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Metro Detroit mail carriers ‘fight like hell’ as Trump targets USPS
With no contract and Trump’s possible overreach, Postal Service workers are worried about their future
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It’s a rough time for U.S. Postal Service workers.
Tens of thousands of members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) soundly rejected a contract in late January, marking the first time since 1978 that members turned down a proposed agreement. The last contract expired in May 2023.
Making matters worse, President Donald Trump is moving to seize control of USPS by dismantling its leadership and folding the independent agency into his administration, a move that could disrupt the 250-year-old institution and fundamentally change how mail is delivered in the U.S. Trump is preparing to remove the Postal Service’s governing board and move the agency under the Commerce Department’s oversight.
Local mail carriers and union officials are worried Trump is pushing to privatize the Postal Service, an idea he has floated before.
With no contract and Trump’s possible overreach, morale is low, mail carriers are leaving or getting second jobs, and rural and lower-income communities stand to lose the most, according to local mail carriers and union officials.
Democrats in Congress are fighting back, saying Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally privatize the Postal Service.
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Gary Peters has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015.
“If President Trump moves forward with this action to take over and privatize the Postal Service — not only will it be completely illegal — it will harm veterans, small business owners, rural communities, and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for timely and reliable mail delivery,” Sen. Gary Peters said in a statement Friday. “President Trump is clearly only interested in boosting private companies and leaving Americans without the critical lifeline the Postal Service provides. I call on the President to take the needs of everyday Americans seriously and reverse course.”
Mail carriers aren’t going down without a fight. Local USPS unions have been rallying to call attention to the lack of a contract, which included a general wage increase of 1.3%. Among the key issues for union members are uniform allowances, mail carrier safety, and better wages. Members of NALC Branch 4374, which represents postal workers in southern Macomb County, pledged during a recent rally to “fight like hell” for a better contract.
Eric Kiska, a mail carrier in Sterling Heights and member of NALC Branch 4374, says workers are frustrated after waiting more than 500 days to reach a tentative agreement, only to receive a deal that fell far short of expectations.
“It kind of woke up the national union,” Kiska tells Metro Times. “They realized the carriers are upset and they need to ask for more. So they changed their tune.”
One of the biggest concerns is pay. Under the rejected contract, Kiska said new career employees hired after 2013 would earn significantly less than those hired before then, with salaries starting at $46,000 instead of $62,000.
Many mail carriers have been forced to take on second jobs to make ends meet, particularly city carrier assistants (CCAs), who make even less than full-time employees. In 2013, the Postal Service hired CCAs as part of a cost-cutting measure, and they receive far less than regular employees. Within two years of employment, nearly half of all CCAs quit.
“There are a lot of carriers who have to do side hustles just to make ends meet,” Kiska says. “And so many more people are working overtime now because they need to make more money. That leads to a lot of stress. When you work a lot of hours, that affects the quality of service.”
USPS also faces increasing safety concerns. In Detroit, for example, mail carriers have been attacked by thieves and dogs. In July, a masked gunman held a mail carrier in Detroit at gunpoint. Oftentimes thieves are stealing arrow keys, which provide access to collection boxes and apartment buildings.
While contract negotiations remain stalled, mail carriers are also bracing for what Trump’s next move could mean for USPS. Union members fear privatizing the Postal Service could lead to reduced mail service, especially in rural communities.
“If they privatized us, they would probably cut services in rural towns,” Kiska says. “For rural people, that would be a huge disaster, especially for elderly people who get their prescription drugs in the mail.”
Adding to the uncertainty, Postmaster Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday that he plans to resign. That, combined with four vacancies on the nine-member governing board, has left many workers wondering what’s next.
“There’s so much uncertainty about what’s going to happen,” Kiska says. “We’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
Despite the challenges, he and other carriers say they’re committed to pushing for higher wages, better worker conditions, and stronger job protections.
“We deserve more,” Kiska says. “We deliver in rain, sleet, and snow, and we never got hazard pay during COVID. We’re still getting 2019 wages. Enough is enough.”
In a statement, NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said he’s committed to getting a good contract for Postal Service workers.
“We will negotiate in good faith with the Postal Service at the bargaining table during the limited timeframe set forth in the NALC Constitution,” Renfroe said. “We call on the Postal Service to do the same. As I made clear since the very beginning of this process, NALC is well prepared to fight like hell for a better contract in interest arbitration, and that is exactly what we will do if the Postal Service is unwilling to reach agreement on terms that fairly compensate and reward our members.”
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