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NEWS & LETTERS, December 2001P.O. workers at risk
Chicago - A friend of mine in the main post office knows the worker in
Washington, D.C. who died from anthrax. The anthrax crisis wasn't taken too
seriously by the Post Office. There's a machine that they can use to sterilize
the mail. They haven't put one in Chicago, only in D.C. They'll only put a
machine like that where the big shots are.The problem is deeper than an emergency that's over in a minute. You can see
their attitude in other ways. When Sept. 11 happened, the whole Federal Building
was let out, but we were still there working. That made everyone pissed off. We
were there three layers underground, and no one anywhere knew what was going on,
but had to stay there and work. When it came to the anthrax threat at our facility, people were brought
in to check the mail for contamination and to check the air. They were in gear
and on the job for one day. We thought the inspections were going to happen at
least monthly, but they didn't come back. The cost involved is why the anthrax problem is not taken seriously. Now
they're trying to save money by adding two buildings to my route. They've never
taken any buildings off my route. I have asked for help on Mondays which are
rough because there are two days of delivery to do, but "no way" is
what I hear. Now the union is negotiating a new contract. The Post Office wants to take
away our sick hours. They are always trying to take away something. We currently
have a no-layoff clause, but the Post Office wants that back, too. If that goes,
I'm out of there. Letter carrier |
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