Investigating the essential role that the postal system plays in American democracy and how the corporate sector has attempted to destroy it. "With First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat , Christopher Shaw makes a brilliant case for polishing the USPS up and letting it shine in the 21st century."— John Nichols , national affairs correspondent for The Nation and author of Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis " First Class is essential reading for all postal workers and for our allies who seek to defend and strengthen our public Postal Service."— Mark Dimondstein, President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO The fight over the future of the U.S. Postal Service is on. For years, corporate interests and political ideologues have pushed to remake the USPS, turning it from a public institution into a private business—and now, with mail-in voting playing a key role in local, state, and federal elections, the attacks have escalated. Leadership at the USPS has been handed over to special interests whose plan for the future includes higher postage costs, slower delivery times, and fewer post offices, policies that will inevitably weaken this invaluable public service and source of employment. Despite the general shift to digital communication, the vast majority of the American people—and small businesses—still rely heavily on the U.S. postal system, and many are rallying to defend it. First Class brings readers to the front lines of the struggle, explaining the various forces at work for and against a strong postal system, and presenting reasonable ideas for strengthening and expanding its capacity, services, and workforce. Emphasizing the essential role the USPS has played ever since Benjamin Franklin served as our first Postmaster General, author Christopher Shaw warns of the consequences for the country—and for our democracy—if we don’t win this fight. Praise for First Class : "Piece by piece, an essential national infrastructure is being dismantled without our consent. Shaw makes an eloquent case for why the post office is worth saving and why, for the sake of American democracy, it must be saved."— Steve Hutkins , founder/editor of Save the Post Office and Professor of English at New York University "The USPS is essential for a democratic American society; thank goodness we have this new book from Christopher W. Shaw explaining why."— Danny Caine , author of Save the USPS and owner of the Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KS "Shaw's excellent analysis of the Postal Service and its vital role in American Democracy couldn't be more timely. … First Class should serve as a clarion call for Americans to halt the dismantling and to, instead, preserve and enhance the institution that can bind the nation together."— Ruth Y. Goldway , Retired Chair and Commissioner, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission, responsible for the Forever Stamps "In a time of community fracture and corporate predation, Shaw argues, a first-class post office of the future can bring communities together and offer exploitation-free banking and other services."— Robert Weissman , president of Public Citizen Praise for First Class: "The United States Postal Service has been targeted for privatization (read: dismantlement) by conservative Republicans for decades. In his new book, Shaw convincingly explains why this would have tragic consequences for the future of democracy itself. … Shaw’s prose is fresh and accessible, and his arguments are cogent and convincing. Reading this book will give readers a new appreciation for the value of the humble post office."— Booklist "Shaw’s First Class comes at a time when integral institutions are under attack. It is perhaps the most powerful call to save the USPS that this author has ever seen. The book is about what many might consider a mundane subject (postage) but is a crucial read for anyone interested in fighting for democracy, decency, and egalitarianism."— Countercurrents "Selling off valuable properties, buildings that the taxpayers paid for, is just one of the ways corporate interests and political ideologues are dismantling the Postal Service, Christopher W. Shaw argues in First Class . The push to take the Postal Service from public to private hands is steady and unrelenting and has serious implications for democracy. … Shaw traces the essential role of the Post Office ever since Benjamin Franklin served as the country’s first postmaster general. He details the fights to preserve it and to ensure it remains an essential component of democracy."— Berkeleyside "Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, First Class is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Political Science and Contemporary Social Issues collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy mak