First Class

First Class Synopsis

2020's presidential election, along with the COVID-19 outbreak, exposed the essential role that the U.S. postal system plays in American society, the electoral process, and our national well-being. The pandemic permanently changed how we work. Many will continue to work from home even after vaccines are distributed.

As a result, our dependence on the mail will remain a huge part of daily living. Enormous numbers of people rely on mail to receive stimulus checks, medicine, information, mail ballots and the numerous goods were now ordering. (Online shopping has gone through the roof!) With a major election coming up in 2022, the post office will remain in the news given our continued reliance on mail-in ballots. The book is timely in addressing Biden's policy choices for the U.S.

Postal Service. This includes:

• a discussion about the financial pressures placed on the USPS to maintain universal service
• how to preserve the postal infrastructure to protect voting rights
• and how to make banking services and the internet more broadly accessible. This book is a natural fit for activist booksellers at independent stores who were passionate about the #BoxedOut campaign and the importance of the USPS to their business. Younger audiences have used social media platforms, such as Tik Tok, to display respectful and playful portrayals of mail carriers. We're seeing this in glossy magazines, as well. Book will appeal to those who celebrate the USPS's egalitarian mission to serve all equally irrespective of race, class, sex, or residency status. The book will appeal to those invested in workers' rights and unions. The American Postal Workers Union has endorsed this book and we will work with them to spread awareness about this project. The book was commissioned by Ralph Nader and the Center for Responsive Law as the centerpiece of their forthcoming advocacy and education campaign to save the US postal system, which will be timed to launch in conjunction with the release of the book. Nader & the Center for Responsive Law are sponsoring the mailing of copies to all 535 members of Congress, along with union leaders, media, and influencers