Will Trump Tariffs, Layoffs At USPS Delay Your Mail Deliveries?

CALIFORNIA — UPS and the U.S. Postal Service are each bracing for mass layoffs and increased automation, leaving the nation in wait-and-see mode when it comes to the future of mail delivery.

Thousands of delivery positions hang in the balance as the effects of the Trump Administration's tariffs, federal cuts and the embrace of AI continue to affect business sectors.

Last week, the United Parcel Service announced that it will cut 20,000 jobs this year and replace many positions with automation technology.

“We are executing the largest network reconfiguration in UPS history,” the company said in a statement. “This strategic initiative will optimize the capacity of our network to align with expected volume levels and enhance productivity through additional automation.”

SEE ALSO: Major Shipping Company To Cut 20,000 Jobs: Will CA Facilities Close?

The company has also cited "current macro-economic uncertainty" — a nod to President Donald Trump's tariffs — as a roadblock to providing insights on its future.

The Teamsters union, which represents thousands of UPS workers, has vowed to battle any cuts that violate its contract with the service.

“If UPS wants to continue to downsize corporate management, the Teamsters won’t stand in its way,” Sean M. O’Brien, president of Teamsters General wrote in a statement. “But if the company intends to violate our contract or makes any attempt to go after hard-fought, good-paying Teamsters jobs, UPS will be in for a hell of a fight.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service has also announced plans to slash 10,000 positions and cut down the Postal Service budget with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency, the service announced in March.

The service has been exempt from DOGE cuts, but recently, the USPS decided to voluntarily cut its workforce down through a voluntary early retirement program.

The plan, initially announced in January, offers certain workers who retire early a one-time $15,000 incentive paid in two parts, according to the American Postal Workers Union.

In a letter to Congress, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy cited "a broken business model" as the motivating driver behind the planned layoffs.

"It is our responsibility to achieve our public service mission while operating in a self-sufficient manner — an obligation that I take very seriously," wrote DeJoy, CEO of the Postal Service.

In 2024, the Postal Service employed 533,724 workers.

President Donald Trump has been critical of the postal service as a profitable business and has suggested merging it with the Commerce Department, which would see USPS lose its independence under his administration.

"It'll be a form of a merger, but it'll remain the Postal Service," Trump said, according to USA Today. "And I think it'll operate a lot better than it has been over the years. It's been just a tremendous loser for this country."

In recent years, the Postal Service has urged that mail collection is continuing to slow down. In 1997, the service collected 57 billion letters and postcards. By 2023, that number had dropped sharply to just 12 billion.

According to a recent report, the Postal Service is redesigning its processes to reflect that decline. The service plans to reduce mail transmission to and from post offices from twice a day to one daily trip in the morning.

How Will These Changes Affect Delivery Time?

UPS says the upcoming layoffs and automation implemented at 400 facilities will not affect its delivery times, the Los Angeles Times reported.

However, the USPS will see some changes.

"Under the new approach, while most mail will retain the same Service Standard, some mail will have a faster standard, and some will have a slightly slower standard," according to an April 25 fact sheet and report from the service.

According to the report, First-Class Mail service times will remain the same, between one and five days. However, delivery times for Priority Mail Express will now take one to three days instead of one to two days. Meanwhile, end-to-end marketing mail — otherwise known as junk mail — will be delivered faster, the service said.

The agency said the changes are designed to improve reliability across all mail services.

What's more, on Friday, the USPS announced that it would raise domestic shipping service prices 6.3 percent for Priority Mail service, 7.1 percent for PSPS Ground Advantage and 7.6 percent for Parcel Select. Prices will remain the same for Priority Mail Express.

The changes will take effect on July 13.

The USPS is offering an online zipcode-based tool to help people determine how long it will take for a package to arrive through the post office. See that tool here.