GREENFIELD — A group of community members carrying hand-decorated signs gathered Saturday morning for a rally at the Greenfield Post Office, joining a national day of action in support of the U.S. Postal Service.
“The postal service is specified in the U.S. Constitution, so it’s important to support it in every way possible,” said Greenfield resident Con Trowbridge. “The postal workers are committed to the service they provide to the community.”
Concern for the U.S. Postal Service has grown as a result of recent cost-cutting measures made by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that have disrupted the mail system nationally. The Trump administration has faced accusations that it is purposely trying to undermine mail-in ballots for the upcoming election.
On Friday, in a sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate, DeJoy disputed claims that cost-cutting measures were politically motivated, saying postal workers would continue to prioritize election mail, and that the changes were intended to increase efficiency while saving money.
Then, on Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would allocate $25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service and ban the operational changes that have slowed mail delivery. However, the bill is considered unlikely to pass in the GOP-held Senate, and the White House threatened a presidential veto in a statement issued Friday.
“The attack on the Post Office is so un-American,” said Sandra Boston of Greenfield. “It’s against the public interest.”
Saturday’s rally in Greenfield, which was one of numerous expected to happen across the country, was coordinated by Boston, as well as Greenfield resident Liz Kelner.
The rally attracted more than a dozen members of the Greenfield and surrounding communities who brought signs that read “Save the U.S. Post Office” or called for the firing of DeJoy.
“I believe it is the federal government’s responsibility to make voting available to all citizens and instead, the actions of DeJoy have been to interfere with these rights,” said Louise Amyot, of Greenfield. “I don’t feel we can stay silent.”
Susan Brockmann and Eve Brown-Waite described the postal service as the “backbone of democracy.”
“Everybody relies on it,” said Brown-Waite, who came to the rally from Deerfield.
She said businesses rely on the U.S. Postal Service, and residents rely on it for their daily mail, for medication and sometimes, just for the human interaction with their postal worker.
“I still write letters,” Brown-Waite added.
Echoing the words of other participants, Kelner said the postal service is a “unifier,” as it affects everybody.
“Today is the first time we’re here,” Kelner said. “But I don’t think it will be our last.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne. Information from the Tribune News Service and the Associated Press was used in this report.