Salem-area postal workers rally in Keizer in fear of job cuts, privatization

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About 80 postal workers and supporters participated Sunday in a roadside rally near the Keizer post office against President Donald Trump’s threats of job cuts and privatization. 

It was one of hundreds of USPS protests nationwide after Trump called for the agency to be integrated into the U.S. Department of Commerce — which would need congressional approval —  in an attempt to shrink and restructure the federal government. 

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy also announced earlier this month that he is considering cutting 10,000 jobs and billions of dollars from the USPS budget in coordination with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The National Association of Letter Carriers, a union which represents over 200,000 postal workers nationwide, organized the rally. Members handed out promotional material that read, “Any effort to privatize or restructure USPS is a direct threat to the universal service every American relies on (and) millions of households and businesses, especially in rural America.”

Most participants raised signs and chanted on Northeast Lockhaven Drive as some cars honked in support. Small groups were also scattered around the intersection of Northeast Lockhaven Drive and North River Road. The rally started at noon and ended around 1:30 p.m.

Wayne White II, who has been working for over 8 years as a postal courier, participated to protest “the wanton destruction within the federal government” and the “unconstitutional actions” of Trump and Musk. 

“I love my job, it’s a service I do to my community,” White said. He fears thousands of his “brothers and sisters” at USPS could lose their jobs in the near future and residents of Salem and Keizer might experience delays and insufficient service as a consequence.

The postal service is the largest federal employer in the Salem area by far, with nearly 300 jobs as of 2023, according to Pat O’Connor,  regional labor economist for the Oregon Employment Department. He said Salem has about 457 federal jobs.

“We’re here letting people know that we support the post office, we’re ingrained in the Constitution and we want to keep it that way,” said Daniel Wheeler, a postal worker and union representative, referring to the U.S. Constitution’s Postal Clause that gives Congress the power over post offices. 

“It’s scary not knowing what’s happening day to day. It seems our jobs are up in the air, we worry about our livelihoods,” Wheeler said. He is also starting to witness “a slowdown” in delivery services, he said. 

Maria Ramirez, another union representative who participated at the rally, said she opposes the privatization of USPS and wants to “make sure all of our (union) members are protected.” She has witnessed the attitudes of her fellow postal workers “change dramatically” since the start of the Trump administration due to a fear of layoffs, but said that service has not been significantly impacted yet. 

The privatization of USPS would be costly and especially impact low-income and rural populations, said Ronnie Walker, a branch secretary at the letter carriers union. She has not witnessed significant changes in her job but said many postal workers are experiencing stress and uncertainty.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen. They say ‘wait and see’ but you wait and see and then it’s too late,” Walker said.

Contact reporter Alan Cohen: [email protected].

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