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 [December 31st]Happy New Year to Everyone from your Union!
May it be a prosperous and healthy New Year for you and your loved ones! |
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| [December 30th] Anthrax Found on N.Y. Mail Machine NEW YORK –– Traces of anthrax have been found again on a mail sorting machine that tested positive in October, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service said Saturday. The machine, at the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, had been testing negative since October, but a new round of tests conducted Dec. 23 came back positive on one machine Friday night, postal officials said. William Smith, president of the New York Metro Area Postal Union, said he would tell Morgan employees not to return to work until the extent of the contamination was clear. "I'm going to advise the workers to look out for their own safety because it's clear the Postal Service is not looking out for it," Smith said. It was not immediately clear whether any of the more than 5,500 workers had refused to return to the building. Postal officials said that despite widespread testing in the facility – which handles 12.5 million pieces of mail each day – the third-floor machine was the only one to test positive. The machine will be cleaned and retested, but the facility will not be closed, McGovern said. "That's a question for the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)," McGovern said. "We're not the authority on health. We need to follow the people who have the most experience in the field." A spokeswoman for the CDC said the agency played no role in this round of testing and was serving in an advisory position. "The postal union has insisted that they do another round of testing, so the Postal Service used a private contractor to do the work," spokeswoman Kathy Harben said. Traces of anthrax were discovered on five mail-sorting machines at the 10-story Morgan center in October, but Postal Service officials said they have followed guidelines for cleanup and testing. After the first contamination in October, postal officials sealed off isolated areas in the facility for decontamination Shortly afterward, union officials filed a lawsuit seeking to shut the entire facility until the anthrax had been removed, but a judge denied their request. No case of anthrax has been confirmed among New York's postal workers, but mail that likely went through Morgan is blamed for four cases of skin anthrax in the city, all of them non-lethal. A New York hospital worker died on Oct. 31 of inhalation anthrax, but officials haven't determined the source. |
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| [December 29th] Anthrax Survivor Delivers His Thanks Still weak from a life-threatening battle with anthrax, Brentwood postal worker Leroy Richmond stopped in at a blood drive yesterday in Centreville, Virginia to praise the anonymous donors who helped save his life and urge that his colleagues allow themselves to be vaccinated against the deadly infection. Federal health officials are making available a vaccine to supplement antibiotics for those who may have been exposed. But so far few postal workers have taken the vaccine, saying they are concerned about possible side effects and expressing uncertainty over whether the vaccine would be helpful. Yesterday, chatting with a dozen donors at the Inova CentreMed Donor Center, Richmond said he also was shocked to learn that many of his colleagues stopped taking their antibiotics because of side effects. Richmond said that if employees intend to make a career at the U.S. Postal Service, they need to face up to the possibility that more anthrax could wind up in the mail and take as many precautions -- including an experimental vaccine -- as they can. "If you work in the post office and the vaccine is available to you, even with the possible side effects, I'd choose vaccine and life," Richmond said. As a result of his inhalation anthrax infection, Richmond said, doctors have told him that he has built up so many antibodies that he would not need to be vaccinated. The debate over how to protect against another anthrax outbreak has been marked by confusion and frustration. Federal health officials have declined to offer specific recommendations to those at risk, and D.C. officials have recommended against the experimental vaccine. Richmond, 57, spent nearly a month in intensive care at Inova Fairfax Hospital after being diagnosed with the infection in October. During that time, physicians pumped him full of antibiotics and used plasmapheresis, a blood-cleansing procedure similar to dialysis in which the plasma is removed and replaced with a donor's, to eliminate toxins. Richmond said doctors have told him that it could be years before he fully recovers and that a relapse is possible. Still, despite weight loss, sleeplessness and continued pain in his chest, Richmond said he's "feeling better than I've felt in a long time." Yesterday, the Stafford resident was eager to tell his story of recovery to blood donors and encourage their continued participation in a program he said helped save his life. "It's hard to say what saved me, but one of the things was plasmapheresis," Richmond told the men and women giving blood. "Honestly, without it, I would be dead." Richmond said he underwent eight sessions of the plasma therapy to counteract the deadly anthrax-related toxins. Since his release from the hospital, he has been going to the doctor every week for blood tests. That will eventually be scaled back to once a month. Richmond said