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Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group
BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group
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Do you know the names of any of the 29 coal miners who died in Montcoal, West Virginia on April 5, 2010, or what has happened to their families since that needless tragedy? Can you tell me the names or condition of the families of the 11 oil workers who were vaporized during the explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf on April 20? Can you give me just one name of the many innocent postal workers who have been killed, maimed, or disabled due to irresponsible postal management over the past several years?
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Of course you can’t, because the limitless greed of the corporate community – including much of the corporate press – has relegated these poor and middle-class workers to the wastebin of ‘unfortunate collateral damage’ in their blind pursuit of the dollar. As a direct result, a citizen’s action group has been proposed to address the diminishing quality of life of America’s poor and middle class workers.*
Since it has become abundantly clear that many of our unions, civil rights activists, and even our government are either unable, or unwilling, to address this issue, an umbrella organization encompassing a coalition of human rights organizations has been proposed to address this issue. Tentatively, the suggested name for the umbrella organization is “Citizens Against Reckless Managerial Action” – CARMA, a play on the Buddhist term Karma, or “action” – a sort of C-Party so to speak.
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It has been suggested that this coalition be headed by Lewis Maltby. Mr. Maltby is the founder and president of the National Workrights Institute. He also founded the National Workplace Rights Office of the American Civil Liberties Union, and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
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Maltby is a nationally recognized expert and prolific writer on human rights in the workplace. He’s also the author of Can They Do That? : Retaking Our fundamental Rights in the Workplace. In addition, until 1988 Maltby was a senior executive in the corporate community, so he brings extensive knowledge of the mindset of corporate executives. He indicates that during the time he was in the corporate world he learned that “human rights and corporate efficiency are not only compatible, but mutually reinforcing,” so he would also bring a great deal of common sense to what is certain to be a vigorous national discussion. His final decision is currently pending.
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Since the U S Postal Service, with more than 600,000 employees, is the second largest employer in the United States, second only to Walmart, it will be a natural target of this new organization. The postal service will also be a target due to its long history of time fraud, blatant abuse, and intimidation of its employees. But what makes the postal service a particularly large target is as a United States government agency it should be in the very forefront of the fight for workers’ rights.
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For decades U.S. presidents have gone all over the globe lecturing world leaders on human rights. Yet, our very own United States Postal Service is among the worst abusers of workers’ rights outside of the third world.
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As mentioned in previous columns in this series, the postal service’s policy of forcing employees to work four to six hours without pay, falsifying clock rings and deleting hours from employees who are gainfully employed, then intimidating the employees in order to prevent them from reporting the matter is routine business on a daily basis within the postal service. One postal supervisor even reported to this writer that she personally witnessed a manager forge an employee’s resignation. This sort of activity is unconscionable, and must come to an end.
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On Thursday, April 22, President Obama went to Cooper Union College in New York City and lectured the financial community on the need to curb its corrupt business practices. He pointed out that their business model led directly to this nation’s financial crisis, and brought severe hardship upon millions of American people. But ironically, his words also serve to condemn the business practices of his very own United States Postal Service.
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The corporate assault on the middle class has become blatant. The Massey Energy Company ignored 1,342 safety violations going back to 2005. That led directly to the death of 29 coal miners. And according to platform-worker, Tyrone Benton, British Petroleum ignored several safety concerns on the oil rig 24 hours before the explosion. That saved them $500,000 a day in down time, but it led to the untimely death of eleven employees, and the worst oil spill disaster in United States history. And the U.S. Postal Service is committing Blatant felonies against its employees with complete impunity on a daily basis.
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So the trend is clear. Corporate America has set a policy of ignoring the safety, rights, and financial interests of the American poor and middle-class in their blind pursuit of ever more wealth – and the United States government has no intention of doing a thing about it. In fact, Republican congressman, Joe Barton of Texas, apologized to British Petroleum for having to take responsibility its criminal negligence.
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This has been going on for years. Michelle Mairesse wrote,
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“Judicial Watch represents hundreds of postal workers from the Brentwood Postal Facility in Washington, DC. Until the Brentwood facility was finally condemned by the CDC, Brentwood postal workers handled all of the mail for Washington, DC, including the ‘official mail’ that contained the anthrax-laden envelopes addressed to Senators Daschle and Leahy. While Capitol Hill workers received prompt medical care, Brentwood postal workers were ordered by USPS officials to continue working in the contaminated facility. Two Brentwood workers died from inhalation anthrax, and dozens more are suffering from a variety of ailments related to the anthrax attacks. A variety of legal actions are being planned for the disparate treatment and reckless endangerment the Brentwood postal workers faced.”
