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mark dimondstein
'The Privatizers Are Coming': DeJoy Is Gone, But US Postal Service Not Safe From Trump and Musk
President of the American Postal Workers Union says any effort by the Trump administration to seize control of the USPS Board of Governors "is unlawful and only makes clear their goal of breaking up and selling off the Postal Service to private corporations."
Mar 25, 2025
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy officially left office on Monday, but defenders of the U.S. Postal Service said the long-awaited departure of its reviled chief administrator does not mean the nation's public mail service is safe from the threat of privatization, which they warn remains the goal of President Donald Trump and right-wing allies like Elon Musk.
"Make no mistake," said American Postal Workers Union president Mark Dimondstein in a statement, "Louis DeJoy was forced out by a presidential administration that is intent on breaking up and selling off the public Postal Service. Reports from last month made clear that the White House has plans for a hostile takeover of the Postal Service."
As Common Dreams reported in February, President Donald Trump was accused of orchestrating an "outrageous, unlawful attack" on the USPS by plotting to terminate all the members of the Board of Governors and putting the agency under his direct control.
" Elon Musk is not about efficiency—he's about picking your pocket." —Mark Dimondstein, APWU President
Any such attack, Dimondstein said Monday, "is part of the ongoing oligarchs' coup against the vital public services our members and other public servants provide the country. We know that privatized postal services will lead to higher postage prices and lower service quality for the public. No matter who leads the USPS, it is—and must remain—the People's Postal Service."
With DeJoy's resignation, and until the Board appoints a replacement, Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino will now serve as the interim Postmaster General.
In comments Tuesday morning at the National Press Club, part of a roundtable discussion with postal worker union leaders, Dimondstein acknowledged the controversial legacy of DeJoy, but added, "say what you want, it turned out he was not a privatizer," as he reiterated his belief that DeJoy was forced out by Trump, at least in part, to make way for someone more aggressive in that direction.
"The privatizers are coming," Dimonstein warned. "They are coming for you and your constitutional right to postal services."
"This is really a struggle between Wall Street and Main Street," he continued. "That's the only way that we can understand why anyone would want to privatize. A few people would gain more wealth—a few quick dollars—but the real shareholders of the Postal Service, the people of the country, would lose out with higher prices, less service, and of course the workers with less wages, benefits, and rights, which, rather than build strong communities, weakens our communities."
Postal Union Leaders roundtable
In his statement Monday, Dimondstein said:
The law is clear: the Postal Service was created by Congress as an independent agency, designed to be free from shifting political winds and dedicated solely to serving the country. The law is also clear that the Board of Governors, and it alone, is empowered to hire and fire the Postmaster General. Any attempt by this Administration to seize power from the Board of Governors is unlawful and only makes clear their goal of breaking up and selling off the Postal Service to private corporations.
The APWU calls on the Board of Governors to stand its ground and take its responsibilities seriously. The Board should move as quickly as possible to hire as the next permanent Postmaster General, someone committed to the public service mission of the USPS, who respects the rights of hardworking postal workers, and who will not break up and sell off our public Postal Service.
As part of the organized efforts this week to defend the Postal Service, coordinated actions led by the APWU and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), which represents 295,00 active and retired postal workers, took place nationwide over recent days as unionized carriers and their allies demonstrated outside local post offices against plans to diminish services or moves toward privatization.
The union warns that the plan put in motion by DeJoy—who said he worked hand-in-hand with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to implement changes—would, in addition to massive job losses at the Postal Service:
- Abolish the Postal Regulatory Commission, leaving no independent regulatory authority on pricing and service;
- Raise shipping costs, driving inflation higher for businesses and consumers; and
- Sharply reduce service to rural America, including over 50 million addresses where private carriers often do not deliver.
Dimondstein, citing moves by a "salivating" Wells Fargo bank about the profit potential if parcel service was taken away from the public Postal Service, warned in his remarks on Tuesday, "Elon Musk is not about efficiency—he's about picking your pocket. Turn it over to private profit, laugh all the way to the bank, and the people of this country are left holding the bag."
NALC president Brian Renfroe said DeJoy's departure marks an opportunity for the Board to appoint a new leader—one who "must continue modernizing and investing in USPS' infrastructure while maintaining quality universal service funded by postage, not taxpayer dollars."
In addition, said Renfroe, the new Postmaster General "must fundamentally believe in the agency as a public service and be committed to guaranteeing the universal service Americans rely on," a clear knock against any privatization efforts.
"We're trying to alert the public, the people of the country, that our postal services are truly in danger," Dimondstein said at a rally in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. "This is not a one-off day; this is the beginning of an ongoing fight."