doctors have told him that they want to use his blood as well as the blood of other anthrax victims for research developing a new vaccine. Richmond, who worked in the Express Mail section of the Brentwood Road NE processing facility, said he would return to work when the doctors give him the go-ahead. Whether he'll return to Brentwood is uncertain, he said, adding that his wife has reservations. In the meantime, Richmond said he'll do his part to help the Inova Blood Donor Service with recruitment. "When donors meet a patient face-to-face, it may make them come back sooner and tell their friends to do the same," said Linda Wilson, manager of donor center recruitment for Inova Blood Donor Services. "We want them to have a sense of purpose. In this man's life, it has made a great difference." Richmond could only agree. "I'd like to thank you," Richmond told the small room of donors, most of whom lay on tables giving blood. "It's thanks to you that I live." "I was a victim of circumstance," Richmond said later. "I pray no other American citizen goes through it." |
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| [December 28th] Future Negotiations for Maintenance Upgrades by Bobby Donelson The contract has been settled and will be for the period of 2000-2003. The decision was an arbitrated award, not a negotiated award. Unlike many arbitration awards from the past, there does not appear to be any loss of current contract provisions. However, no matter what any of us thinks, it's a binding decision on the parties due to the Postal Reorganization Act. A few of the items will lay to rest pending issues certified for regional and national arbitration. The two main items appear to be the mail processor issue on the clerk side and the travel issue for all crafts, but pushed by Maintenance. The union adhered to the convention resolutions and tried to obtain the best contract we can from the arbitrator. Your Maintenance Officers and others involved with the negotiations evaluated all the evidence and, based on our experience, made a decision not to seek upgrades for all employees. We did not think the arbitrator would agree to a straight-across-the-board upgrade. Maintenance officers came to the conclusion that seeking upgrades for the MM 5's, BEM's, MPE's and ET's were our best options. This does not mean others do not deserve an upgrade. Elected officers are your representatives and we are expected to ensure union members rights and desires are sought. Your Maintenance Officers did. We did not get all we wanted. Every negotiation we should seek more and we did. We have moved forward and will continue to do so. Plans for 2003 Negotiations have begun. We will have the opportunity to meet two times with Maintenance Representatives from Local Unions before negotiations open in August of 2003. We meet at the National Convention and Craft Conventions in August of 2002 in Minneapolis and will also have a separate Maintenance Conference in 2003. Now is the time for delegates to prepare the resolutions that will govern your Maintenance Officers in the 2003 Negotiations. Bobby Donelson Assistant Maintenance Director A |
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| [December 27th] Update on Maintenance Grievance H0C-NA-C-19007 This grievance was filed to protest massive changes that postal management made to the Administrative Support Manual, Subchapter 530. These changes served to remove work from the Maintenance Craft. If you are a Maintenance craft employee, the details may interest you. |
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| [December 25th] Seasons Greetings from Pgh-Metro.net! Have a great holiday... one filled with peace, blessings, and gratitude for friends and family.
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| [December 19th] Additional Contract Highlights The example of money due immediately, as presented by the National APWU and using level 5 Step O would be:
All level 4 mail processors (OCRs, BCSs, DBCSs and FSM 100s) will be upgraded to level 5 mail processors by March 23, 2002. The arbitration panel required that all grievances on Mail Processor Upgrades be withdrawn. This will simplify the work assignment rules and restricted bids that involve inter level bidding in mail distribution, and provide a higher pay for automation positions. All level 5 Senior Mail Processors will be upgraded to level 6 by March 23, 2002. These jobs are automation positions at stations/branches and Associate Offices that include maintenance responsibilities. Effective November 16, 2002, the following positions will be upgraded:
When any of these higher level upgrades goes into effect, upgraded employees will not have to start a new waiting period toward their next step increase. Holidays-- Employees will have the option of receiving either eight hours of pay or an additional eight hours of annual leave for working their holiday or designated holiday. Maintenance Craft-- all job related travel time is compensable. The arbitration panel mandated that all travel-related grievances must be withdrawn from the grievance system. Uniform allowances will be increased by 4.5% for 2001 and 2.5% for 2002. Despite management's attempts to take away, there is no change to the following:
Transitional Employees
We will provide more information as soon as the entire arbitration award is released. To view the entire "Contract Bullet Points" PDF file from our website (made available to us by the National office, also available at the apwu.org website) you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. Don't have it? Go get it free at Adobe's website.
