UNI Global Union said on Thursday that its US affiliates in the postal sector are fighting back after President Trump recently reiterated his desire to privatise the US Postal Service (USPS), which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year.
Mark Dimondstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), said: ‘Make no mistake, the postal service is under attack.
‘This isn’t just about the post office – it’s about the people who depend on it, our communities and the public good it is a power grab.’
Trump has said he no longer wants the government to subsidise USPS’s financial losses, which amounted to US$9.5 billion (£7.52 billion) for 2024.
However, trade unions argue the service has had to make large investments to improve efficiency over the long term, and is financially secure with an annual revenue of $80 billion (£63.3 billion) and the potential for expansion.
On Thursday 13th February, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), launched it’s ‘Fight like hell’ campaign which unites US postal unions in the push for a fair contract, worker safety and a stop to privatisation, among other demands.
Speaking on Thursday a week after the campaign was launched NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said his union was ‘ready to stand against any efforts to privatise’ the Postal Service.
He added: ‘Any such ideas are severely misguided and directly attack letter carriers, the universal service we provide, and a safe and reliable USPS.
‘Our work connects our communities and is paid through revenue from stamps and services, not taxpayer dollars.
‘The Postal Service is older than our country and is established in the U.S. Constitution.
‘We’ll be in the fight against privatisation until every member of Congress co-sponsors (anti-privatisation resolution) House Resolution 70.’
Established in 1775, USPS is one of the country’s most trusted Federal institutions. It delivers nearly 376 million pieces of mail and packages to more than 168 million addresses at least six days a week.
It includes 640,000 workers and is the country’s largest employer of military veterans.
The USPS network also plays a crucial role in the function of private shippers, such as Amazon and FedEx, which partner USPS because it provides unique last-mile delivery to every business and residential customer in the country.
UNI Global general secretary, Christy Hoffman said: ‘We have seen the perils of privatising postal services in Europe, which have led to reduced services, increased prices, job losses, and cut off rural communities where it is unprofitable to deliver mail.
‘Instead of privatising USPS, Trump should be supporting the Postal Service to seize opportunities in e-commerce, expand services, particularly to marginalised and remote communities, and safeguard a precious, public-owned, communication network that is ultimately irreplaceable.’
Meanwhile, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made a statement on Thursday in which it said it will will sack roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the United States, beginning that day.
The sackings affect probationary employees with roughly one year or less of service at the agency and largely include workers in compliance departments.
Compliance work includes ensuring that taxpayers are abiding by the tax code, filing their returns and paying their taxes, among other duties.
The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who have not yet gained civil service protection.
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said that the sackings come despite IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season being told earlier this month that they would not be allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until mid-May, after the taxpayer filing deadline.
It’s unclear how the layoffs may affect tax collection services this year.
As the nation’s revenue collector, the IRS was tasked during the Biden administration with targeting high-wealth tax evaders for an additional stream of income to the US, which is $36 trillion (£28.5 trillion in debt.
By the end of 2024, the IRS collected over $1.3 billion (1.02 billion) in back taxes from rich tax dodgers.
The IRS has roughly 90,000 employees total across the United States, according to the latest IRS data.
People of colour make up 56 per cent of the IRS workforce, and women represent 65 per cent the NTEU said.
In addition to the planned layoffs, the Trump administration intends to lend IRS workers to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assist with immigration enforcement.
In a letter sent earlier this month, the DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, asked the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, to borrow IRS workers to help with ongoing immigration crackdown efforts.
- Over one thousand federal workers and their supporters gathered outside a Tesla showroom on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, California on Wednesday evening to push back against President Donald Trump and his administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The demonstrators – equipped with signs deriding Elon Musk and DOGE – included federal workers who have faced looming cuts and potential layoffs.
The protest was met with countless honks from cars passing on the busy street.
The protest came after weeks of actions by the administration to reduce the federal workforce by eliminating departments, agencies and laying off workers.
The Trump administration has faced numerous legal challenges on these actions and has been criticised for not complying with judge’s orders to restore funding and jobs.
Mark Smith, the president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local 1 branch said: ‘After years of outsourcing and privatisation we have had enough. Selling off public services to the private sector is something that all of us do not want to happen.’
Olga Miranda, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 87 branch said: ‘We’re preparing. We’re organising ourselves.
‘We’re also organising allies and understanding what is happening.
‘We are in the fight against all of these measures.’
