Postal workers rallied Tuesday in front of the Daniel Boone City Building in downtown Columbia as part of a nationwide campaign to boost staffing, improve customer service and keep postal operations local.
The small rally, which had around 10 attendees, was one of 92 scheduled across the country by the American Postal Workers Union, which represents employees of the U.S. Postal Service. Rallying workers were joined by community members and supporters.
In a news release, the APWU said it is “advocating for the USPS to invest more in its workforce.”
More than 8.5 billion packages are now processed annually across the U.S., over seven times the amount the USPS handled in 2006. In the news release, the APWU cited a recent study from Pew Research Center that found a 14% drop in public approval of the postal system.
Mark Dimondstein, president of the APWU, called for better staffing amid one of the busiest times in USPS history.
“It’s not just new hires and retention. We need more staff,” Dimondstein said in the news release. “The public sees the long lines at postal counters, where we handle more packages today than ever before, but while the number of packages handled has dramatically increased, the number of clerks has declined over the past two decades by over 10,000.”
“Short staffing means long lines and unexpected closures at post offices. They need to be open and mail needs to be delivered on time,” said Erin Linn, APWU Local 7065 vice president. “Postal workers deserve a good contract that compensates them fairly for their dedicated public service.”
The APWU also opposes the 2023 USPS proposal to reroute Columbia’s mail flow through St. Louis.
“We think that will hurt customer service here and hurt all of our local customers,” Linn said. “They say it will save money. Their lack of transparency is frustrating.”
While the APWU primarily organizes around local issues, the union also voiced concerns about the upcoming presidential election. In recent elections, a greater emphasis has been placed on mail-in ballots, creating a burden for post offices.
The USPS authorized extra deliveries, collections, transportation and overtime during the 2020 and 2022 elections, as well as during in-state primaries, to accommodate the surge of American voters using the mail-in system. With Election Day rapidly approaching, the APWU expects another large wave of mail-in ballots this year.
According to a report by Pew Research, a record 46% of people voted absentee or by mail during the 2020 general election.
In the news release, the APWU said that 97.9% of 2020 mail-in ballots were delivered to election officials within three days. In 2022, that figure rose to 99%.
Linn said that with Hurricane Helene closing many post offices in the south and election season coming up, postal workers need all the help they can get.
“Postal management can improve service by ensuring every facility in the country is staffed with dedicated, hard-working postal workers that every community relies on,” Linn said.