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| [December 19th] Flu Shots are Still Available Flu shots are still being offered at the Pittsburgh General Mail Facility Medical Unit, located at 1001 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15290. Flu shots will be available until the end of December for all postal employees. Shots are offered by appointment only. To schedule an appointment please contact the Medical Unit at (412) 359-7590. |
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| [December 18th] CONTRACT HIGHLIGHTS The new contract's term is three years, dating from November 21, 2000 to November 20, 2003. There will be three general salary increases: Wages: November 18, 2000 (retroactive for hours paid)... 1.2% COLA: $499 Lump Sum for two Year 2000 COLA's (not added to basic pay) Wages: November 17, 2001 (retroactive for hours paid)... 1.8% COLA: March and September 2002 Wages: November 16, 2002... 1.4% COLA: March and September 2003 No changes in COLA formula and upgrades for positions (not individuals) that include automation mail processors, MVS employees, ET's and other maintenance employees. To view the entire "Contract Bullet Points" PDF file from our website (made available to us by the National office, also available at the apwu.org website) you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. Don't have it? Go get it free at Adobe's website.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM YOUR UNION! |
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| [December 17th] PMAPWU Task Force to Visit Associate Offices After the Christmas holiday, members of the Pittsburgh Metro Associate Office Task Force will be visiting your office. This will be your opportunity to talk with members, stewards and/or officers of the Local and voice your concerns and needs. The Task Force members are interested in hearing about the special problems faced by members in your office. They are also seeking input from the membership for Local negotiations. We look forward to seeing all of you, and working with you toward making gains in our Local Agreements at Associate Offices. |
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| [December 13th] Late Breaking News Arbitrator Steven Goldberg announced that his final decision in the APWU interest arbitration would not be available, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001, as originally expected. Therefore, the teleconference originally scheduled for Friday, Dec. 14, will be postponed until Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2001, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. |
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| [December 13th] Official Arbitration Decision to be Announced Friday The National APWU anticipates a decision by Arbitrator Goldberg later this afternoon, Thursday, December 13, 2001. President Burrus will be holding a national teleconference late Friday (December 14, 2001) afternoon to release details of the arbitrator's decision. Although you may hear rumors prior to the Burrus teleconference, we will not post any results until those results have been confirmed by the National APWU. The National's website at APWU.org will have a run down of the arbitration panel's decision after the Friday teleconference. |
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| [December 13th] Christmas Cookies
The tradition of Christmas Cookies continues this year... for all of our members at the GMF, the AMF, the BMC, and the REC site, you can stop by and share the spirit with a little indulgence. For the GMF: Christmas cookies will be available for all members beginning on Tour 2, Wednesday, December 19, 2001 and following through Tour 3 and Tour 1. Please stop by the GMF stewards office. For the AMF: Christmas cookies will be available for all members beginning on Tour 3, Tuesday, December 18, 2001 and following through Tour 1 and Tour 2. Please stop by the AMF break room. For the BMC: Christmas cookies will be available for all members beginning at 8:00 pm, Tuesday, December 18, 2001. Please stop by the BMC Steward area. For the REC site: Christmas cookies will be available for all members beginning at 7:00 pm, Tuesday, December 18, 2001. Please stop by the REC lunchroom. |
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| [December 12th] Arbitration Decision Expected Soon It is expected that arbitrator Steven Goldberg will issue his final decision in the APWU interest arbitration on Thursday, December 13, 2001. President Bill Burrus will announce the decision via a teleconference that will be held for Locals on Friday, December 14, 2001 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. |
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| [December 11th] Bush's Christmas Eve Sign-Off Does not Apply to Postal Workers George Bush signed an Executive Order giving federal workers Christmas Eve as a paid holiday. This Executive Order does not apply to postal workers. Christmas Eve Day is traditionally the heaviest delivery day for the United States Postal Service, and it will be a regular workday for us. We hope to have a decision from Arbitrator Goldberg sometime this week, on his decision regarding our National Agreement. As soon as we have confirmed information, we will post it. Rumors of an early buy-out for bargaining employees continue to circulate. We continue to research each report as it comes in. To date, our National Officers tell us they have seen nothing to make them believe that a buy out is in the works for bargaining employees. |
