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American Postal Workers Union president Mark Dimondstein told AP in an interview out Sunday he hopes President Biden makes “bold appointments” that reshape the U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors.
The big picture: The USPS' workforce — which was already beleaguered after having to process millions of mail-in votes during the 2020 election — fell "further into a hole during the holiday rush, leading to long hours and a mountain of delayed mail," AP writes.
The backdrop: The USPS has been in financial trouble for years, despite a recent spike in the use of its services. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed in 2020 by a board of governors selected by former President Trump, has promised improvements to the agency.
- Biden has faced calls to fire DeJoy after he made changes to the agency's procedures that were found to have slowed mail delivery before the election. But since the president can't do that, Biden will likely to use appointments to the USPS board to usher in new changes, according to AP.
- Dimondstein said he hopes Biden's appointments set a new tone for the agency, following the presidency of Donald Trump, who had criticized its business practices and once called it "a joke."
What he's saying: “We want a Board of Governors that understands fundamentally this is not called the United States Postal Business,” Dimondstein said.
- “It’s not a profit-making business. It’s here to serve the people.”