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'Outrageous, Unlawful Attack': Trump Plots Takeover of US Postal Service
"Any attack on the Postal Service would be part of the billionaire oligarch coup," said the president of the American Postal Workers Union.
Feb 21, 2025
President Donald Trump's reported plan to terminate every member of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and bring the independent and highly popular USPS under his administration's control drew immediate outrage from the world's largest postal union, which said the floated takeover would be illegal and destructive to public mail operations.
"Any attack on the Postal Service would be part of the billionaire oligarch coup, directed not just at the postal workers our union represents, but the millions of Americans who rely on the critical public service our members provide every single day," said Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), which represents hundreds of thousands of current and retired postal workers.
The union leader's statement came after The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump is preparing to "dissolve the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service and absorb the independent mail agency into his administration, potentially throwing the 250-year-old mail provider and trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions into turmoil."
"Trump is expected to issue an executive order as soon as this week to fire the members of the Postal Service's governing board and place the agency under the control of the Commerce Department and Secretary Howard Lutnick," the Post reported, citing unnamed sources.
Lutnick, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this week, is a billionaire with glaring conflicts of interest.
The Post noted that Trump has spoken publicly about the possibility of privatizing the USPS, which is currently led by Louis DeJoy. On Tuesday, DeJoy—who was initially nominated for the post by Trump and has worked to gut the Postal Service from within during his tenure—asked the USPS board to begin the process of finding his successor.
The new reporting prompted warnings that Trump, who lied relentlessly about mail-in voting in the run-up to and aftermath of the 2020 election, wants to disrupt ballot deliveries by bringing the USPS under his control.
"Trump's reported outrage that the Postal Service was able to successfully deliver Americans' mail-in ballots in 2020 is exceptionally alarming when considering the same man who helped incite an insurrection based on evidence-free election denialism now wants to be in control of millions of absentee ballots," said Tony Carrk, executive director of the watchdog group Accountable.US.
"President Trump wants to consolidate power further and control access to your mail, all while making his wealthy donors richer in the process," Carrk added. "All eyes should be on conservative senators who represent rural communities who will bear the brunt of postal privatization."
trump wants to be able to tell the USPS not to deliver ballots to blue states www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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— jamelle (@jamellebouie.net) February 20, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement Thursday that privatizing the USPS would be "an attack on Americans' access to critical information, benefits, and lifesaving medical care."
"It is clear that Trump and his cronies value lining their own pockets more than the lives and connection of the American public," said Connolly.
According to the Post, the USPS board was "planning to fight Trump's order" and held an "emergency meeting" Thursday at which the board "retained outside counsel and gave instructions to sue the White House if the president were to remove members of the board or attempt to alter the agency's independent status."
"Two of the group's GOP members—Derek Kan, a former Trump administration official, and Mike Duncan, a former chair of the Republican National Committee—were not in attendance," the Post reported.
Dimondstein voiced support for the postal board's plan to fight any Trump takeover attempt, saying the union backs all "efforts to defend our national treasure."
"If this reporting is true, it would be an outrageous, unlawful attack on a storied national treasure, enshrined in the Constitution and created by Congress to serve every American home and business equally," said Dimondstein. "The law created the postal board of Governors, and empowers it and it alone to hire and fire the postmaster general. Any effort by the administration to remove the board or fire postal executives is clearly illegal."
"The Postal Service is owned by the people, for the benefit of the people. Postal workers are dedicated to our mission to serve, no matter who sits in the White House or in Congress," the union leader added. "Postal workers and our unions will join with the public to fight for the vibrant, independent, and public Postal Service we all deserve."
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As DeJoy Quits, Critics Fear GOP-Led Postal Board Will 'Find Someone Worse'
"The fact that Louis DeJoy still has a job is a failure of the Biden administration," said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner.
Feb 18, 2025
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is asking the United States Postal Service Board of Governors to begin selecting his successor, signaling the approaching end of his controversial tenure and stoking fears that, influenced by President Donald Trump—who says he's considering privatizing the federal agency—the Republican-dominated board will choose an even more contentious replacement.
"While there remains much critical work to be done to ensure that the Postal Service can be financially viable as we continue to serve the nation in our essential public service mission, I have decided it is time to start the process of identifying my successor and of preparing the Postal Service for this change," DeJoy said in a statement Tuesday.
"After four-and-a-half years leading one of America's greatest public institutions through dramatic change during unusual times, it is time for me to start thinking about the next phase of my life, while also ensuring that the Postal Service is fully prepared for the future," he added.
In response, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors Chair Amber McReynolds said that DeJoy "has steadfastly served the nation and the Postal Service over the past five years" and hailed "his enduring leadership and his tireless efforts to modernize the Postal Service and reverse decades of neglect."
