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As US Post Office Revenue Drops During Coronavirus Outbreak, One USPS Worker Explains Why We Should Care
COVID-19 has hit the United States harshly, with the confirmed cases in the country topping the charts. According to the data provided by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), as of April 13, there are 557,590 confirmed cases in the US along with 22,109 deaths. With so many cases and a staggering amount of casualties, it’s small wonder that the lives of millions of people are affected all across the country. As unemployment rates go up and essential workers being put at risk every single day, thousands of businesses are either on the verge of a crisis or are already going out of business.
With the rapid spread of COVID-19, the United States Postal Service is experiencing some of the hardest financial times ever. And President Trump’s administration rejecting bailout for the US Postal Service definitely made some employees feel panicked. But just like millions of essential workers who’ve gone on strike in the US, some USPS employees decided to use their voices and reach the public.
One of them is a man who called himself Dingus J. McGee. He recently started a powerful Twitter thread advocating for everyone to pay attention and help out the USPS. His arguments not only touched the political and economical side of the story, but also were directed at a more sensitive, emotional side. Bored Panda reached out to McGee for additional comment and he provided some information.
More info: Twitter
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McGee shared his experiences with the world to ask for people’s support
“I’m a mid-30s City Letter Carrier with the US Postal Service, a job I’ve done for the last seven years,” the man told us, “2 as a non-career contract employee, and the last 5 in a full-time capacity”. When asked what inspired him to sit down and create the thread, McGee offered a lengthy explanation:
“I decided to create the thread because, even long before I worked for USPS, I highly valued them as a vital part of our communities and our nations. Working there for as long as I have has shown me how much more is done by our mail handlers, clerks, and carriers every single day than you could ever expect if we were run private and for-profit. Everyone in our office has stories and relationships with their customers, and many have served the exact same people for more than 30 years. I would hate to lose all of that just because of a profit motivation.”
The man also explained that the response from the people following the Twitter thread was overwhelmingly positive. “Many folks already seem to understand the importance of the service, but just as many seem even more grateful now that they have an expanded understanding of what we do,” he said.
He also urged people to help out and explained what they can do:
“The best thing people can do is reach out to their representatives, at the state and federal level, to try to pressure them to include stimulus money in the next COVID-19 package, or a repeal of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. On a personal level, it always helps to buy stamps, too! If we can’t visit our friends and loved ones right now, we can always send them a letter in the mail!”
McGee’s Twitter thread sparked quite a discussion and people expressed their thoughts on it
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Erin 4 years ago (edited)
I absolutely love this. My father walked a mail route for 35 years. Eleven miles per day, five days per week and when he retired, he had to have the joints in his thumbs replaced from the years of sorting mail. Dad always carried dog treats, he knew his town and his people, he was often the only person that some people saw on a daily basis. He returned lost dogs and cats, and more than once, found a lost child. He responded to medical emergencies, he turned in criminals that were hiding out, he even once assisted in a DEA raid of a meth operation. He took a lot of pride in his work and his town. At the local bar on the occasional Saturday night that Dad would stop in, he used to win free beer by playing this game...someone would pull out a phone book and read an address and Dad would tell them who lived there. In the rare instance that he was wrong, it was because someone had moved since the phone book was printed - and Dad could tell them where and when the family moved.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
When my dad died, his USPS woman came to the funeral. She was the one who called the police for a wellness check whenever he took too long to get to the door, she's the who called me when he had to go to the hospital. I have a friend who works as a rural carrier who has often done the same for people on her routes. These people are often in the position of first responders, because they are the first ones to be aware of problems. They are the ones who see our elderly parents each day and who often know more about their situations than relatives do. My heartfelt thanks to all of them, as well as our official first responders
Load More Replies...
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Damn straight. The USPS is NOT supported directly by taxpayer money, since the 1980s, btw. Look it up, and marvel that we even still *have* a postal system in the US....
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago (edited)
Seems strange that Us postal services claim they suffer from Corona while in my country the postal service says that they can hardly handle the work. Everyone is in lockdown, people can't shop and out of boredom they have started ordering stuff online. They say that their daily workload now is even bigger than during the Christmas-period. Their postmen are considering taking them to court for more pay since they have to work a lot more and harder.
noraisha kamarudin 4 years ago
Same in my country. The gov has encouraged us to buy online and so their delivery is higher too.
Load More Replies...
Erin 4 years ago (edited)
I absolutely love this. My father walked a mail route for 35 years. Eleven miles per day, five days per week and when he retired, he had to have the joints in his thumbs replaced from the years of sorting mail. Dad always carried dog treats, he knew his town and his people, he was often the only person that some people saw on a daily basis. He returned lost dogs and cats, and more than once, found a lost child. He responded to medical emergencies, he turned in criminals that were hiding out, he even once assisted in a DEA raid of a meth operation. He took a lot of pride in his work and his town. At the local bar on the occasional Saturday night that Dad would stop in, he used to win free beer by playing this game...someone would pull out a phone book and read an address and Dad would tell them who lived there. In the rare instance that he was wrong, it was because someone had moved since the phone book was printed - and Dad could tell them where and when the family moved.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
When my dad died, his USPS woman came to the funeral. She was the one who called the police for a wellness check whenever he took too long to get to the door, she's the who called me when he had to go to the hospital. I have a friend who works as a rural carrier who has often done the same for people on her routes. These people are often in the position of first responders, because they are the first ones to be aware of problems. They are the ones who see our elderly parents each day and who often know more about their situations than relatives do. My heartfelt thanks to all of them, as well as our official first responders
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Damn straight. The USPS is NOT supported directly by taxpayer money, since the 1980s, btw. Look it up, and marvel that we even still *have* a postal system in the US....
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago (edited)
Seems strange that Us postal services claim they suffer from Corona while in my country the postal service says that they can hardly handle the work. Everyone is in lockdown, people can't shop and out of boredom they have started ordering stuff online. They say that their daily workload now is even bigger than during the Christmas-period. Their postmen are considering taking them to court for more pay since they have to work a lot more and harder.
noraisha kamarudin 4 years ago
Same in my country. The gov has encouraged us to buy online and so their delivery is higher too.
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
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