‘Services would be cut': Postal workers in Philly, around region rally against agency changes

Postal workers around the country and right here in the greater Philadelphia region rallied this weekend to speak out against proposed changes to the U.S. Postal Service that would change the historic agency.

Wearing “fight like hell” T-shirts and holding signs saying “keep the post office public” and “U.S. Mail Not for Sale,” postal workers rallied in Northeast Philadelphia’s Torresdale neighborhood Sunday, March 23, 2025.

It was just one of several such day of action rallies around the region — including ones in Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley, Collingswood, in South Jersey, and Newark, Delaware – staged by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

The demonstrations are in response to Republican President Donald Trump’s comments about putting the Postal Service under Commerce Department control.

The president argues that would help the agency run more efficiently.

The letter carriers’ union worries about the loss of jobs and also how changes to the USPS would impact small businesses and residents – everywhere.

“A lot of services would be cut, particularly in rural areas,” Eric Jackson, of NALC Branch 75, said. “We have a thing called universal delivery, so we’re required to deliver to every address across the country. If this is dismantled, then that wouldn’t be guaranteed.”

So far, the Trump administration has not made any definitive actions about the future of the postal service. Any changes to the USPS would require an act of Congress to go into action.

For now, the agency – which was started in Philadelphia by the first Postmaster General Ben Franklin – continues to operate independently.