However, DeJoy's tenure has been marred by allegations of criminal election obstruction, conflicts of interest, and other corruption. Critics also decried Delivering for America, a 10-year austerity plan that opponents said put the USPS on a fast track toward slower service, job cuts, and, ultimately, privatization. The plan also contains the currently delayed consolidation of USPS facilities, a policy opposed by 200,000-member American Postal Workers Union (APWU).
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has notified the USPS Board of Governors that it's time for them to identify his successor. It remains to be seen if they find someone worse or privatize the USPS. I said it countless times in the hellscape, and I'll repeat it again here: DeJoy deserves deJail.
— The Shallow State ( @ourshallowstate.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
DeJoy—who had no previous USPS experience and came directly to the agency from the board of a privately owned competitor—was a major donor to Trump and the Republican National Committee before being installed as postmaster general in May 2020 by Trump-appointed members of the USPS Board of Governors.
While DeJoy detractors hoped that former President Joe Biden would fire the embattled postmaster general after winning the White House in 2020, he enjoyed a surprising second act during Biden's tenure. He embraced fleet electrification, although he was later accused of "dragging his feet" on the EV rollout and for his efforts to cut tens of thousands of jobs, consolidate operations, and hike customer prices. For example, the price of a first-class postage stamp was 55 cents when DeJoy entered office. Now it's 73 cents.
Trump's return has also brought back the specter of postal privatization. The Republican president has repeatedly said that his administration is considering privatization. During Trump's first term, his Office of Management and Budget recommended that the USPS—a constitutionally sanctioned agency with more than 600,000 employees—be privatized.
Pro-privatization GOP lawmakers have called on Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to find ways to stem USPS financial shortcomings, which approached $10 billion last fiscal year, largely due to mandated pension contributions it is forced to pay each year. But the USPS also raked in $79.5 billion in revenue last year, and pro-privatizers are keen for a piece of that action.
"DOGE is a question of billionaire oligarchs trying to figure out how to get more money into their private profits. So all of this stuff about efficiency is really a cover for that, and that also carries over to those who want to privatize the Post Office," APWU president Mark Dimondstein told Mother Jones' Alex Nguyen in an interview published in the magazine's March-April edition.
"The Post Office takes in about $80 billion a year in revenue," Dimondstein added. "Those on the private side of the industry want their hands on that money because when it's in the public domain, they can't use it to generate private profits."
Some observers questioned the timing of DeJoy's planned departure, while others fear he "will be replaced by someone somehow undoubtedly even worse," as one social media commentator put it.
DeJoy's successor will be chosen by a USPS Board of Governors made up of three Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent member.
Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers—which is locked in a contract battle with USPS management—said Tuesday that "in its search for the next USPS leader, NALC urges the Board of Governors to seek out an individual with the necessary experience and expertise to lead the agency at this critical time."
"We need someone who values the workforce and is committed to preserving and improving universal service," the union added. "The Postal Service is older than our country and is mandated in the Constitution. The next postmaster general must guarantee that letter carriers can continue safely performing their constitutionally mandated service in every community nationwide."
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UAW Becomes Largest US Union to Back Gaza Cease-Fire
"From opposing fascism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the Contra war, the UAW has consistently stood for justice across the globe," said United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain.
Dec 01, 2023
Fresh off historic contract victories, the United Auto Workers on Friday became the largest U.S. union to endorse a cease-fire in Gaza as Israel resumed its bombardment of the Palestinian territory following a weeklong pause.
"I am proud that the UAW International Union is calling for a cease-fire in Israel and Palestine," UAW president Shawn Fainwrote in a social media post on Friday. "From opposing fascism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the Contra war, the UAW has consistently stood for justice across the globe."
The union's cease-fire endorsement was made public by Brandon Mancilla, director of UAW Region 9A, in remarks outside the White House, labor activist Mindy Isser reported for In These Times.
"Mancilla was at a news conference where labor leaders and union members from across the country had journeyed to Washington, D.C. to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a broad, multiracial coalition of politicians, organizers, and activists who have been on a five-day hunger strike outside of the White House to demand a permanent cease-fire," Isser noted.
On social media, Mancilla announced that the UAW's International Executive Board "will also be forming a Divestment and Just Transition Working Group to study the history of Israel and Palestine, our union's economic ties to the conflict, and explore how we can have a just transition for U.S. workers from war to peace."
The UAW's cease-fire call makes the 400,000-member union part of a growing segment of the American labor movement that is pushing for a negotiated end to the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, where U.S.-backed Israeli bombing has killed more than 15,000 people in less than two months.
Dozens of unions have signed onto a petition launched by the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America, which demands the release of all hostages, an end to Israel's siege of Gaza, and a cease-fire that sets the stage for "negotiations for an enduring peace."
