Postal service workers rally in Virginia Beach against privatization

Stacy Parker, The Virginian-Pilot on Mar 23, 2025

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VIRGINIA BEACH — More than 200 letter carriers and their families lined Lynnhaven Parkway on Sunday afternoon to rally against the potential privatization of the U.S. Postal Service.

Wearing red shirts and carrying signs emblazoned with the words “Fight like hell” and “Hell no to privatization,” the protesters stood in front of the city’s main post office on Viking Drive.

Attendees mostly included members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, a labor union, with representatives from Hampton Roads’ seven cities. The rally was one of hundreds around the country over the past several days.

The crowd gathered shortly after 12:30 p.m. with Darren Barnes, representative of Branch 247 — which includes Portsmouth, Hampton and Yorktown — leading a prayer.

“This is a movement to keep the U.S. Postal Service as it is,” Barnes, 59, said as protesters bowed their heads.

President Donald Trump has floated the idea of privatizing the Postal Service. It employees more than 600,000 people and is the largest civilian employer of military veterans in the country, according to the union.

But the Postal Service, which was established by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, has been losing money in recent years. The organization reported a $9.5 billion net loss for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024, compared with a $6.5 billion loss in the previous year. Some of the losses have been attributed to declining mail volume and increased operational costs.

Union representatives on Sunday said they’re concerned that privatization could lead to cuts in service, particularly in rural areas. Employees also fear it would jeopardize collective bargaining efforts, in which members seek fair wages and compensation as well as improved working conditions.

“We run the risk of them dismantling the service, selling it off and breaking it apart,” said Kristin Williams, 45, a Virginia Beach resident and former letter carrier who works for the Postal Service labor union. “We want to make sure we keep the postal service whole.”

For about two hours, protesters stood on both sides of Lynnhaven Parkway cheering as drivers honked their horns.

“Today is amazing,” said Jeannine Gasper, a Williamsburg resident, letter carrier and union advocate. “It shows the unity with not only our National Association of Letter Carriers, but with what the Postal Service means to us. This is our livelihood, and we work hard.”

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