Postal Management, APWU Working Together
To Insure Workers' Safety From Anthrax Exposure

Burrus Update #55, Oct. 19, 2001

It has now been clearly established that the U.S. mail has been used as a means of conveying anthrax to targeted individuals. This places postal employees at ground zero of the exposure to this hazardous biological material. Recognizing the anxiety of employees, the APWU and postal officials at the highest levels, including the postmaster general, have safety and health as their highest priority. A steering committee of high-level postal officials and all of the union and management-association officials meets every day at 10 a.m. to discuss and develop joint responses to this attack on the health of every American citizen. Our responses are not within the traditional labor-management contested issues. We are joined together, labor and management, in this fight to insure the safety of every postal employee.

We also have a major concern about the perception of the public toward postal services. From retail operations to home delivery, we are the image of the Postal Service, and the steering committee is deeply concerned about projecting a sense of fear in the American public. For more than 200 years, we have developed an acceptance level unparalleled in the service industry. This could be dramatically affected if it is perceived that postal employees fear the product that they deliver.

While postal instructions have been modified to permit the wearing of gloves, masks and other protective apparel, this is not the visual image we wish to project to the citizens we serve. The frequent washing of hands provides superior protection; so for those employees in the public eye, it is suggested that employees refrain from using the protective gear.

Additional agreements have been reached to eliminate the blowing of postal machines during the cleaning process and broad approval to test those employees who have been exposed to suspected anthrax-infected areas. It is agreed that those offices that test positive for anthrax will be closed, and employees will not be permitted to return until certified by public health officials. We will collectively address emerging issues as they arise, because our major concern is your safety.

In these stressful times, it is anticipated that all employees will be concerned, but we cannot be controlled by fear; otherwise, those who perpetuated these deeds will have achieved their objective. Our job is to serve the public through the sale of postage, the maintenance of facilities and equipment and the transportation, processing and delivery of mail. We will not be cowed by those who wish to instill terror in our activities, and will come through this together.

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