Dozens of postal workers, union leaders, and community members rallied outside the Youngstown Main Post Office to protest growing efforts to privatize the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Organized by the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 443, the informational picket was part of a national campaign to raise awareness about what union leaders call the “most dangerous threat” to the USPS in its 250-year history.

"The post office is on the chopping block to be sliced and diced, to be privatized for profit, instead of being universal service for everyone," said Dominic Corso, President of APWU Local 443. “If the post office gets privatized, it adds shipping costs to what we buy online that will be astronomical… it could even cost 20 bucks to send a letter to your grandma.”

According to the union, the threat comes from privatization plans pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, with support from corporate investors hoping to profit from breaking up the USPS. A report from Wells Fargo outlines how such privatization could raise shipping costs by as much as 140%.

Jim Varner, Director of Legislative Affairs for APWU Local 443, said the group is especially concerned about the recent departure of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “We disagreed with a lot of what he was doing with his Delivering for America plan, but he wasn’t for privatization. With his exit, we’re concerned they’re going to try to accelerate plans to just completely privatize [the USPS],” Varner explained.

Union officials say privatization would not only eliminate tens of thousands of jobs—many held by veterans—but also shift unprofitable services onto taxpayers. The USPS is currently self-funded, operating entirely from the sale of stamps and services.

"They're gonna destroy people's jobs. Good-paying, middle-class jobs here in the Valley could go away," said Ronald Conrad, Vice President of APWU Local 443. He added that losing universal service would hurt Americans in rural and underserved communities the most.

Protesters called on the public to support House Resolution 70, which urges Congress to preserve the USPS as an independent, publicly run institution. They also encouraged citizens to contact their representatives and senators to oppose privatization efforts.

"It's the people's post office," Conrad said. “It's not for just the rich and powerful. Americans own it.”

As the USPS approaches its 250th anniversary, postal workers say the fight to keep it public is just getting started.