The American Postal Workers Union on Thursday rallied outside Bustleton Post Office, concerned that President Donald Trump will privatize the United States Postal Service or put it under the control of the Department of Commerce.
Vince Tarducci, a Bustleton resident and APWU national business agent, shouted “U.S. Mail” into a megaphone, with the crowd responding, “Not for Sale.”
The postal service delivers to 169 million addresses six days a week.
“Sometimes even seven days a week,” said James DeRidder, president of APWU Local 7048.
The APWU argues that no private company could provide the service that the USPS does, due to a private company’s focus on profit. The union contends private control would lead to higher prices and shuttered post offices.
“If we lose, the American people lose,” said Chuck Angeline, a Trenton-based APWU legislative officer.
The USPS is funded by stamp sales and charges for packages and services.
APWU national business agent Kim Miller said mail gets delivered in rain, sleet and snow.
“Every piece of mail is important to us,” she said.
The postal service was founded in July 1775, with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General.
“It’s older than the country,” Tarducci noted.
The APWU held 200-plus Days of Action on March 20. The crowd at the Bustleton rally held signs such as, “This is America. Not the Third Reich.”
While Trump hasn’t said he will privatize the USPS or put it under commerce department control, he also hasn’t ruled it out.
The APWU has never been a fan of Trump. The union endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and 2024 and Kamala Harris last year after Democrats strong-armed Biden out of the race.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle credited the USPS with working through wars and the coronavirus and blamed an “unelected billionaire” for potential changes to the USPS.
“No one voted for that,” he said. “Elon Musk thinks he knows more than Benjamin Franklin.”
State Rep. Sean Dougherty described the USPS as a permanent fixture in the federal government that reliably makes mail deliveries. The postal service offers more than 600,000 well-paying jobs, Dougherty said, describing the workforce as “for the people, by the people.”
Other speakers included Register of Wills John Sabatina and Bob Stewart, chief of staff at the Register of Wills office and a longtime volunteer with the Bustleton Bengals.
Also on hand was Madonna Duffy, a retired longtime postal worker who is now a staffer for City Councilman Brian O’Neill. ••
