MO Postal Worker's Death on Route Blamed on Heat Exhaustion

[KansDem]

Source: OzarksFirst.com

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- A U.S. postal carrier died on his route this week, and his widow said Wednesday she believes he died from heat exhaustion.

KCTV reports John Watzlawick, 57, of Blue Springs was found about 2 p.m. Tuesday by a passerby near 35 N. Cottage St. He was rushed to Independence's Centerpoint Medical Center where he later died.

The Jackson Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and whether heat exhaustion is to blame or a contributing factor.

His devastated widow, Kay Watzlawick, told KCTV that she believes the intense heat led to her husband's death, but doesn't know for certain. Temperatures in the Kansas City area reached up to 106 temperatures.

Watzlawick has been with the Postal Service for 28 years. His widow said he would have celebrated his 58th birthday on Aug. 1.

Now his distraught family is planning a funeral rather than a birthday celebration.


Read more: http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=679052

[RebelOne]

1. Though the story did not say,

but if he was driving a mail truck or cart, those things do not have A/C. My sister is a mail carrier in South Florida and the cart she drives does not have A/C (where it is most needed).

[davisfamily77]

3. ac in the trucks

I know hun they dont have ac in them..its ridiculous..sheshh if they put air in them they would be wasting the governments money..now we wouldnt want that would we..sitting here shaking my head.

what they need to do what my husband suggested for some time now, since they got rid of so many employees start putting the boxes up outside and then give all the letter carriers vans with air in them.
This way they would eventually save time and money.

His response he got back was " that is to expensive to put those boxes around each block lol...
but its ok if your father, mother or spouse dies from heat exhaustion

God Bless you on your post and I absolutely agree get something to help these letter carriers now

Mrs. Davis

[happyslug]

9. Post office "Modernization" of the 1970s has come back to hurt more people.

When my father was a carrier in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s (and the 1980s but by then he had bid for a downtown Pittsburgh route), he was given a bus pass to take the bus to his route. Even then the buses were Air Conditioned. Now, he ended up driving his private car instead to save time (it was NOT air Conditioned but that was the norm for most cars in that time period, cars were design for maximum aid flow, which was almost as good as A/C when the car was moving).

In the early 1970s (after the Postal Strike of 1970) the Postal Service decided to give such carriers Postal Jeeps, again no A/C and being Jeeps designed to have an open soft top, which the Postal Service replaced with a hard top and glass. He complained about those Postal Jeeps all the time, a waste of money.

Side note: Before 1970 (and into the 1970s) most Cars were designed with Air Conditioning. You could get A/C, but the car was NOT designed around A/C. Starting in the late 1960s and going to the late 1970s the Big Three re-designed they car around A/C. A/C was still an option, but the cars became sweat boxes in hot weather without A/C. For example my Father had a 1966 Chevrolet Bel Air (which he bought used) it did NOT have A/C but it had two HUGE vents on each side of the front seat, When you were moving, the windows rolled up do to rain, the air through those vents kept you cool as long as the Car was moving. When the big Chevys were redesigned in 1970, those vents were removed. The reason was to make the car smaller and thus lighter. Prior to 1970 the vents in cars were at the end of baffles front the front intake to the passenger compartment AROUND and sealed off from the Engine. Thus you had huge air floor into the car. These vents could be shut off in Cold Weather. At the time you had writers who liked A/C AND the Air Vents. They told people to order the Car WITHOUT A/C thus getting the vents. If you ordered a car with A/C (or purchased a car with Factory Air), the Car makers sealed off the vents, assuming you would use the A/C (It was advised, at the time, to get the A/C after market thus you had A/C AND the vents). From 1970 onward, these vents were removed, more to force people to buy A/C then anything else (Through the Oil Embargo of 1973 was a huge force to make cars smaller, but notice the move to smaller cars started in 1970 NOT 1973).

I owned a Jeep Wrangler with a hard Top. Nice in Winter, but in Summer I found the Jeep "Cooler" with the hard top removed, so that air could flow OVER the windshield into the Jeep. Thus I saw what my father was complaining about, a car to hot do to its design, when his own car was cooler and it did NOT have A/C, it was cooler for it was designed to permit air flow into all parts of the car unlike the Jeep with a Hard top.

The various vans and other cargo movers the Postal Service issues have the same problem, they were NOT designed for internal Air Flow, thus without A/C can be death traps in hot weather. Even the US Army learned this lesson, thus its trucks had cloth roofs so that the Drivers could remove the roof if the weather became to hot (And the Cloth Roof did permit air flow through the Cloth, often more then enough to keep the driver comfortable.

Now in Vietnam the M113 was king, it could float and was heavy enough to move light trees out of the way. Its biggest problem was that the troops ended up riding on TOP of the M113, or with the top door open to leave air into the Vehicle. No one has ever proposed putting A/C in the M113 or its replacement the M2 Bradley. Thus troops using both have a choice, keep themselves "buttoned up" so any bombs going off near the Vehicle is disbursed if the vehicle sets such a bomb off AND roast inside, OR leave the air flow through the vehicle but defeating the whole purpose of having armor. The problem was known before we invaded Iraq, but we soon vacated the armor Vehicles from Iraq do to that problem. Instead we used un-armored, and the up-Armoured Humvees do to the lack of A/C in any Army Vehicles (Except Ambulances built around the Humvee, they had A/C do to the fact they had to be completely sealed in case of any chemical attack.

