20-03-2025
Postal workers protest in Donelson against USPS privatization
DONELSON, Tenn. (WKRN) — Postal workers were on the picket line in Donelson Thursday, protesting the Trump administration's plans to privatize the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The protest was part of the American Postal Worker Union's (APWU) National Day of Action on March 20, where protests were organized across the country from New York City to San Francisco, according to the union's website.
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Postal workers protested for hours in cold, rainy conditions at the Nashville Post Office on Royal Parkway.
'Our people come to work, rain, sleet or snow, and it doesn't matter, because it's a service. We're hear to serve the American people, and it's not about politics. We're not a political organization,' said Patricia Herron, president of APWU's Tennessee division.
The nationwide gatherings come less than one week after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy agreed to work with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to address 'big problems' at the agency, per the Associated Press.
According to a letter sent to members of Congress, DeJoy plans to work with DOGE to cut 10,000 workers in the next 30 days and billions of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service budget.
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Meanwhile, union workers argue a public postal service is a democratic right. APWU said power should stay in the hands of the people — not billionaires, calling the Trump administration's move an 'illegal and hostile takeover.'
'Taxpayers don't pay us anything. We are self sufficient, we do a service,' Herron said. 'In times of disaster, we will be those people who deliver your vaccines…even during COVID we were considered essential.'
Union workers said if the administration succeeds in the takeover, it could possibly lead to higher prices, reduced service and the loss of many jobs.
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