal workers can win the active support of the working class in the United States and internationally. This is part of a global offensive against the working class. Mail communications and package delivery would mirror the unequal distribution of universal high-speed internet access and quality infrastructure, starving the poor and working class of information and essential goods. In 2007, a series of steps were taken for smooth transition of privatization. A citizen, and a business, can send and receive mail. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images). The USPS is way too far in debt and something needs to be done for its immediate future to make sure that it remains solvent, and I think that privitazation would definitely help. Under the Democratic Clinton administration in the 1990s, the USPS began contracting out services and forming links with private firms like New Breed Logistics, which was formerly headed by DeJoy. This necessary task demands a fight for socialism, the creation of genuine democracy and the reorganization of economic life based on human needs instead of private profits. Yes it should be privatized. Our Constitution tasked the federal government with creating a national postal system and told the Postmaster General to report to the president. Then there is the third issue: postal workers are largely unionized with political sympathies that tend toward Democrats, not Republicans. My credits include Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Magazine, Zenger News, NBC News, CBS Moneywatch, Technology Review, The Fiscal Times, and Inc. Get my free newsletter at https://eriksherman.substack.com. Rubio: I think the U.S. Postal Service. 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