BILLINGS — The US Postal Service (USPS) announced that it would be working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to scale back their operations.
Postmaster Louis Dejoy confirmed that the service is estimating the elimination of 10,000 postal jobs nationwide in an effort to cut back on government spending.
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The announcement has led to nationwide protests, and that includes Billings, with residents and mail carriers gathering Sunday morning on King Avenue and 24th Street with signs and matching shirts.
Billings letter carriers Seana Avent and Rudy Mockel, who have served the community for years, were among the near 50 people that attended the protest — expressing their concern over the potential changes.
"A lot is changing this year," Avent said. "Very drastically and in a very sudden way. It just makes me sad for the future generation."
Avent — who has delivered mail for 11 years — said that it's a job that provided her with consistency and comfort.
"It's a stable job that if you're wrilling to show up, you can have a better life for your family," Avent said. "It's a job that gives me a lot of stability. I can earn my own home."
Mockel agreed with Avent's apprehension, not wanting to lose the job he loves.
"I thoroughly enjoy my job," Mockel said. "I love serving the customers that I get to talk to everyday on my route. We deliver everything from medicine to people's bills to your Christmas card from Grandma. The anxiety is for sure there, but we've had it before."
In 2021, the USPS cut 30,000 workers as a result of issues including the mismanagement of retirement assets and some other regulatory requirements that Dejoy said restrict normal business practices.
Dejoy referenced these similar issues when announcing these most recent cuts.
"We're not saying that there isn't something that could change in the postal service," Mockel said. "But privatization isn't the thing that would be good, especially for Montana, as rural of a state as we are."
While Mockel understands the necessary changes that need to be made, he said as a whole, the service is too important to lose. Avent agreed with his stance.
"A lot of rural communities get their medication," Avent said. "If you took us away as a service, they wouldn't be able to do that. It's not political, it's about guaranteeing service for every American."
And her feelings are shared by many across the country, fearing what these 10,000 cuts could lead to for an organization that's been around for centuries.
"I just think it's important for everybody," Avent said. "As a community service, as an established government agency and as a right for the American people."
