Union endorsements are much sought-after during presidential election seasons, and which ones they receive can often say a lot about their platforms and policies. When a union chooses to criticize the major party candidate they’ve declined to endorse, it can say a lot about that candidate’s policies, as well.
US postal workers union endorses Biden for president #USPS https://t.co/RJmdLX7SOR
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 14, 2020
Donald Trump’s recent attempts to thwart mail-in ballots through concentrated efforts to attack the U.S. Postal Service have resulted in the appointment of a postmaster general with financial ties to competitors, the removal of mail sorting machines, and edicts to postal workers to leave undelivered mail behind in situations where they normally would not do so. As a result, the U.S. Postal Service Union endorsed Joe Biden on Friday.
AP News reports that:
‘The National Association of Letter Carriers, which represents 300,000 current and retired workers, said Thursday that Trump has long been hostile to the Post Office. His administration has called for an end to collective bargaining rights, proposed service cuts and has eyed the possibility of privatizing the functions of the agency.
‘But those actions have escalated since the start of the pandemic, with the administration taking “steps outside of the public eye to undermine the Postal Service and letter carriers,” said union President Fredric Rolando.’
POSTAL WORKERS UNION ENDORSES BIDEN!! Warns 'survival' of USPS at stake
https://t.co/9R3R43ZIQy— 🖕🏻Aunt Crabby calls Bullshit 🖕🏻 (@DearAuntCrabby) August 14, 2020
The union also explained their support of Biden, saying that their survival depended on his defeating Donald Trump. Union officials told the Associated Press that Biden is an “ally.”
‘Biden, on the other hand, “is – was – and will continue to be – a fierce ally and defender of the United States Postal Service,” Rolando said in a statement announcing the endorsement of the former vice president and his running mate, Kamala Harris.’
We have to see the blatant attacks on our Postal Service from Donald Trump and Louis DeJoy for what they are: An attempt to silence the people and undermine our democracy. https://t.co/6zMGXJRKQX
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 14, 2020
The union also did not fail to note the postmaster general’s conflicts of interest and efforts to “kneecap” the postal system, as President Obama referred to them. The Trump administration’s naked power grab will not go unnoticed by voters in November, either.
‘The agency’s new leader, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO and a major donor to Trump and other Republicans, has pushed cost-cutting measures to eliminate overtime pay and hold mail until the next day if postal distribution centers are running late.
‘And recently there have been substantial mail delivery delays.’
I don’t say this lightly: when we escape this Trump hell, America needs a Presidential Crimes Commission. It should be made up of independent prosecutors who look at those who enabled a corrupt president. Example 1: Sabotaging the mail to win an election. #SaveThePostOffice
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 14, 2020
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