I did hear a story that the Soviet did put A/C in their Infantry Fighting Vehicles, the BMP-1. BMP-2 and BMP-3, but I have NOT been able to confirm that report. If they did it probably was in response the the problems the Soviet encountered when building the Aswan Dam in Egypt. Soviet equipment of the late 1950s and early 1960s was found NOT to be suitable in the hot temperatures of Egypt.

Back to the Post Office. The movement to given Carriers "Vehicles" was to force the Carriers to get to their routes FASTER and to carry more of their mail. Prior to the 1970s, Carriers were assumed to have to walk or take the bus to their routes AND most of the mail was delivered to the Brown "Not for Deposit of Mai" mail boxes by bus drivers. Yes, this was a subsidy to these same bus companies, something the Department of Transportation has REFUSED to replace (DOT support for mass transit, does not include any support for actually operating a transit system, DOT money goes to buying equipment or other infrastructure).

The movement to vehicles was to make the mail more efficient, but at the cost or forcing the carrier to carry more mail and deliver it faster. My Father had no real objection to this, but objected to how fast the pace the Postal Service wanted it to go, without the Postal Service even THINKING their ideas through. i.e. buying the Postal Jeeps in the 1970s, poor fuel economy, terrible interior comfort in hot weather, just because the Jeep could be purchased with Right Hand drive. Domestic auto makers could have made a better riding vehicle, but it would have had to be left hand drive. Given the choice, the Postal Service would have been better off with such left hand drive vehicles, for their better fuel economy AND better interior design (and could have included A/C for hot weather).

Sounds like the Postal Service is up to their same old tricks, setting specs so that only one or two car makers can meet, and then NOT asking the users of the Vehicles what they would like. When other government agencies do that, such as most Police Departments, A/C becomes standard equipment. Cars since the 1970s are designed for use around A/C in Hot Weather and we should be demanding A/C for such vehicles, including using this death as an example of WHY A/C should be required given the Hot Weather we are facing.

[jdadd]

18. Older models had better air flow

[davisfamily77]

31. Postal trucks

wow, that is a lot of information and so so true, when I get the chance to take my husband water he is sitting in his truck and sweat is coming off of him..
In these past few years he has lost over 30 pounds and is becoming a walking stick figure, but he is dedicated and refuses to stop, he went through management classes but stated that so many managers now are losing their jobs as well especially when they are not hard enough on their carriers.
God Bless you on your post, please keep me updated if you hear of anything new which I likely doubt it , for our postal workers to drive in

[davisfamily77]

2. 0. MO Postal Worker's Death on Route Blamed on Heat Exhaustion

This is getting ridiculous, my husband has been a postal worker for 25 years now, and every day he comes home simply exhausted, his back is giving out his legs are giving out..
And to top that off this extreme heat.
Today they were all told of this poor mans death and told the postal workers to be careful out there,
Then they turn to my husband which is almost 50 years old and asked him why he was late getting back yesterday,
He simply stated as always the route is overburden, the postal worker that had that route told him the only way you get back on time is to skip all your lunch breaks and your 10 minute breaks thats the only way your going to get close to your reaching your time, many of times my husband skips all of them just to get back on time..They have yet to walk with him to estimate the distance and how long it takes.
It is funny most of the people that make up these routes have never walked as a carrier, they have always been pencil pushers.
One day I would like to see these managers and or higher get out there and do what these letter carriers do every single day.
I would love to think my husband is superman...he goes to work through any type of weather I remember last year or the year before we were getting hit with a few tornadoes, they still made all the letter carriers get out there and work.
But at last he is not, he is just a mere mortal.
I am beginning to think these people have no hearts what so ever...just deliver the mail and make us money, we wont worry about your health or your life we need this money.

We are grieving for the family and we prayed for them to give them comfort at this hard time, we are here for you if there is anything we can do for you please let us know.

Our mailman knows that if he needs anything cold to drink or needs to stop in to get some cool air he is welcome to. Even though we know its against the rules..we would rather see him or her getting cool air then passing away on our front porch.

I suggest that perhaps some houses can help provide cold drinks to their letter carriers or even turn the sprinklers on them they actually enjoy that.

What is really ashame that every mail person we run into says the same thing that they are literally trying to kill the carriers out there.
All these changes they have made did not make things better for the carrier instead they over burden them now...
They fired so many employees which now affect our carriers
I must admit I never thought that a letter carriers job was so hard until I married one.

You better believe that our family prayers always include the letter carriers out there.

every time our 14 year old daughter sees her daddy out there working she gets so upset, she even told them she would get out and help her dad long with her twin brother.

Its a shame kids can even see what they are doing to our letter carriers.
I am sorry to say this but even the union is a joke they do not seem to want to stand up for these letter carriers.

