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The National Association of Letter Carriers organized a day of action on Sunday, gathering supporters on Chicago’s South Side to voice their concerns.
Union representatives are advocating for a fair contract as they prepare to begin negotiations with the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C., starting this Wednesday.
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Chicago’s letter carriers joined their colleagues nationwide in participating in this National Day of Action.
“We overwhelmingly rejected our last contract,” stated Elise Foster, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “Although we said no, the arbitrator decided we had to accept it, which was unfair. We do not want a repeat of what occurred in our previous contract negotiations.”
Sunday morning saw letter carriers, alongside elected officials, gathering at the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11 in Bronzeville for a rally in anticipation of the upcoming negotiations.
“This battles isn’t about fairness and dignity alone. It is about fighting for working families,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. “You deliver people their social security checks, prescriptions to those who can’t get to the pharmacy, ballots to the voters, letters to loved one. You keep our nation and people connected. We can’t survive without you.”
“COVID, we learned a lesson that there are a few people in tough, tough times that we can count on day in and day out and one of those persons is your letter carrier,” Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said.
Union leaders say they are demanding higher pay and better working conditions. This also comes as the Trump administration has suggested privatizing USPS.
“With my 32 years in the Postal Service it has always been talks about it, but that’s something we don’t want,” Foster said. “This is a service for the American people. It is in the Constitution, and we want to keep it that way.”
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