Mail-evelont resolve.
A US Postal Service mail carrier from Ohio claims he was suspended and threatened with termination after a Facebook post criticizing the “extreme” conditions fellow workers were put in during Winter Storm Fern — only to arrive and find that there was nothing to deliver.
“Our letter carriers deliver in heat waves, blizzards, storms, and emergencies — and today they showed up again — only to be placed in harm’s way with nothing to do and nowhere to safely operate,” Jason Thompson wrote on Facebook Monday.
Thompson arrived at work at the Fairfield Post Office, 26 miles north of Cincinnati, only to find the parking lot poorly plowed and the delivery trucks buried under “2 to 3 feet of snow,” he wrote.
“Carriers are driving in from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and surrounding areas — risking their lives just to get to work — only to be told there is no mail and no parcels,” he revealed.
“This is not our fault, this is not our situation to handle,” Thompson added, saying other carriers in the area had experienced the same problem.
“Why aren’t we hiring a professional company to come in and dig all these companies out, instead you got carriers doing extreme hard work to dig ourselves out,” he said, stating carriers are expected to clear their vehicles.
Thompson revealed the carriers were told they would have to use their personal sick or annual leave if they wanted to skip the remainder of the workday, despite having nothing to deliver.
“This is not how the hardest-working men and women of the USPS should be treated,” Thompson charged.
“Why isn’t there a plan for a level 2 to level 3 snow emergency that the districts can hand out that ‘this is what you do in this situation.’ We have none,” he added. “We’re sitting here with our hands tied.”
Butler County, where Fairfield is located, saw over 13 inches of snow over the weekend, according to WHIO-TV.
The irritated worker praised his direct supervisors, “who truly care and are doing the best they can,” but revealed they were not given “proper instruction or authority,” which created a severe safety concern for everyone.
Thompson’s post included pictures of the snow-covered lot and trucks, along with the locked post office doors.
“I left extra early, it took me 45 minutes, usually takes 20. Roads were snow-covered and dangerous,” he told WXIX.
Five hours after posting his morning dilemma, Thompson claimed USPS higher-ups warned him to take down the post or “there could be repercussions.”
“NOW IM GETTING THREATENED THAT IF I DONT TAKE THIS POST DOWN I COULD LOSE MY JOB!!! HELLLLLLP US BE HEARD..please!!!!” he wrote.
An hour after the first warning, Thompson announced he was suspended without pay because of his post.
“I have now been notified that I am on Emergency Placement with no pay! I hope this brings postive changes to ALL,” he said.
Thompson called on news outlets, local politicians, senators and even President Trump to help fix the situation.
The independent federal organization under the Executive Branch did not comment on Thompson’s suspension but shared their were plans in place for extreme weather conditions and the federal organization provides essential items to carriers allowing them to take “warm-up.”
“The safety of our employees is a top priority, particularly during periods of severe cold. During extremely cold conditions, letter carriers follow established safety precautions,” a USPS spokesperson told WXIX.
“The Postal Service continuously monitors weather conditions and reinforces safety guidance to help ensure employees can deliver mail as safely as possible while continuing to provide reliable service to our customers.”
Read the full article here
