Louisiana postal workers rally against privatization, job cuts

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Letter carriers across the nation are taking a stand against what they say are efforts to dismantle and privatize the U.S. Postal Service.

On Sunday, local mail carriers gathered at the corner of Bluebonnet Boulevard and Perkins Road for what they called an “emergency rally” to defend what they consider an essential public institution.

Chants of solidarity filled the air as members of the National Association of Letter Carriers raised concerns about proposed changes to the Postal Service.

Troy Scott, president of the Louisiana State Association of Letter Carriers, said the USPS faces mounting threats to its independence.

“Right now, we’re facing the threat of privatization by the DOGE, the government and efficiency agency,” Scott said. “We’re also facing the fact that we’re an independent agency and we’d like to remain an independent agency .”

Letter carriers argue that the proposed changes could lead to job losses, diminished mail services, and increased shipping costs for both businesses and customers.

“From Miami to Seattle, it’s the same price,” Scott said. “If it was on a business model, it would be about profit. People are waiting on checks, people are waiting on medicines, people are waiting on packages they ordered. Everyone likes to receive something in the mail.”

For nearly 250 years, the U.S. Postal Service has been a critical part of American life, ensuring reliable delivery to every address in the country. Corey Champagne, a letter carrier for 18 years, said the proposed changes would disproportionately affect the most vulnerable.

“Every proposal we’ve seen is about cutting services,” Champagne said. “That affects our customers, the elderly, and rural areas—and Louisiana has an abundance of all those things.”

Mail carriers at the rally emphasized that their jobs are more than delivering mail.

“It’s more than putting mail in a mailbox,” said Summer Hunter, a mail carrier of four years. “Like we connect with these people every day you know we talk with them and yeah I just love going out there and putting a smile on their faces.”

The rally’s goal was to encourage the public to contact their lawmakers and take action to protect the USPS.

As the fight over the future of the USPS continues, mail carriers said they remain committed to protecting the institution that has served Americans for centuries.

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