Despite growing labor support, the AFL-CIO—the largest federation of unions in the U.S.—has yet to back a cease-fire and has actively pushed back against its affiliates' efforts to build support for one.
During a meeting of the AFL-CIO's executive council in late October, just one union leader—Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU)—spoke up in support of a cease-fire, The New York Times reported at the time. Last month, the APWU called for "an immediate cease-fire, the release of hostages, and urgently needed humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza."
"The cries of humanity demand nothing less," the union said.
Dimondstein echoed that message at Friday's press conference outside the White House.
"As working people we stand with the oppressed and the innocent, thousands of whom have lost their lives over the last two months," he said. "We unite with unions and people of goodwill around the world in calls for justice and peace."
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American Postal Workers Union Becomes Largest US Union to Call for Gaza Cease-Fire
"We join the calls for an immediate cease-fire, the release of hostages, and urgently needed massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The cries of humanity demand nothing less."
Nov 09, 2023
The American Postal Workers Union on Wednesday became the largest U.S. union to call for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, joining a growing labor movement mobilization against Israel's assault on the Palestinian enclave.
Leaders of the APWU, which represents more than 200,000 U.S. Postal Service employees and close to 2,000 mail workers in the private sector, said in a
statement that their union is "shocked and saddened by the tragic and ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine."
"As a union that stands for equality, social justice, human and labor rights, and international solidarity, we unite with unions and people of goodwill around the world in calls for justice and peace," the APWU said. "We unreservedly condemn the Hamas violence of October 7, which killed over 1,000 Israeli civilians and saw the kidnapping of more than 200 people."
"However, Israel's response has made the prospects for peace more remote," the union added. "Over 10,000 innocent civilians, including 4,000 children, have been killed by the relentless and indiscriminate bombing campaign on Gaza. Israel has shut off the flow of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip, a war crime. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding every day in Gaza. Thousands more innocent civilians stand to die wholly preventable deaths."
To put an end to the bloodshed and begin confronting Gaza's appalling humanitarian crisis, APWU called on the Biden administration to "use all its power" as Israel's "primary foreign benefactor" to "help bring about peace in the region, and not use our tax dollars for more war."
"We join the calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and urgently needed massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The cries of humanity demand nothing less," concludes the union's statement, which was signed by APWU president, Mark Dimondstein, executive vice president Debby Szeredy, and secretary-treasurer Elizabeth Powell.
The APWU is one of more than a dozen U.S. labor unions that have called for a cease-fire in Gaza as the leadership of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest union federation, remains silent on the issue—and works to suppress member organizations that are speaking out.
Labor Notes reported last week that after the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council in Olympia, Washington unanimously approved a resolution urging its parent federation to "publicly support an immediate cease-fire and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis," the national AFL-CIO told council officers that the measure "goes beyond the position that the AFL-CIO has taken" and asked if they intended to "retract the resolution."
"By the end of the week, the council president yielded to the push from the national office, and posts about the resolution were taken down," according to Labor Notes.
During a meeting of the AFL-CIO executive committee last month, Dimondstein—a self-described "anti-Zionist Jew"—called for the AFL-CIO to demand a cease-fire in Gaza, The New York Times reported.
"No other labor leader in the meeting offered vocal support for his position," the Times added.
According to labor historian Jeff Schuhrke, the APWU is the first national union affiliated with the AFL-CIO to publicly endorse a cease-fire in Gaza.
On October 20, the independent United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America issued what it described as a "labor call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine" and urged "all union members" to sign on.
"We, members of the American labor movement, mourn the loss of life in Israel and Palestine," reads the petition, which has been signed by 14 unions so far. "We express our solidarity with all workers and our common desire for peace in Palestine and Israel, and we call on President Joe Biden and Congress to push for an immediate cease-fire and end to the siege of Gaza. We cannot bomb our way to peace. We also condemn any hate crimes against Muslims, Jews, or anyone else."
Intensifying labor demands for a cease-fire come as the Biden administration continues to respond dismissively to the proposal, which has been backed by more than 20 members of Congress, the head of the United Nations, and major human rights groups.
Speaking to members of the press on Thursday, Biden said there is currently "no possibility" of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government, led by far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has taken the same stance against a cease-fire. The Guardian reported Thursday that Netanyahu "rejected a deal for a five-day ceasefire with Palestinian militant groups in Gaza in return for the release of some of the hostages held in the territory."
The White House said Thursday that Israel has agreed to implement four-hour daily "humanitarian pauses" in parts of northern Gaza and open a new corridor for Gazans to flee the area. Israeli forces have been accused of
bombing such "safe passage" routes and firing on Gazans attempting to move through them.
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