APWU President Jonathan Smith on USPS, Staffing and Vote-by-Mail

American Postal Workers Union President Jonathan Smith says the U.S. Postal Service remains one of the nation’s most critical public institutions and one of the last reliable pathways to stable, blue-collar, middle-class work.

In today’s President’s Day discussion on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Smith outlined why privatization pressures have not disappeared, how “pseudo-privatization” can siphon off profitable operations while weakening universal service and why staffing shortages and relaxed delivery standards can erode public trust. He also defended vote-by-mail as a proven, nonpartisan tool that expands participation, especially for rural communities, senior citizens, veterans and working families. Smith’s message to union members and the public was direct: protecting the Postal Service requires organizing, education and sustained solidarity.

• APWU says privatization would raise costs and weaken universal service, turning a public good into a profit-driven model.
• Staffing shortages and slower delivery standards can mask service decline, undermining the Constitution’s promise of prompt, efficient mail.
• Vote-by-mail is an American access issue, and APWU is pressing lawmakers, especially in rural districts, to protect it.

The U.S. Postal Service is older than the nation it serves, built to bind communities together through reliable, universal delivery. Yet for years, postal workers have operated under a familiar pressure: proposals to shrink, restructure or carve up a public institution that millions rely on for medicine, ballots, small business shipping and everyday communication.

On the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Jonathan Smith, the new President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), described the current moment as a test of whether the country will defend a public service model that delivers to every address, regardless of profitability.

APWU represents more than 200,000 U.S. Postal Service employees and approximately 1,500 private-sector mailing industry workers. Smith, who began his term in November, came to the role with a career rooted in the machinery and logistics of mail processing. He started in New Jersey at a bulk mail center, now known as a National Distribution Center, working as a mechanic on mail processing equipment.

Smith framed his union identity as generational. His grandfather, a second-generation postal worker, moved north from Macon, Ga., after laboring in tobacco fields, seeking stability and opportunity. In the Postal Service, he encountered workplace rights and benefits that were unfamiliar in his earlier life. That family history, Smith said, shaped his commitment to defending the institution and the jobs it provides.

APWU and USPS Privatization Risks

Privatization talk, Smith said, can be cyclical. It may quiet down for stretches, then return through policy proposals, restructuring plans or attempts to shift operations into private hands.

In his view, the central danger is not only a direct sale of the Postal Service. It is also what he described as a long-term effort to extract the most profitable functions while leaving the public with diminished service.

Smith argued that privatization would predictably raise costs for the public. When public services are converted into profit-driven models, he said, price increases and service reductions often follow. For the Postal Service, that could mean higher postage and reduced access for communities that are expensive to serve, including rural areas.

He also described earlier proposals to place the Postal Service under a different federal department as an indirect attempt to weaken collective bargaining agreements and destabilize union protections.

“Pseudo-Privatization” of Profitable Mail Operations

Smith discussed how privatization can advance without being labeled as such.

He pointed to efforts to privatize lucrative segments of postal operations, including certain hauling and logistics functions. He also described programs that can reroute mail processing by emphasizing pre-sorting, thereby shifting work away from earlier processing stages.

In union terms, the concern is structural. If profitable work is siphoned off, the remaining public operation can be portrayed as inefficient or financially strained. That narrative can then be used to justify further cuts.

For APWU, the fight is not only about preserving jobs. It is about preserving a service model that treats mail delivery as a public obligation rather than a market opportunity.

Vote-by-Mail, APWU and Equal Access to Democracy

Smith also discussed vote-by-mail, which he described as a practical, proven method that expands participation. He cited states that have implemented robust vote-by-mail systems and reported strong participation.

He framed the issue as nonpartisan and constitutional. Elections are administered by states, but federal policy debates can still influence access and public confidence. Smith said APWU’s position is straightforward: every eligible voter should have a safe, efficient way to participate.

For postal workers, vote-by-mail is also a service responsibility. Processing ballots is time-sensitive work that requires capacity, staffing and public trust.

Outreach to Congress and Rural USPS Dependence

Smith said APWU is engaging lawmakers directly, with particular attention to members of Congress who represent primarily rural districts.

Rural communities often depend on the Postal Service for basic access that private carriers may not provide at the same price or with the same consistency. The Postal Service supports seniors receiving medication, veterans relying on dependable delivery and small businesses competing with large corporations, Smith said.

APWU’s legislative outreach, he said, is designed to reinforce a simple message: the Postal Service is not antiquated. It remains essential infrastructure.

USPS Staffing Shortages and Service Delays

Smith described staffing as a constant operational battle.

He offered a scene many customers recognize: a post office with multiple service windows but only a few open, and lines stretching out the door. Smith’s point was that closed windows are not evidence of workers idling. They are evidence of insufficient staffing.

For APWU, staffing levels are not an internal management issue. They are a service issue. Understaffing can slow transactions, delay processing and weaken the public’s Postal Service experience.

Delivery Standards and “On-Time” Metrics

Smith also criticized changes to delivery standards that allow more time for delivery while presenting the outcome as improved performance.

If a delivery window is extended, a piece of mail can be recorded as “on time” under the new standard even if customers experience slower service. Smith argued that such changes can undermine public trust because they ask people to accept statistics that conflict with lived experience.

He emphasized that the Postal Service’s mission is not only to deliver mail, but to deliver it promptly and efficiently.

Veterans in the USPS Workforce and Middle-Class Jobs

Smith highlighted the Postal Service as a major employer of military veterans, estimating that roughly one-fifth to one-quarter of postal employees have served.

He also described the Postal Service as one of the last large-scale blue-collar pathways to middle-class stability, where workers can support families without necessarily needing a college degree.

That, he argued, is why attacks on the Postal Service are also attacks on the broader middle class.

The 1970 Postal Strike

Smith said the APWU communicates with its members well, but must deepen its educational efforts.

He argued that younger workers may not have lived through major social and labor struggles and may not automatically understand what earlier generations risked to win workplace rights.

Smith pointed to the 1970 postal strike as a defining moment in postal labor history, describing it as a high-risk action that helped secure the protections and standards workers rely on today.

His message was that movements survive through memory. If workers do not know how rights were won, they may not feel the urgency to defend them.

Young Members, and Building Solidarity

Smith called on younger APWU members to engage actively in the labor movement.

He framed participation as a responsibility, not a preference. In his view, solidarity is built through action, education and collective effort.

The Postal Service, he said, is a living example of a diverse workforce united by a single mission: serving the public.

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