Bay Area USPS workers join nationwide rally against Trump administration's plans for privatization

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Thousands of postal workers in the Bay Area and around the country rallied this weekend against President Donald Trump's proposal to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.

Outside of post offices, they chanted: "If the U.S. Postal Service is under attack, what do you do? Fight back."

Many employees are worried about the possibility of substantial job losses and big delays.

"We're fighting for our medication arriving in the mailbox," said one demonstrator. "We are fighting for invoices and bills getting paid on time."

In San Jose Sunday morning, employees demonstrated in front of the post office downtown.

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"U.S. mail, not for sale. U.S. mail, not for sale," chanted demonstrators.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren was on hand to support the postal workers.

"They say they will cut 10,000 workers in the U.S. Postal Service. We can't allow that to happen," said Lofgren. "So Democrats in the House have organized task forces for litigation--I'm on that group--so, that we can win the lawsuits and stop these actions."

At the Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco, there was another big turnout of postal employees.

Bradford Louis is with National the National Association of Letter Carriers. He explained what's at stake.

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"Rates and costs would go up, people who can't afford it would no longer have access to it," said Louis. "People who depend on it in a reasonable manner to get their medications, their checks, a lot of their communications, are not coming from the postal service."

Former postal employees say they are the eyes and ears of the neighborhood.

"We also check on everybody on my route every day," said Eric, a former postal employee.

"We get to know the neighborhood. I delivered mail for 38 years. You become friends with people. If somebody doesn't pick up their mail, you notice. You knock on the doors. You tell the neighbors. It's a very important job," said Ellen, former postal carrier.

Earlier this month, the Postmaster General notified Congress about plans to trim its workforce through voluntary buyouts.

Trump said he wants to take over the U.S. Postal Service and put it under control of the Department of Commerce. That would make the USPS part of the Executive Branch of government.

The Postal Service has been losing billions of dollars every year. But supporters of USPS say privatizing the U.S. Postal Service is a bad idea.

"The executive branch should not be defining the Constitution by trying to eliminate it and undermine it from within," said Louis. "Eliminating the Board of Governors, put in place a postmaster general, whose sole ambition will be to destroy the service from within. Reach out to your congressional representative. Reach out to your local city officials to protect the postal service."