DENVER — Hundreds of postal workers gathered outside the State Capitol Sunday afternoon for a rally in opposition of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, something President Donald Trump has said he's considering.
“We're fighting for your guys' mail,” said demonstrator Shelly Lucido.
Rallies just like this one happened all over the country on Sunday over fears of the potential privatization of the USPS.
Elon Musk, who oversees the Department of Government Efficiency, has stated that he believes the USPS and Amtrak need to be privatized, saying: “We should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized.”
The USPS reported a $9.5 billion loss in the last fiscal year.
“Everybody is nervous. They're nervous because with the swipe of a pen, things can go away. But we have Congress, I believe we have Congress standing on our side,” said John Wooley, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 47.
National Politics
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The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to "establish post offices and post roads".
Colorado postal workers told Denver7 they're worried about the effect this would have on rural communities.
“I live in a rural, rural area up in Conifer and they're going to be the hardest hit,” said Lucido.
Groups like the National Association of Letter Carriers argue that making these changes to the Postal Service would reduce service to 51.5 million addresses in rural America, where private carriers often do not deliver.
“Think of their prescription medications. They live out in a farm, right? And the closest pharmacy is 35 miles away. They now have to drive to that pharmacy because that that medication doesn't get in their mailbox,” said Wooley.
This is the second demonstration led by postal workers this week -- and they say they're not done speaking up.
The Postmaster General says the USPS is expected to cut 10,000 jobs over the next 30 days through a voluntary early retirement program.
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