SPOKANE, Wash. – US Postal Service (USPS) workers demonstrated in downtown Spokane Tuesday. They demanded better staffing, a seat at the table with management and with the Postal Board of Governors.
Associated Postal Workers Union (APWU) strikes took place around the country after the USPS Board of Governors limited public comments at the group’s quarterly meetings to just once a year in 2023,
“This isn’t acceptable. We’re demanding that the Board of Governors bring back the public comment period at every quarterly meeting, ensuring that postal workers and the public have a say in how the Postal Service is run,” a demands list published by the APWU said.
One demonstrator in downtown held a sign saying “Tell the Board of Governors we won’t be silenced,” echoing the official demands of the APWU.
Union members argue that lacking a voice with leadership has led to poor staffing and puts undue strain on postal workers leading to worse service.
USPS spokesperson Kim Frum argued that the postal service was working on improving logistics to improve staffing levels and address employee concerns in a statement sent to NonStop Local KHQ.
“Through our Delivering for America investments, we have built capacity into our processing, logistics, and delivery infrastructure to meet customers’ evolving mail and package needs…We have converted more than 191,000 pre-career employees to career status since January 2021,” Frum said.
Similar APWU demonstrations took place across 90 cities at the same time, including Seattle, Portland and Boise, as the APWU argued that the Delivering for America framework was flawed due to
“While some elements of the Delivering for America plan are necessary for the postal service to modernize, it makes little sense to take mail being sent within the same city, county or Zip Code to locations sometimes hundreds of miles away by truck and then transported back.
As demonstrations came to a close Tuesday afternoon, APWU published a press release stating that the day was a success and said it would continue seeking an audience with USPS leadership.
