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Cher’s attempt to volunteer at USPS denied but American Postal Workers Union says she can get ‘more involved’

The legendary singer and actress had been calling to find if she could help out local postal workers with mail sorting. Her attempt to volunteer came after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) faced cost-cutting measures

Two Malibu post offices got what they must have thought were prank calls during their time of crisis. The voice on the phone said: "Hi, I'm Cher." The legendary singer and actress had been calling to find if she could help out local postal workers with mail sorting. Her attempt to volunteer came after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) faced cost-cutting measures, which has increased delays from the USPS. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy had implemented measures — like eliminating overtime and capping workers’ hours — that had made it near impossible to clear the backlog and deliver the mail on time.

Tweeting about how her volunteering attempt went bust, she wrote: "OK,Called 2 post offices In Malibu.They were polite. I Said 'Hi This Is Cher,& I Would like to know If you ever take Volunteers' Lady Said She Didn’t Know & Gave Me # Of Supervisor.I Called & Said Hi This is Cher Do U Accept volunteers."NO,Need Fingerprints & Background Check.”

Unfortunately for Cher, all employees who are involved in handling mail have to undergo drug screening and a background check -- even volunteers. However, since Cher tweeted her intent to volunteer for the USPS, her Twitter has been flooded with suggestions of how she could help -- for instance, collaborate on post office merch that fans could buy. One tweet suggested: "maybe you could collaborate on a stamp collection? like really cool cher stamps the entire crew will buy & help fund the post office with our purchases?" 

Several tweets also encouraged Cher to volunteer as a poll worker instead, after taking proper safety precautions, especially since celebrity poll workers would boost turnout. One tweet said: "Cher, be a poll worker! I signed up for the first time so I'm a complete newbie to all this. I'll double mask, gloves and hazmat myself."

But the most direct response to Cher's tweet announcing her intent to help the USPS came from the postal workers themselves. The American Postal Workers Union, which represents over 220,000 postal workers, tweeted back saying: "Thank you for standing up for the USPS! If you'd like to DM us, we'd love to talk about how you can get more involved."

The union is gearing up for a day of action to #SaveThePostOffice on August 25 with three "immediate demands of our elected officials and of Postmaster General DeJoy". The workers are asking for "at least $25 billion in immediate support for the Postal Service". They also want to "stop the mail slowdown policies introduced by Postmaster General DeJoy" and three, "ensure public confidence in voting-by-mail by providing all necessary resources to provide the most timely delivery of election mail possible". A bit of celebrity support will go a long way in getting these demands heard. 

For now, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has promised to “suspend” several of his initiatives — including the removal of mailboxes — until after the election is over so as “to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail". In his statement, he added that "we will deliver the nation’s election mail on time.” The about-turn in his policies came after more than 20 states, from New York to California, announced they would be suing to stop the changes. He is also set to testify before the Senate on August 21, answering questions about his policies since he has taken office and any potential conflict of interest.