Statement from NRLCA President Don Maston on the Appointment of David Steiner as USPS Postmaster General

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The United States Postal Service is one of our nation’s oldest and most trusted institutions, rooted in a 250-year legacy of public service. As the USPS Board of Governors confirms David Steiner as the next Postmaster General, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association urges him to fully embrace that legacy and the values that define it.

The Postal Service is not a business in the traditional sense—it is a national network that binds the country together, serving every American, no matter how remote their address. For decades, USPS has ranked as the most trusted government agency. More than 86 percent of Americans surveyed believe the Postal Service best protects their personal information—a level of confidence built through decades of personal interaction between the public and the dedicated postal workers who serve them.

That trust is earned and maintained by the women and men who do the work. The NRLCA expects the next Postmaster General to honor and strengthen the 55-year legacy of collective bargaining at USPS. Supporting the workforce means investing in people, not sidelining them. It means growing our parcel business—not shrinking operations. It means delivering on our universal service obligation—not abandoning rural America in pursuit of private-sector efficiencies.

We recognize that USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy approached the role with a business-minded focus on ensuring the Postal Service could compete in the modern shipping and logistics economy. That vision, articulated in the ten-year Delivering for America plan, sought to modernize the Postal Service while balancing its public mandate. The plan came under great scrutiny, but it was anchored in core fundamentals—preserving six-day delivery to all addresses in the United States, protecting the agency’s public mission, and investing in a dedicated and loyal workforce. Abandoning or reversing these initiatives without careful, transparent review would risk unraveling critical progress and destabilizing a system relied on by every American, especially those in rural and underserved communities.

The risks of missteps are well documented. Studies show that in countries where postal privatization has occurred, prices have risen, delivery has slowed, and rural service has deteriorated. In the U.S., over 100 million people live in ZIP codes already subject to private carrier surcharges. Without USPS’s universal service guarantee, those fees could skyrocket—by as much as 140 percent in some cases. Rural communities, which account for 55.1 million customers served daily by rural letter carriers and more than 10,600 rural post offices, would be hit hardest.

Furthermore, privatization efforts often erode the workforce, replacing stable, union jobs with low-wage contract labor. The Postal Service has long been a ladder to the middle class, especially for veterans and communities of color. That ladder must not be taken away.

Currently, only five of the nine voting positions on the USPS Board of Governors are filled. This limited composition heightens the stakes of every decision, including the selection of a new Postmaster General. As future nominations come before the Senate, we call on lawmakers to conduct a thorough and principled vetting process—one that prioritizes each nominee’s commitment to an independent, transparent, and public Postal Service. The American people deserve a fully constituted board that reflects the gravity of this institution’s mandate and is prepared to defend it against efforts to politicize or privatize its mission.

And let us be clear: rural America is paying attention. These communities have long been among the Postal Service’s most consistent and loyal users—and among the most affected when service is reduced, or access is limited. Any decision that erodes their connection to the Postal Service risks more than just lost mail; it risks lost trust. Lawmakers and leaders alike should understand that the choices made now will shape how rural Americans view their elected representatives—for years to come.

We are ready to work with Mr. Steiner to ensure USPS remains independent, competitive, and rooted in its mission. But we will be watching closely, especially since Mr. Steiner currently sits on the board of directors of FedEx, one of the Postal Service’s largest and aggressively non-union competitors. The stakes—for rural communities, for working families, and for the future of our cherished public Postal Service—could not be higher.

The Postal Service isn’t a business—as its name conveys—it’s a public service. And the NRLCA, along with our 130,000 members, stands firm in our commitment to ensure that promise is upheld.
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The NRLCA, established in 1903, represents 130,000 career and non-career rural letter carriers that operate out of more than 10,000 rural and suburban postal delivery centers servicing 80,000 routes.

Melissa Ray
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
+1 571-480-2641
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