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| [December 11th] Our Liability Insurance was Allowed to Expire Two months ago, the Local's insurance carrier notified Secretary/Treasurer Neurohr that our liability insurance company was dropping us on November 28, 2001; the company no longer insures unions. The Secretary/Treasurer kept this information to himself. On Monday, December 3, 2001 at 4:30 PM, a frantic insurance adjuster had one of our secretaries pull me out of a meeting to give him a decision that the Secretary/Treasurer had promised. However, Secretary/Treasurer Neurohr had called off sick on Monday December 3, 2001. At this point, I knew nothing about the expired insurance policy, so I asked the agent to please fax me information, and get me a 24-hour extension. He did that. I contacted our attorneys and was able, by Tuesday afternoon, to secure coverage for the Local. Unfortunately, this rush job at the last minute did not allow me time to shop for price. The new policy secured by the agent is nearly double the amount we paid last year. President Rosemary Penascino |
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| [December 10th] HQ Building Update Work on our headquarters building has finally begun. If you drove by today, you saw the bricklayers constructing the scaffolding. Demolition of the bulging bricks will begin within a few days. It's a possibility that demolition may need completing during the night due to a concern that disturbed bricks may cause the facade to collapse. The brickwork will take about 2½ weeks to complete. We are hopeful that someone will be able to identify the cause of the damage. Right now it appears that old age is the most likely culprit. The cost of the brickwork alone is nearly $30,000. If "old age" is the cause, then this cost will be absorbed by the Local. The roof has been repaired and it should last us another season giving us a chance to decide whether we want to replace it. Our newest secretary, Amanda, has put a great deal of time into dealing with contractors and roofers to get us the best price using union laborers. Well done, Mandy! Our secretaries have mailed out the leave calendars and membership cards. If you do not receive yours by December 17, 2001, please call the headquarters building and let us know: (412) 321-4700. |
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| [December 10th] Leave for Christmas Now is the time to submit an application for leave for the period between December 24, 2001 and January 2, 2001. PS Form 3971, Request for or Notification of Absence, must be submitted no later than the close of business Wednesday, December 12, 2001. All applications received up to and including the final date of submission will be considered as submitted simultaneously. Applications for leave will be placed in seniority order, and, if approved, will be awarded on seniority basis by work center. Please list your seniority date on the application. |
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| [December 10th] Caretta WVA Toy Drive a Great Success! On Saturday, December 8th, the volunteers began their journey into the mountains of West Virginia, delivering the toys that we all bought for the children... all 650 of them. If you'd like to take a peek at some photos, we have selected ten of them. Please be patient with the loading time of the page, since photographs always download slowly. They are arranged in a small group so that you can enlarge them if you'd like. There is also a Toy Story for you to read if you're interested in what took place that day. But let us say this much, at the very least: Thank you to all of the Postal workers and their families who donated gifts to these special children in the hills of West Virginia. We'd also like to thank those of you who donated cash gifts to help us with gasoline and tolls. Your generosity and concern means so much to these folks that have so little. |
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| [December 8th] Use of Casuals May Be Limited In a recent national-level award, Arbitrator Shyam Das considered the issue of whether casuals hired to work primarily in the Mail Handler or Letter Carrier craft, but who may be utilized from time to time in an APWU-represented craft, should be counted towards the casual cap in the APWU agreement. The grievance was filed by the APWU, and the NALC intervened in support of the APWU's position. After considering the issue, Arbitrator Das remanded the case to the parties to "make a good faith effort to arrive at an agreeable, practical solution" in accordance with his partial findings. If the parties are unable to reach agreement within 120 days, the arbitrator retained jurisdiction to make a definitive ruling on the issue. "Though the arbitrator remanded this case to the parties for further discussion, his findings will inevitably reduce management's ability to use casuals in lieu of career employees," said APWU President William Burrus. "This decision will provide greater job opportunities and full-time conversions that have been previously denied by the improper use of casuals," he added. The case arose in 1986, when the Postal Service exceeded the limit on the number of casuals that could be used in the APWU bargaining unit. The union filed several other casual grievances at the time as well. The Postal Service takes the position that there is no restriction on its right to assign mail handler casuals to perform APWU or NALC work. Similarly, they contend that there is no requirement for them to count mail handler or letter carrier casuals toward the APWU casual cap. The union, on the other hand, contends that the plain language of the APWU national agreement requires that all casuals on the rolls who may perform APWU bargaining unit work must be counted against the percentage limitations on casuals found in Article 7.1.B.3 of the national agreement. The case is complicated by the history of this provision, which was first negotiated when all three unions bargained jointly for a single collective national agreement. At that time, the cap on the number of casuals clearly covered all three bargaining units. However, in 1981 the