EAGAN, Minn. — Postal workers around the country, including Minnesota, rallied Tuesday for more support from the United States Postal Service. The rallies were a part of what they're calling a "Day of Action" which spanned across 90 cities in the United States.
"I think most customers like me have noticed a delay in their mail. I heard from a customer last week that gets their mail every 2-3 days," St. Paul union chapter president, Dave Cook said.
Cook and dozens of other American Postal Workers Union members picketed outside of the Eagan postal service for over two hours. The union is calling for service standard changes to help improve delivery times, and better protect workers from harassment.
"The pandemic showed how important the postal service really is. We help bind America together," Cook said.
The USPS spokesperson for Minnesota says they respect employees' rights to express their opinions and participate in informational picketing while off the clock.
Cook and other union members expressed frustration with USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's "Delivering for America" plan. Through a combination of cost and revenue improvement strategies and regulatory and legislative actions, USPS says the plan can avoid $160 billion in projected losses by 2030.
Cook says the plan has cut staffing at postal offices which has led to delays in delivery times.
With the presidential election a month away, Cook is confident in their service for mail-in ballots.
"I can tell you the postal service and the union have taken steps to ensure your election mail is on time," Cook said.
He hopes that level of care and excellence can be upheld for the entire year.
As does the Minnesota delegation in Washington D.C., where it's become a bipartisan effort among the group. Both Republicans and Democrats have had sharp criticism of USPS over the years. Some legislators requested a full audit of USPS this fall, demanding answers to allegations of "ongoing poor delivery" and "poor worker treatment."
"The American people deserve better. They deserve their postal service back," Cook said.