Blab Politics
USPS Faces Deepest Cuts Yet as Postal Workers Union Stalls Action
In Los Angeles, thousands of postal employees gathered for the American Postal Workers Union’s (APWU) 28th Biennial National Convention in late January, a meeting that coincided with the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) announcement of its most severe cost‑cutting plan in history. The convention ended without a clear strategy to halt the agency’s planned layoffs, service reductions, and potential post office closures.
Postmaster General David Steiner warned that, if Congress does not approve additional funding, the USPS will begin a series of drastic measures after the New Year. According to the agency’s Inspector General white paper released in July, the plan could include a 10 percent workforce reduction, fewer delivery days, and a rollback of universal service obligations. Steiner also threatened higher prices and the closure of “thousands of unprofitable post offices.”
The proposed cuts come amid a broader federal effort to reshape the USPS’s financial structure. The agency has repeatedly requested a higher debt ceiling, expanded investment authority for its pension funds, and the reassignment of billions of dollars in Civil Service Retirement System liabilities. These requests mirror similar proposals made by the APWU and other postal unions.
The timing of the cuts is significant because they intersect with the November election cycle. President Trump’s administration has sought to tighten mail‑in voting rules, a move that could affect the distribution of ballots. In August, the USPS issued new regulations requiring states to provide lists of mail‑ballot recipients and to use unique barcodes on ballot envelopes. The rules also gave the USPS the authority to reject ballots that did not comply. A federal judge temporarily blocked the regulations on August 28, but the administration is appealing the decision.
During the APWU convention, the USPS Workers Rank‑and‑File Committee released a statement calling for workplace committees that would unite clerks, carriers, and mail handlers. The committee urged collective action, including a potential national strike, to stop layoffs and service cuts. The APWU’s leadership, however, has largely refrained from organizing such direct action.
APWU President John Smith, who succeeded Mark Dimondstein last year, emphasized the union’s historical legacy in his State of the Union address. He referenced the 1970 postal strike, in which roughly 200,000 workers shut down the national mail system, and declared that the union was built by workers who refused to accept poverty wages or unsafe conditions. Smith warned that powerful interests seek to see the USPS fail and the union disappear, and he called for a movement that the union must lead.
The APWU’s stance contrasts with that of other postal unions. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) have supported major elements of the earlier Delivering for America restructuring plan. Both unions are moving to send contracts into binding arbitration, a step that could pave the way for the planned cuts.
The NRLCA also held its own convention this month. The union has been involved in the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), a program that has reduced the annual pay of some rural carriers by thousands of dollars.
Congressional support for the cuts is bipartisan. In March, House ranking Democrat Kweisi Mfume said the USPS “obviously needs to cut costs and increase revenue.” In June, Senate ranking Democrat Gary Peters echoed the need to stabilize the agency’s bottom line.
The APWU’s leadership has called for increased funding and expanded pension authority but has not addressed the self‑funding requirement that has governed the USPS since the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act. The act, which followed the 1970 strike, converted the Post Office Department into an independent agency and granted postal workers collective bargaining rights while prohibiting strikes.
The convention concluded with a keynote from Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of California, who presented himself as an ally of postal workers and reviewed his record on USPS and labor legislation. AFL‑CIO President Liz Shuler also spoke, focusing on union growth and the importance of mail‑by‑mail voting.
The APWU’s approach—emphasizing congressional lobbying over direct action—has drawn criticism from some rank‑and‑file members who feel the union is not adequately protecting jobs or democratic rights. The agency’s planned cuts, coupled with the Trump administration’s mail‑ballot restrictions, raise concerns about the future of the USPS as a public service.
As the USPS prepares to implement its cost‑cutting plan, the outcome of the pending legal challenge to the new mail‑ballot rules and the timing of congressional funding decisions will be pivotal. Postal workers and their unions remain divided over the best path forward, with some calling for collective action and others urging continued engagement with lawmakers.
Postmaster General David Steiner warned that, if Congress does not approve additional funding, the USPS will begin a series of drastic measures after the New Year. According to the agency’s Inspector General white paper released in July, the plan could include a 10 percent workforce reduction, fewer delivery days, and a rollback of universal service obligations. Steiner also threatened higher prices and the closure of “thousands of unprofitable post offices.”
The proposed cuts come amid a broader federal effort to reshape the USPS’s financial structure. The agency has repeatedly requested a higher debt ceiling, expanded investment authority for its pension funds, and the reassignment of billions of dollars in Civil Service Retirement System liabilities. These requests mirror similar proposals made by the APWU and other postal unions.
The timing of the cuts is significant because they intersect with the November election cycle. President Trump’s administration has sought to tighten mail‑in voting rules, a move that could affect the distribution of ballots. In August, the USPS issued new regulations requiring states to provide lists of mail‑ballot recipients and to use unique barcodes on ballot envelopes. The rules also gave the USPS the authority to reject ballots that did not comply. A federal judge temporarily blocked the regulations on August 28, but the administration is appealing the decision.
During the APWU convention, the USPS Workers Rank‑and‑File Committee released a statement calling for workplace committees that would unite clerks, carriers, and mail handlers. The committee urged collective action, including a potential national strike, to stop layoffs and service cuts. The APWU’s leadership, however, has largely refrained from organizing such direct action.
APWU President John Smith, who succeeded Mark Dimondstein last year, emphasized the union’s historical legacy in his State of the Union address. He referenced the 1970 postal strike, in which roughly 200,000 workers shut down the national mail system, and declared that the union was built by workers who refused to accept poverty wages or unsafe conditions. Smith warned that powerful interests seek to see the USPS fail and the union disappear, and he called for a movement that the union must lead.
The APWU’s stance contrasts with that of other postal unions. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) have supported major elements of the earlier Delivering for America restructuring plan. Both unions are moving to send contracts into binding arbitration, a step that could pave the way for the planned cuts.
The NRLCA also held its own convention this month. The union has been involved in the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), a program that has reduced the annual pay of some rural carriers by thousands of dollars.
Congressional support for the cuts is bipartisan. In March, House ranking Democrat Kweisi Mfume said the USPS “obviously needs to cut costs and increase revenue.” In June, Senate ranking Democrat Gary Peters echoed the need to stabilize the agency’s bottom line.
The APWU’s leadership has called for increased funding and expanded pension authority but has not addressed the self‑funding requirement that has governed the USPS since the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act. The act, which followed the 1970 strike, converted the Post Office Department into an independent agency and granted postal workers collective bargaining rights while prohibiting strikes.
The convention concluded with a keynote from Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of California, who presented himself as an ally of postal workers and reviewed his record on USPS and labor legislation. AFL‑CIO President Liz Shuler also spoke, focusing on union growth and the importance of mail‑by‑mail voting.
The APWU’s approach—emphasizing congressional lobbying over direct action—has drawn criticism from some rank‑and‑file members who feel the union is not adequately protecting jobs or democratic rights. The agency’s planned cuts, coupled with the Trump administration’s mail‑ballot restrictions, raise concerns about the future of the USPS as a public service.
As the USPS prepares to implement its cost‑cutting plan, the outcome of the pending legal challenge to the new mail‑ballot rules and the timing of congressional funding decisions will be pivotal. Postal workers and their unions remain divided over the best path forward, with some calling for collective action and others urging continued engagement with lawmakers.