Mail Handlers began negotiating their contract separately from the APWU and the NALC, and in 1994 the APWU and the NALC began to bargain separately. Since that time, the casual cap has been set at a different percentage for each bargaining unit. The APWU asserts that the existence of separate national agreements makes the Postal Service position even more untenable. In theory, the union argued, the Postal Service could negotiate an unlimited number of casuals with one of the other unions and then work them in the APWU bargaining unit without counting them towards the APWU cap. The Postal Service, on the other hand, asserts that counting all casuals toward the APWU cap, regardless of craft, would render the percentages in the Mail Handler and Letter Carrier contracts meaningless. Arbitrator Das ruled that "the Postal Service cannot justifiably claim that it is contractually entitled to negotiate whatever casual ceiling it can with one union, be it the Mail Handlers or the NALC, and then assign those casuals to perform APWU bargaining unit work without limit or without somehow factoring that into its employment of casuals under the APWU agreement. At the same time, it is difficult to see how the APWU agreement can limit the number of casuals who can be employed to perform duties in non-APWU crafts." Noting that there are several distinct casual issues still pending arbitration that could impact on this case, Arbitrator Das instructed the parties to "address the broader issues raised by this case in light of the partial findings herein. If after a good faith effort, [the parties] are unable to arrive at an agreeable practical solution, then either party can return this grievance to this arbitrator ... to make a definitive ruling on the issue." Greg Bell, Director of Industrial Realtions said, "Even though the arbitrator returned the case to the parties for a practical solution, his ruling makes it clear that there is no contractual justification for the Postal Service's view that Mail Handler or Letter Carrier casuals who may be assigned to APWU duties shouldn't be counted towards the APWU cap." |
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| [December 5th] Taxpayer Group Warns Against Postal Service Executive Bonuses Washington, D.C. - The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today called on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to abandon plans to distribute more than $200 million in executive bonuses before year's end. "For USPS to give out hundreds of millions of dollars to its executives this year would be unconscionable," CCAGW Vice President Leslie K. Paige said. "This agency was projecting a $1.3 billion financial loss this year even before September 11. Now postal management is engaged in an aggressive lobbying campaign to obtain a multi-billion bailout from the taxpayers." "In fact, many of the postal service's recent expenditures merit scrutiny by Congress in light of the troubling testimony postal management gave before the U.S. Senate on November 8," Paige also said. "Aside from the $1.4 billion lost to waste, fraud and mismanagement already documented by the USPS Office of Inspector General, it is difficult to reconcile the postal service's bailout requests with its new slick, multi-million television advertising campaign. Also troubling is that postal management has yet to offer a single substantive proposal to streamline its operations, reduce unnecessary costs, institute a hard hiring freeze, or eliminate money-losing ventures." "This is not the first time the USPS has given out hundreds of millions of dollars in executive bonuses while operating in the red," Paige added. "Between 1996 and 2000, the USPS gave out more than $1.4 billion in bonuses, including $284 million last year, when it lost money." Earlier this year, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) introduced a sense of the House resolution to prohibit the distribution of any bonuses in years when the USPS operates at a deficit, a measure CCAGW supported. "On behalf of its one million members and supporters nationwide, CCAGW requests USPS management wake up and smell the coffee," Paige concluded. "You do not give yourself bonuses when your company is in crisis and asking for bailout assistance. A private sector manager who proposed such a scheme would be laughed out of the boardroom." CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest taxpayer advocacy group with over one million members and supporters nationwide. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government. |
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| [December 4th] Help Derail "Fast Track"! President Bush's Fast Track plan would limit the time Congress can consider trade agreements and prevent our representatives and senators from doing anything other and voting "yes" or "no" on any trade deals Bush negotiates. If Congress gives Bush Fast Track, we'll see:
Stop Fast Track Now! |
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| [December 4th] Raise the Minimum Wage Now! Please support efforts to increase the minimum wage. Our Republican Senators need to be reminded that domestic issues are just as important as international ones. Send a postcard or note to Senators Arlen Spector and Rick Santorum asking them to support the full $1.50 increase in the minimum wage. Letters and notes should be addressed to : The Honorable Arlen Spector United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 or The Honorable Rick Santorum United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 |
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| [December 1st] Get Out the Vote Winners The following members' names were pulled from among the returned ballots for Pittsburgh Metro in the election of APWU National Officers. Each of the following members will receive a $100 check from the Local.
