STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTO BY GERRY MORRISON
A rally to save the U.S. Post Office will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, outside the Ketchum Post Office at 151 4th St. W.
The U.S. Mail Not for Sale is a worker-led campaign sponsored by the American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers. The campaign brings together labor unions, elected officials and member organizations of A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service.
The event is one of thousands that will take place nationally. The goal is to preserve affordable mail service for all. It’s demanding that elected officials and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stop the mail slowdown policies introduced by DeJoy and provide immediate financial support for the Postal Service.
The White House has proposed to sell the Postal Service as outlined in the Office of Management and Budget’s “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century,” organizers say. If implemented, the White House plan would end regular mail and package services at one affordable price for everyone regardless of where they live.
Eliminating the obligation to deliver daily to all 159 million addresses across the United States would be a dagger aimed at the heart of America, especially rural communities and the elderly who depend on the mail for prescriptions, say organizers. It would also disrupt e-commerce.
The slowdown implemented by DeJoy already has killed thousands of baby chicks being mailed to farmers across the nation, slowed the payment of bills and delayed timely delivery of prescription drugs.
Those planning to attend are invited to make signs thanking postal workers, messaging Congress, or touting how important the Postal Service is to voting, prescription drugs and more.
About 50 people turned out in a rally spurred on by moveon.org on Saturday at the Ketchum Post Office. Another 22 showed up at the Hailey Post Office, despite short notice. They were among hundreds that took place across the nation.