The U.S. Postal Service employs more than 600,000 workers. It lost roughly $9.5 billion last year.
President Donald Trump said he’s considering an executive branch takeover, merging the now-independent agency with the Commerce Department to reduce its financial losses.
"I think it'll operate a lot better than it has been over the years. It's been just a tremendous loser for this country."
Michael Long is President of the Western Michigan Area Local of the American Postal Workers Union.
He argues the USPS is not a business, it’s a service.
“Whether you are in a rural community, if you are in an urban community, if you are serving overseas, it does not matter if this is a service to every single every single American citizen and that service should remain”
Long also points out:
“We are not funded by the American taxes. We are funded strictly by the sale of stamps, by the sale of the products and stuff within our post office so there is no money coming out of the taxpayer pocket.”
Postal workers worry job cuts would affect some of the most vulnerable Americans.
“The United States postal services one is the largest employer of veterans in the nation and not only that it's also in some areas is the only tax base for the employees that work there.”
Legal experts say executive orders cannot override existing laws, so an attempt to place the Postal Service under another agency would likely be challenged in federal court.
