COMMUNITY

Salem postal workers rally against funding cuts, service delays

Letter carrier Valerie Castillo, right, joins a small group holds up signs during a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Longtime letter carriers, union workers and concerned citizens gathered outside Salem’s Pringle Park Plaza Post Office Tuesday urging the federal government to provide relief funding for the U.S. Postal Service and end mail slowdowns.

The rally was part of a national campaign organized by postal worker unions, including the National Association of Letter Carriers, amid a federal cost-cutting effort that has delayed mail nationwide.

Many Democrats have described the cuts as an effort to hobble the mail system ahead of the November election, when record numbers of voters are expected to cast ballots by mail because of the pandemic. Trump administration officials, meantime, say the cuts are a response to declining mail volume, though the president has also said he’s opposed to more funding because it will allow for an expansion of mail-in ballots. 

“We’re here to defend an institution we all grew up with,” said Bob Rossi, secretary of the Marion Polk Yamhill Central Labor Chapter of the AFL-CIO, which organized Tuesday’s event. Postal workers unions are part of the AFL-CIO, the largest organized labor group in the U.S.

Rossi said the Pringle post office is where he’s received mail for years, and he’s seen staffing cut steadily. 

“It’s down to one person. The lines are long,” he said. 

Local letter carriers said they’re concerned about funding reductions, which they traced back to a 2006 law requiring the Postal Service to prefund future retiree health benefits decades out. 

“That eats away at what profits we do have,” said Curt Scott, a letter carrier in northeast Salem.

The postal service has also seen a decline in mail volume during the pandemic and didn’t receive relief money in a March economic stimulus bill.

Scott and Valerie Castillo, president of Branch 347 of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said they’ve seen funds for new vehicles and maintenance slashed, with more break-downs locally.

Salem’s mail is processed in Portland, leaving rank-and-file letter carriers and postal workers largely in the dark about systemic changes.

As the issue has heated up, Salem letter carriers said they’ve received support and encouragement from regular customers.

“Our customers are supporting us, thanking us for our service,” Castillo said.

KC Cunningham and Paul Krissel attend a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Josh Kidd, of Salem, holds up a sign along Liberty Street Southeast during a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Bob Rossi, left, and Alex Buron, hold up signs in support of the USPS during a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Josh Kidd, of Salem, holds up a sign along Liberty Street Southeast during a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Letter carrier Curt Scott holds up a sign during a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

SUPPORT ESSENTIAL REPORTING FOR SALEM – A subscription starts at $5 a month for around-the-clock access to stories and email alerts sent directly to you. Your support matters. Go HERE. 

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.