Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Summer came and went, yet one thing has never changed – the toxic work environment that our carriers work under. We regularly meet with the district manager and her staff, and the question is always, why is our retention rate so bad?
Well for starters the way the new hires come to us is not acceptable in any company let alone a federal job. There is no exam, no drug test, and no interview to feel and see who your candidates are.
The lack of leadership from management is at its lowest level. The average carrier wants to come to work, do his or her job in a professional way and go home. Yet there are number of issues that need to be addressed:
- Poor management: this is one of the most important factors that contributes to a toxic environment. Lack of communication, favoritism, and insufficient training lead to chaotic work room floor. It’s getting almost impossible to get a supervisor that was a carrier.
- Work pressure: lack of vehicles, tight delivery schedules and impossible performance expectations lead to stress, burnout, and a decreased sense of job satisfaction.
- Bullying and Harassment: Reports of bullying have been reported especially from 204B’s towards some CCA’s, and even from some managers towards our senior carriers. That kind of behavior creates a hostile work environment, affecting employee’s morale, performance, and mental health.
We as a Union are trying to address the workroom floor issues but we need to know what goes on daily. Do not make deals with management and a month later call us with a complaint. Management historically is known to have short memory.
By now, I am sure that almost everyone has heard of the letter carrier that passed away in a customer’s yard on June 20, in Dallas due to the heat. What is ironic is that he had 36 years of service discipline free, but the previous week he was disciplined because he was taking too many comfort-stops to cool down.
This is the new post office. They preach safety, yet when you work safely, you are being disciplined. What is so ironic about that is that Management was mandated to show 20 minutes to the carriers, but they never did. Instead, they logged in to Lite Blue, went in our Hero profile, and put down that each carrier in that facility received the training.
Recently, our business agent Rick Dicecca sent a template grievance to all our stewards to file if the video has not been shown and /or management falsified the Hero profile.
2023 is gone but the heat illness video still needs to be shown to ALL employees. That includes CCA’s since they come in between 9 and 10am. If they do not show the video by April 1st 2024, a grievance needs to be filed, then call the Union office and report it.
If any member suffers from any heat related issues, please make sure you fill out a CA-1, let your steward know, let your safety captain know, and contact our OWCP director, Mario Russotti for guidance. We have a 3-member team available on the day of our monthly meeting, from 3pm to 7pm, to help with any compensation issues.