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Full-Time with Benefits: The Central Pillar of a Democratic Comeback [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-19
So the USPS is having trouble staffing all of its facilities and has for years apparently. I was surprised to read this because my mind filled with memories of scores of young peers trying to get one of those mail gigs that meant you were set for life. It was a hard get, but great for someone without a college degree (60% of America doesn’t have a college degree).
Looking a little deeper into the problem, they actually don’t have a turnover problem. Their problem is that 60% of their Non-Career employees quit within the first year. Now you might be asking why, but my first question is what the fuck is a Non-Career employee?
A Non-Career employee is a classification the USPS uses to describe a type of employee that the USPS doesn’t intend to embrace as one of its own. Someone that does the same work, gets worse schedules, and is the first to cull. Someone that the USPS doesn’t want to commit to.
Are there really question why there is no loyalty from an employee you flag as Non-Career? The USPS is trying to retain 18% of its workforce as Non-Career, and losing about 10% of its work force annually as a result. That is not saving money or good management.
I of course see the obvious union call here, but I would like to stay that for a moment. Americans have polarized views on unions. They don’t have polarized views on someone working hard and not getting ahead. The frame matters here.
The latest statistic I read says that 79% of part time workers are looking for a permanent job with benefits. The post office is an obvious example we have transparency on, but this two tier employee practice is everywhere. It separates Americans into an entirely different economic frame. Rather than focusing on income, consider the certainty of income. Someone with a good stable job can buy a house or a car confidently. A person in a job waiting for a better job can’t.
Do you want to activate the Sanders revolution? Don’t pay the college debts of the few. Push for 40 hours and benefits for any employees retained by an employer after six months or a year. Watch the American underclass respond.
I’m not sure I’ll see the 2028 election, but this is where real progressive politics should be focused. Instead of trying to transcend work, we ought be protecting it for the people currently doing the same work for a less stable life.
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