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| [December 1st] Many U.S. Postal Workers Report Cipro Side Effects By Emma Hitt, PhD ATLANTA (Reuters Health) - Many United States post office workers who took antibiotics to protect themselves from anthrax infection suffered adverse reactions to the drugs, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nineteen percent reported severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain; 14% reported fainting, light-headedness or dizziness; 7% reported heartburn or acid reflux; and 6% had rashes, hives, or itchy skin. Postal employees in New Jersey, New York City and the District of Columbia were given a questionnaire on adverse events 7 to 10 days after protective antibiotic treatment was prescribed. The results of the survey are published in the November 30th issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. A total of 5,819 postal workers responded to the questionnaire, of whom 3,863 (66%) said they had started taking antibiotics. Eighty-nine percent reported using ciprofloxacin and 11% used other drugs, including doxycycline (6%) and amoxicillin (1%). The percentage of workers experiencing adverse events was higher in New Jersey than in the other two locations. This may be explained, the CDC notes, by the different mode of questionnaire administration there. In New Jersey, nurses gave workers the questionnaire, while workers completed it themselves in New York and Washington. Eight percent of workers on ciprofloxacin stopped taking the drug, either because of adverse events, fear of adverse events or because they thought they did not need it, CDC researchers report. A total of 82 people (2%) sought medical attention for symptoms that may have been associated with a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics. But CDC researchers point out that among the 33 patients in New Jersey and New York who sought medical attention for possible allergic reactions, none were hospitalized. And none of their reactions were linked to antibiotic treatment by the doctors who examined the patients. The CDC emphasizes that people exposed to anthrax must take a full 60-day course of antibiotics to prevent anthrax infection. According to Dr. Nancy Rosenstein, a medical officer with the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, people who have adverse reactions to their antibiotics and are at risk for anthrax are switched to another antibiotic if appropriate and are counseled about taking antibiotics. "There aren't any specific characteristics to allow us to predict who is going to have an adverse reaction to antibiotics, Rosenstein told Reuters Health during a telephone press conference. In many cases, she continued, "the side effects associated with an antibiotic can be managed and the individual does not have to be switched to another antibiotic." She pointed out that the data being reported are only for the 10 days after start of preventive treatment. "We are going to continue to monitor people for side effects throughout the course of their antibiotics and there will be more data on that in the next couple of months," she said. The findings are similar to those from an earlier survey of workers at American Media Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida, which found that about 20% of those taking antibiotics--mostly ciprofloxacin--experienced side effects. SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2001;50:1031-1034. |
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| [December 1st] Postal Union Plans Demonstration Over Anthrax Issue Dec. 1, 2001 8:21 am NEW YORK (AP) -- The union that represents thousands of city postal employees said Friday it plans to hold a demonstration on Dec. 7 to protest how the Postal Service has handled the anthrax threat. William Smith, president of the New York Metro Area Postal Union, said that the Postal Service has consistently downplayed the threat faced by the 10,000 workers represented by his union. "There's a crisis that we're still facing," Smith said during a press conference at the union's Manhattan headquarters. Specifically, Smith charged that the Postal Service has failed to comply with a federal judge's order to fully clean the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, where five machines were found with traces of anthrax in October. In addition, Smith said he's not satisfied with the cleanup effort at the James A. Farley General Post Office located next to the Morgan building and connected to it by a tunnel. Smith charged the postal service with a "cover-up" designed to withhold information from postal workers in order to keep them working during the busy holiday season. Pat McGovern, a postal service spokeswoman, denied Smith's charges. "We're very concerned about the health of the employees," she said. "We have followed the orders given to us by the judge and in some cases have exceeded what the judge asked us to do," McGovern added. In October, the judge denied a request by the postal workers union for an order to close the Morgan facility after anthrax was found in the building. Instead, the judge ordered a cleanup and additional tests. No New York postal workers have contracted anthrax but mail that likely went through the Morgan office is blamed for several New York cases of skin anthrax. A city hospital worker died on Oct. 31 of anthrax exposure, but officials haven't determined the source. On Friday, officials in Connecticut said the anthrax that killed a 94-year-old woman last week may have originated from a letter found to contain the germ and sent to a nearby home. Smith said the news from Connecticut only confirmed his belief that postal workers remain at risk. The demonstration called for Dec. 7 is scheduled to be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the Farley general post office on Eighth Avenue between 33rd and 31st Streets. |
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| Past Issues of the Bulletin Board [November 2001] [October 2001] [September 2001] [August 2001] | |||||
| Use our Search function to look up further back-issues of the Bulletin Board. | |||||
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| Copyright ©2001 Pittsburgh Metro Local, APWU, AFL-CIO | |||||
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