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If we want America to remain America, we must fight this sort of reckless disregard for American workers.
“Judicial Watch represents hundreds of postal workers from the Brentwood Postal Facility in Washington, DC. Until the Brentwood facility was finally condemned by the CDC, Brentwood postal workers handled all of the mail for Washington, DC, including the ‘official mail’ that contained the anthrax-laden envelopes addressed to Senators Daschle and Leahy. While Capitol Hill workers received prompt medical care, Brentwood postal workers were ordered by USPS officials to continue working in the contaminated facility. Two Brentwood workers died from inhalation anthrax, and dozens more are suffering from a variety of ailments related to the anthrax attacks. A variety of legal actions are being planned for the disparate treatment and reckless endangerment the Brentwood postal workers faced.”
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If we want America to remain America, we must fight this sort of reckless disregard for American workers.
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Religious bigotry: It’s not that I hate everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like me – it’s just that God does.
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=37302
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Posted by Eric L. Wattree on Jun 22 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Posted by Eric L. Wattree on Jun 22 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Interesting post, Eric. What has never been clear to me is what is the actual, legal status of Post Office? Is it a government institution. Is it a corporation? Is it like the Federal Reserve? Just what in the world is the US Postal Service? A plantation with virtual slaves? A crazy house run by the inmates? What are the legal obligations of Postal Service Management? Are the employees government workers? Or are they private enterprise workers? There is no doubt from your articles that there is abuse. But, is it a double-edged sword? When I see one or two local mail vehicles sitting for extended periods of time at the local coffee shop, is that reverse abuse? Or what about the guy sitting in his delivery vehicle sound asleep? Is that abuse, or is that exhaustion?
The good news, is my mail–at least that I know about–always arrives. The time usually varies, but it does arrive. I hope.
Tom
Hi Tom,
The the postal service is an “independent government agency.” That means that it’s a government agency, but it’s not taxpayer supported.
And yes, a crazy house run by the inmates is a very accurate description. It’s cronyism run amuck. The best, brightest, and most competent employees are generally remain workers, because they have too much integrity to abuse, intimidate, and steal from their coworkers, while those employees who are lazy, incompetent, and are hanging on to their jobs by their fingernails go into management in order to survive.
You have have three kinds of people in management. Some are very competent, but they’re generally at the bottom of the managerial heap, and stay under pressure. Then you have those who sleep their way to the top, then don’t know what they’re doing when they get there. And finally, you have the “golden children,” or cronies. Those are the ones who are most incompetent, but will do anything to keep their jobs. They generally at the top.
The guy that you see sleeping in his vehicle is either one of the brave souls who insist on taking his lunch, or one of the cronies in training, who’s colluding with management against his coworkers. If he’s the latter, he’ll probably be in management soon.
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group … [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
[...] Postal Service Employee Abuse Spur Call for Citizen Action Group : Veterans Today [...]
AS a postal retiree, I support this organization to the fullest. The US Postal Service is a victim of the “Peter Principle”; they promote people to the level of incompetency. Take the managerial hierachy in place during the 2001 anthrax attacke in Washington, DC. The biggest collection of clowns ever assembled in one place!
I totally agree with you, Eldon.
The anthrax attack was a perfect example of how little concern the postal service has for its employees. During the attacks congress literally shut down, and everyone at the White House started taking Cipro, but the postal service treated it like baby powder was being sent through the mail. As a result, two postal workers died. They used them like parakeets in a coal mine:
“Eight months after the first death from anthrax inhalation was reported in Florida, someone finally stood up to liars in public places.
“On June 7, 2002, Judicial Watch , ‘the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse,’ issued a press release headed ‘Judicial Watch Wants to Know Why White House Went on Cipro Beginning September 11th: What Was Known and When?’
“Judicial Watch represents hundreds of postal workers from the Brentwood Postal Facility in Washington, DC. Until the Brentwood facility was finally condemned by the CDC, Brentwood postal workers handled all of the mail for Washington, DC, including the ‘official mail’ that contained the anthrax-laden envelopes addressed to Senators Daschle and Leahy. While Capitol Hill workers received prompt medical care, Brentwood postal workers were ordered by USPS officials to continue working in the contaminated facility. Two Brentwood workers died from inhalation anthrax, and dozens more are suffering from a variety of ailments related to the anthrax attacks. A variety of legal actions are being planned for the disparate treatment and reckless endangerment the Brentwood postal workers faced.”
“Michelle Mairesse”