I grew up in rural Oklahoma. During my early years no telephone lines existed outside of towns and cities. This fact contributed to the important role the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) played in my family’s lives in various ways. My mom kept in touch with her sisters in California, my granny, who lived with us, received her social security checks, my dad, who loved to read, received his newspaper and magazines, all by mail. We even received the Sears Roebuck catalog by mail! Of course, family business was often conducted in the same way.
U.S. Postal Service History:
- The USPS was created in 1775 and Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General.
- The Constitution, which was ratified in 1788, included a provision in Article 1, Section 8, whereby “The Congress shall have power…to establish Post Offices and post Roads…..”
Now the U.S. Postal Service is under attack!
The President openly stated in an August 13, 2020 Fox News interview that withholding the additional $25 billion USPS funding request Democrats included in the ongoing COVID-19 stimulus negotiations will slow the on-time delivery of millions of mail-in ballots in the November 3 election!
The U.S. Postal Service:
- Is favorably viewed by 91% of Americans (Pew Research Center)
- Handles 48% of the world’s mail
- Carried 142 billion pieces of mail in 2019
- Serviced 160 million delivery points in 2019
- Receives $0.0 in taxes
Democrats just passed a stand-alone $25 billion emergency relief bill for the USPS in an emergency session on August 22, 2020. In April, 2020, under the leadership of Megan Brennan, the Postal Service Board of Governors had also requested $25 billion in emergency relief to compensate for pandemic related revenue losses. Shortly thereafter, in May, 2020, Brennan was replaced by Louis DeJoy, a major Trump contributor.
Under DeJoy’s leadership we’ve witnessed sorting machines worth millions destroyed, drop boxes removed, employee overtime hours cut, and mail and package deliveries delayed across the country.
But, has Tulsa been impacted by these adverse actions?
Yes, according to Jeff Bradley, president of the Tulsa Area American Postal Workers Union. Bradley states that Tulsa is one of the cities where sorting machines have been removed and this, combined with cut backs such as the reduction or elimination of overtime pay, has resulted in delivery delays.
What to Do? Join the UU the Vote team!
UU the Vote | Join the movement with All Souls!
Tuesdays – September 1, 15, 29 October 13 & 274pm – 5:30pm | Register: bit.ly/asucvote901
All Souls UU the Vote is a nonpartisan team taking action to ensure that our democracy reflects our UU values of justice, equity, and compassion. Current projects include spreading understanding of Oklahoma’s voting process in 2020 and phone banking / texting / sending post cards to voters traditionally targeted by voter suppression efforts nationwide. New faces are always welcome. Bring your passion and your righteous anger and we’ll help you find a meaningful way to focus it!
Can we do anything to counter these attacks on the Postal Service?
Yes! We can create ‘good trouble’ and make our voices heard! Our All Souls UU the Vote team is focused on this issue and asks you to contact our elected officials and the USPS Board of Governors and demand the following be reinstated to their April 2020 levels:
- Drop boxes returned or replaced
- Sorting machines returned or replaced
- Overtime reinstated
Contact Information for Elected Officials:
- Senator James Lankford, who said on NPR that he hadn’t heard many complaints of mail delays. 405-231-4941 (OKC), 918-581-7651 (Tulsa), 202-224-5754 (Washington, DC).
- Senator Jim Inhofe, 918-748-5111 (Tulsa), 405-608-4381 (OKC), 202-224-4721 (Washington, DC)
- President Trump, 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414
- Representative Kevin Hern, 918-935-3222 (Tulsa), 202-225-2211 (Washington, DC)
Contact Information for Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service:
Demand the reinstatement of items stipulated above, but also the firing of Louis DeJoy for his attacks on a central instrument of our democracy. Also include a reminder that it’s a federal crime to “….knowingly and willfully obstruct or retard the passage of the mail, or any carrier or conveyance carrying the mail……”
- Robert M Duncan, Chair, mduncan@inezdepositbank.com, 606-298-3511
- Roman Martinez, roman@rmiv.com, 212-634-1190, 917-892-4008
- John Barger, barger.jm@gmail.com, 626-460-6321, 213-629-8356
- Donald Moak, lee.moak@moakgroup.com, 202-838-3800
- Ron Bloom, ron.bloom@brookfield.com, 212-417-7000, 212-978-1707
- William Zollars, DirectorAccessMailbox@cigna.com, 913-696-6100, 415-394-9000
Make some ‘good trouble’ and engage in the All Souls UU the VOTE team!
UU the Vote | Join the movement with All Souls!
Tuesdays – September 1, 15, 29 October 13 & 27
4pm – 5:30pm | Register: bit.ly/asucvote901
All Souls UU the Vote is a nonpartisan team taking action to ensure that our democracy reflects our UU values of justice, equity, and compassion. Current projects include spreading understanding of Oklahoma’s voting process in 2020 and phone banking / texting / sending post cards to voters traditionally targeted by voter suppression efforts nationwide. New faces are always welcome. Bring your passion and your righteous anger and we’ll help you find a meaningful way to focus it!
Sue Williams is a member of All Souls and serves the UU the Vote team and as the Co-chair of All Souls ACTION core team. Read more about ACTION and UU the Vote initiatives at beyondbelief.online. All Souls is a proud faith-partner of ACTION Tulsa.
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