I SEE YOU OUT IN BREVARD COUNTY. LETTER CARRIER UNION MEMBERS RALLIED AGAINST WHAT THEY FEAR COULD BE A TAKEOVER OF THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THEY SAY THEY’RE PROTESTING TO PROTECT THEIR JOBS, AND THE MAIL SERVICE THAT MILLIONS OF AMERICANS RELY ON. WESH 2’S JUSTIN SCHECKER IS JOINING US LIVE FROM THE POST OFFICE IN DOWNTOWN MELBOURNE, WHERE THERE WAS A PRETTY BIG TURNOUT OUT THERE. JUSTIN. HEY THERE. LUANA, GOOD EVENING TO YOU. SEVERAL DOZEN LOCAL MAIL CARRIERS GATHERED AROUND THIS POST OFFICE BUILDING WITH THEIR SIGNS. THIS AFTERNOON’S RALLY WAS PART OF A NATIONWIDE PROTEST AMID GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EITHER PRIVATIZING OR RESTRUCTURING THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE. WITH NO STANDARD MAIL TO DELIVER ON SUNDAY, DOZENS OF POSTAL WORKERS FROM BREVARD COUNTY SPENT THE AFTERNOON PROTESTING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PROPOSED OVERHAUL OF THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE. WE ARE A PUBLIC ENTITY. WE SERVE THE PEOPLE. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE HERE FOR, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT’S OUR CUSTOMERS THAT WE THAT RELY ON US. RETIRED TEACHER JACKIE JONES STOPPED BY THIS MELBOURNE POST OFFICE TO SHOW HER SUPPORT FOR THESE LOCAL MAIL CARRIERS. BECAUSE I’M TIRED OF WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES. I HAVE FAMILY THAT WORK IN THE POST OFFICE IN MASSACHUSETTS. SCOTT STANLEY IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SPACE COAST BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS, WHICH HE SAYS HAS MORE THAN 320 ACTIVE LETTER CARRIERS AND MORE THAN 100 RETIREES. AND I THINK WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN IS DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE POSTAL SERVICE WORKED EVERY DAY. WE DIDN’T GET TO SIT HOME AND WORK REMOTELY FROM BEHIND A DESK. STANLEY SAYS THE IDEA OF PRIVATIZING THE POSTAL SERVICE COULD LEAD TO REDUCED MAIL DELIVERIES. SO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN RURAL AMERICA, WHO RELY ON THE POSTAL SERVICE FOR THEIR MEDICATION, THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK, THEIR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT, WHATEVER THEY GET IN THE MAIL, THEY MIGHT ONLY SEE A LETTER CARRIER OR SOMEONE DELIVERING MAIL MAYBE ONCE EVERY 7 OR 8 DAYS. AND WE CAN’T HAVE THAT. WE NEED TO GO TO EVERY ADDRESS EVERY DAY. WHILE THE CONSTITUTION GIVES CONGRESS THE POWER TO ESTABLISH POST OFFICES, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS DISCUSSED DISSOLVING THE POSTAL SERVICE’S LEADERSHIP, DOWNSIZING THE AGENCY, AND ROLLING IT INTO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. THE PRESIDENT HAS ALSO CRITICIZED THE POSTAL SERVICE FOR LOSING TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY. SO IF YOU HEAR ANYBODY IN THE ADMINISTRATION SAY, WE’RE GOING TO SAVE THE TAXPAYERS THE MONEY OF OF FLOATING THE POST OFFICE, IT’S NOT TRUE. SINCE 1970, WE RECEIVED NO TAXPAYER MONEY. WE ARE SELF-SUFFICIENT. AND THESE LOCAL MAIL CARRIERS ARE URGING THE RESIDENTS THEY SERVE TO CONTACT THEIR LOCAL CONGRESSMAN AND FLORIDA SENATORS TO TELL THEM DON’T DISMANTLE THE POSTAL SERVICE. COVERING BREVARD COUNTY. LIVE IN MELBOURNE.