Privatize USPS? Mail carriers are fighting for a better idea

Privatize USPS? Mail carriers are fighting for a better idea

Author: Working People March 24, 2025 Duration: 53:09

This week, we're taking a more national focus, and checking in with the National Association of Letter Carriers, who have been embroiled in a years-long contract negotiation with the US Postal Service.

 

In our episode today, I'm sitting down with Melissa Rakestraw, member of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 825 in Chicago, IL, to discuss the state of negotiations with our nation's letter carriers, the unprecedented rejection of the recent Tentative Agreement and what happens next, and what would happen if the US Postal Service was privatized.

 

As a short editorial note before we begin, the interest arbitration process between USPS and the Letter Carriers began on March 17th, with Dennis R. Nolan set as the neutral arbitrator. This episode was recorded at the end of February, before those dates had been set.

 

Postal workers are also set to hit the streets this weekend–"Fight Like Hell!" rallies are scheduled for March 23 across the country to protest the proposed privatization of the US Postal Service.

 

Additional links/info:

 

Permanent links below…

 

Featured Music…

  • Jules Taylor, "Working People" Theme Song

 

Studio Production: Mel Buer
Post-Production: Jules Taylor

 


There’s a conversation happening about the economy, politics, and culture, but too often the actual voices of the people who keep everything running are absent. Working People changes that. This is a place where the lived experience of the working class in modern America takes center stage. Produced in partnership with In These Times magazine and The Real News Network, each episode is built around a candid interview with someone from the vast and varied landscape of the American workforce. You’ll hear from teachers, factory workers, service industry employees, caregivers, and many others, each sharing the unvarnished details of their daily reality. Conversations naturally unfold to cover not just the specifics of their jobs, but the broader context of their lives-their personal histories, their political views, the dynamics within their families, and the unique blend of satisfaction and struggle that defines their world. The Working People podcast doesn’t offer abstract analysis; it provides a direct, human connection to the stories that collectively shape our society. It’s about understanding the hopes, the frustrations, and the resilience that are woven into the fabric of working-class life today. By listening, you get a genuine portrait of the people whose labor is so often discussed, yet whose own narratives are so rarely heard in such depth.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Working People
Podcast Episodes
Baltimore security guards strike for respect, healthcare, and a union [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:01
Nearly a year after workers voted to authorize a strike, non-union city and commercially contracted security officers in Baltimore, MD, will walk off the job on April 9 in an Unfair Labor Practice strike against their em…
Immigrant workers launch largest US meatpacking strike in 40 years [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:49
3,800 workers and Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 members at the massive JBS beef processing plant in Greeley, CO walked off the job on an unfair labor practice strike on March 16. This is the first strike eve…
"ICE got me": The urgent fight to free Ludovic Mbock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:41
38-year-old regional video gaming champion Ludovic Mbock, who came to the US legally from Cameroon, was snatched by ICE while applying for his yearly work permit—as he's done for 20 years. He has since been detained for…