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Postal workers fear for safety They say managers put productivity first, a claim the local postmaster denies By DAMIAN MANN Concerned about the lack of safety at their production facility, some Medford postal workers claim they are being treated like canaries in a coal mine. They cite safety lapses such as not investigating suspicious letters carefully enough and an uncaring attitude by management, which they say puts productivity ahead of safety. "We perceive ourselves as being on the front line," said Bob Eaton, a postal employee who edits the American Postal Workers Union Local 342 newsletter. "As the coal miners used to take the canaries into the mines to find gases, we are the postal canaries used to find the anthrax or any other biological weapon terrorists may decide to use." Postmaster Jim Foucault countered that management is just as worried as rank-and-file workers about everyone's safety and has instituted a long list of procedures, from washing hands every two hours to installing anti-bacterial filters in vacuum cleaners. "To characterize it as uncaring doesn't jibe with the facts," said Foucault. "We are very committed to the safety of employees." Foucault acknowledged that there have been instances in which managers didn't communicate properly with employees. "There is some legitimacy in some of their complaints," he said. "Some things were not done in the manner they should have been done." Foucault blamed some of the discontent on an ongoing contractual dispute with the local postal union, adding most of the 300 employees at facilities in Medford, White City and Central Point don't believe management is uncaring. Postal employees say they have been working for a year without a contract, which is in mediation. Foucault also said there is increased concern and anxiety on the part of workers since the anthrax outbreaks at postal facilities on the East Coast. Jim Alexander, Medford APWU local president, rebutted the claim that this is a union ploy, pointing out that more than 100 safety violation reports have been filed by workers this year at the Medford facility. He said that one local manager refused to give a safety talk to his staff about the importance of wearing face masks and gloves and washing their hands every two hours. Another manager told workers that the time they spend washing their hands as a mandatory precaution would be deducted from their break time. Foucault said the manager was in error and workers won't have this time deducted. When the initial anthrax cases were discovered, local workers complained that compressed air on mail equipment could spread disease throughout the building. Although the problem since has been corrected, Alexander said management has never formally addressed this issue. "There is a perceptible and growing fury of postal workers over the double standards we are being subjected to," said Alexander. Managers, he said, are more driven by the thought of getting annual bonuses than they are by the safety of their crews. "Production is always more important than the safety of employees," Alexander said. Foucault challenged this statement, saying the $1,000 annual bonuses given to managers were hardly an incentive to push workers into performing unsafe practices. He also said 36 safety bulletins have been passed out or shown to employees in the past 30 days. John Lynch, a postal worker at the Medford facility for 21 years, said the safety of workers has been ignored historically, citing an instance when asbestos dust was found in the facility. On May 23, 1990, while asbestos removal work was being done at the Medford facility, a field report from MK Environmental stated: "Recent air monitoring results have indicated unusually high fiber counts" of asbestos. To correct the problem, John Havelock, vice president for MK Environmental, suggested five remedies, including wetting areas down and installation of plastic sheets. Lynch said, "During the removal of the asbestos, we were still required to work in that place." Foucault said the Medford facility has been frequently inspected for asbestos in the air and no problems have been found. Despite assurances by management that they are addressing the problems and rewarding employees who report safety concerns, workers don't seem relieved. "Everybody's paranoid," said Eaton. "Everybody talks about it." Eaton charges that management isn't following correct procedures with suspect mail, potentially endangering the lives of workers and customers. In one instance, a letter that was being sent to Israel came through from Williams that had all the earmarks of a suspicious letter, including no complete return address. "I held it up to the light and there were these little particles in it," said Eaton. "I dropped it real quick." Eaton said he showed it to his supervisor, who contacted postal inspectors in Portland. They said to send the package on because the U.S. Customs Service could deal with it, said Eaton. The next morning, Eaton contacted a clerk at the Williams post office who remembered the person who brought in the envelope, saying he was a regular customer. "It was probably a packet of seeds, who knows?" said Eaton. Randall Sparks, manager of mail processing operations in Medford, said his facility followed proper protocols and the letter was deemed safe. He said he couldn't reveal specifics about how the postal service investigates suspect letters. Sparks acknowledged there is heightened concern among postal employees about any suspicious-looking letter. Foucault said a letter with a suspicious powder was recently found at the White City postal facility, but after the building was evacuated, an investigation determined it was just Gold Foot Powder. To prevent any possible spreading of contaminants, postal workers have been told to vacuum the machines, not clean them with air, and all personal fans have been removed. But, Eaton said, the doors of the facility are left open. "This creates a jet of air that blows everything around." Foucault said he would continue to urge his managers to communicate more effectively with their crews on safety matters. Eaton said he will continue to be outspoken when it comes to safety. "My job's not important. My family's important to me." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.