![]() ![]() “We know that the new postmaster general is making changes but everyone is in the dark and being pushed to work as if we were robots.” “Management is always on us to hurry up, get out the door and rush to get the job done,” said Brendan Lyman, a letter carrier in southern Virginia. ![]() In practice, they said, they are told to complete their routes as quickly as possible without regard for external conditions. Several employees told Government Executive they felt pushed to the brink. If managers want to prove they are serious about employee safety, he said, they will stop sending messages instructing letter carriers not to take rests. He accused management of exaggerating how many employees received heat-related training, noting he knew some colleagues were marked as having taken it on a day when they were not working. To Walton, that advice is only useful to the extent that it is followed through upon. “Carriers are further instructed to contact 9-1-1 in the event they begin experiencing any symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and they are provided with information to help them identify the symptoms associated with these two forms of heat illness.” “Carriers are reminded to ensure they’re hydrated, wear appropriate clothing, including hats, get in the shade whenever possible, and to take sufficient amounts of water and ice with them out on their routes,” Partenheimer said. Theoretical Safeguards, Applied Inconsistentlyĭave Partenheimer, a USPS spokesperson, noted the agency has created the Heat Illness Prevention Program, which provides safety training to all employees and “assures they have the resources needed to do their jobs safely.” Leaders at both the local and national level ping messages to carriers’ scanners telling them to “keep it moving,” Walton said. “Employees say they are getting overcome by the heat management says to carry on,” he said. Supervisors often say the right things-that employees should take breaks to cool off as necessary-but fail to follow that up with action, he said. He has spent several episodes highlighting what he sees as the agency’s complicity in Gates’ death and its failures writ large on heat-related issues. Gates will happen to someone else.”Ĭorey Walton, a letter carrier in Nashville, said he has grown so frustrated with postal management that he has created a podcast to discuss his concerns. “I’m afraid that something like what happened with Mr. “There are others who have a fear about being retaliated against by management and they're going to push themselves,” Lewis said. Lewis added some employees are going to “do what is necessary to make sure they’re safe,” but that is not the case for everyone. “They want letter carriers to still perform in 100 degree temperatures as if it was 70 degrees,” Lewis said. The letter carrier faced discipline a month before his death for engaging in too many "stationary events." Multiple employees told Government Executive such a slap on the wrist would discourage them from taking the number of breaks they need, even when feeling overwhelmed by heat. That can affect an employees' job performance rating, as was the case for Gates. Kimetra Lewis, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers local in Dallas where Gates worked, said that while she appreciates the starting hour change, she and her members still feel pressured by management not to take too many “comfort stops.” The Postal Service can monitor employees based on their scanners and receives alerts when a carrier is sitting idle for more than 10 minutes. The postmasters sometimes put a case of water bottles in the fridge.ĭespite those efforts, she said, “The morale of the workforce has never been lower.” ![]() She noted that supervisors have been handing out headbands meant to provide some cooling, though their benefits fade within an hour of working in the heat. “That only happens after a death hits the news,” Putz said. ![]() In times like these, said Christine Putz, a letter carrier in Ohio, top postal officials offer “fluff” about how they care for the workforce. To some, however, that is too little, too late. In Texas, for example, local management has allowed letter carriers to start their days earlier-at 7:30 a.m.-so they can avoid some of the hottest parts of the day. USPS has taken at least some steps to respond in certain cases. Employees are skeptical, too, with many demanding a new approach to safety from postal management. Lawmakers from both parties are now asking questions and requesting information on what steps the Postal Service will take to protect workers and avoid future tragedies with extreme heat on the rise. The 66-year-old died shortly thereafter at a nearby hospital. The heat index had reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit. He continued on his route in Dallas for 36 years until one day last month, when he collapsed in a customer’s yard. ![]()
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