A Boring Dystopia

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Amazon Is Bleeding the Post Office Dry (jacobin.com)

submitted 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) by supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz to c/aboringdystopia@mander.xyz

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Finn Green works for the US Post Office as a rural carrier associate in and around Ojai, California. On a typical Monday, Green and other rural postal carriers deliver Amazon packages for hours without overtime pay. When mail volume is higher, such as days following legal holiday weekends and holiday seasons, carriers are ordered to prioritize Amazon parcels over Express and Registered mail, the US Postal Service’s (USPS) most expensive products. Only after completing the Amazon deliveries may carriers return to their regular route to deliver USPS mail.

Amazon’s recent statement about its relationship with the USPS presents a carefully constructed narrative. Since 2013, USPS has delivered Amazon packages through a program colloquially known as “Amazon Sundays.” The contract was up for renegotiation this year, and the stakes were high. Amazon brings in $6 billion in annual revenue to the federal agency, which is on the brink of bankruptcy. The 2026 negotiated contract resulted in the USPS delivering 80 percent of Amazon packages it had previously handled, an outcome USPS had no real power to refuse. Amazon, for its part, calls this a “long-standing partnership.” The relationship is not as mutual as Amazon suggests.

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[–] Drusas@fedia.io 4 points 4 hours ago

My USPS carrier doesn't even deliver Amazon packages. They come on Amazon delivery vans, FedEx, or from Flex drivers.

[–] deft@lemmy.wtf 12 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The post office should not be prioritizing private entities over the people. The post office should not generate money. The police do not generate money. That is what taxes are for.

[–] JillyB@beehaw.org 2 points 5 hours ago

USPS is technically not a government agency. They are a company owned by the government (Amtrak is the same way). It is not government funded (except when Congress decides they should give them some money).

[–] etherphon@piefed.world 35 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

brink of bankruptcy

Only because they were forced by Republicans in 2006 to prefund retiree health benefits decades in advance, which literally no one else does. This has been in the making for a long time. It's really shameful what they're doing to this country.

[–] calliope@piefed.blahaj.zone 17 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Trump literally appointed Louis DeJoy in his last term to intentionally begin destroying the USPS. They kept talking about it “not being profitable,” as if a government service always needs to make a profit.

DeJoy eliminated overtime and decommissioned hundreds of high-speed sorting machines prior to the surge in mail-in voting in 2020.

It’s been blatant for six years now.

[–] vrek@programming.dev 6 points 6 hours ago

Please tell me a single government service which is profitable... Isn't that the point of taxes and government services? Fbi, cia, fda, irs, cdc, dot, doe, library of congress aren't all of them not profitable?

[–] etherphon@piefed.world 5 points 7 hours ago

Yeah! It's wild to me too because I always thought it was such a beloved institution to them, but then like half way through my life they made this U turn and I got whiplash but I guess a lot of folks didn't notice? Idk.

[–] bigbangdangler@reddthat.com 19 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

This. The GOP has wanted to privatize USPS forever. They keep it barely functioning so they can point at it and claim that only private industry can save it. Then they bring in their friends and throw those sweet taxpayer dollars into their own coffers.

Amazon's role isn't surprising here, either. Bezos couldn't get closer to the Trump admin if he were sleeping in Melania's bed.

Expect similar moves to be taken towards privatization of ATC in the US. Thankfully it's much more heavily regulated, so it has at least taken more time and is harder to choke as quickly.