My daughter said they should at least go around check up on all their carriers and make sure they have something cool to drink or get a moment out of this extreme heat.
She told me today, after we heard the news about this poor man, that we need to get daddy a portable clip on fan for his hat and buy him the hat that holds drinks on each side.
Unfortunately I had to explain to her that would put their daddy out of uniform and could get him written up.
No matter if it helps save his life or not.

I guess until this government and the postmaster get a heart our letter carriers will suffer and then eventually the families suffer from the lost of their spouse/father and or mother.

A little word of advice: Please for the government and post masters...OZONE LAYER...
and RED FLAGS ON THE WEATHER MEAN GET OUT OF THE HEAT IT IS TO DANGEROUS.
SO WHILE YOU ALL ARE SITTING THERE IN COLD OFFICES FOR ONCE THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE GOING THROUGH
My prayers are with you, to see if someone will be brave enough to step out to make things better for their carriers.

God Bless
Mrs. Davis

[virgogal]

5. It's always been a tough job. They used to deliver twice a day,6 days a week. My uncle did it.

[happyslug]

10. Urban Areas only, starting With WWII, Urban areas were slowly reduced to one mail drop a day

My father still did two mail drops a day in the 1980s, but by then he was serving the Pittsburgh Central Business area, which expected twice a day service. Most urban areas outside Central business district lost its second delivery decades before. Rural area had a hard time getting one mail drop a day, and that only with Rural Free Delivery starting in the late 1890s.

Rural Free Delivery:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Letter_Carrier

Urban Areas had home Delivery since 1863:

Carriers walked as many as 22 miles a day, carrying up to 50 pounds of mail at a time. They were instructed to deliver letters frequently and promptly — generally twice a day to homes and up to four times a day to businesses. The second residential delivery was discontinued on April 17, 1950, in most cities. Multiple deliveries to businesses were phased out over the next few decades as changing transportation patterns made most mail available for first-trip delivery. The weight limit of a carrier’s load was reduced to 35 pounds by the mid-1950s and remains the same today.
http://about.usps.com/publications/pub100/pub100_018.htm

[virgogal]

12. Interesting USPS link. Thanks. I'm old enough to

remember 2 home deliveries(and they would ring the doorbell), but the 1950 date makes sense to me.

It's about then that I remember the 2 deliveries stopping.

I remember my mother was horrified---you would think the world had ended.

[happyslug]

15. IT was NOT that abrupt, my father was still doing it in the 1980s

Now that was in a Central Business district, but the 1950 date was when twice a day mail service was no longer MANDATORY, it took the Post Office a few years to completely cut it out for residences and decades for central business districts.

[virgogal]

21. I was in one of the Boston neighborhoods,but not in the

downtown area.

The 1950 date seems about right to me,but I could be wrong,of course.

I am surprised it was still going on in the 80s. I thought it had been long-gone by then.

[davisfamily77]

22. 15. IT was NOT that abrupt, my father was still doing it in the 1980s

Yes my husband stated back in those days it was not that tough as he use to do it as well, but if you do not work for the post office now you would never understand the pressures they are under every day.
And lets not forget the ozone layer..the heat now is more intense then what it use to be back then.
My husband often states he would do anything to go back to delivering mail at that time, so with that being said they definitely have it harder now then they did back then.

God Bless
Mrs. Davis

[davisfamily77]

32. 2x a day delivery

Well get prepared as the postal office is trying to strive to save more and more money,
It will soon come down to 5 days a week, sounds good for our postal workers right??
wrong, they are intending to pile them up even more, my husband already informed me when and if this does happen, not to expect him home until 9pm at night.
My husband said he would not mind if he were just carrying letters but in these days they now do the newspapers, business ads, magazines galore, pick up peoples food and clothing they are donating etc etc.
God Bless you for your posting

[gopiscrap]

7. My son is a postal worker also Welcome to DU

[Dont call me Shirley]

8. The postmaster general was appointed by bush.

Bless your husband and all of our postal carriers!

[davisfamily77]

23. MY HUSBAND WAS ATTACKED ALSO BY A DOG ...AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED

Last year my husband was attacked by a rottwieler, very very close to his private area...left two huge bite marks by his groin,
This is what they did for my husband when I speak of they I speak of the post office:

Husband: I have been bitten by a dog
Postal office: Is it bad?
Husband: I am bleeding and blood is going down my pants, I cannot see the severity in it just yet, but I am hurting very bad
Postal office: Can you finish your route then get to the hospital?
Husband: called me both of us stunned by their comment
Husband response: Look I will see what I can do but I am hurting
Postal Office: ok get back with us then when you get done
Me (One hour later he calls back and says look there is blood going all down my pants please send someone out here)
Postal office: upset not at that one of their carriers were bitten but one they had to find someone to cover his route
Me: Unfortunately only having one vehicle, he comes home I being a nurse look at his leg and know he has to be taken to the hospital
Hospital: why didn't you come sooner:
Husband ostal office wanted me to finish up the route
Me:Now for some compensation and action against the person who open there door to let the dog out
Postal office: Ok we will take care of everything on the legal end
Me(4 months later)
Postal office: Ok we did not find any need for you to get any compensation..so we will not award any thank you
Me and my husband: laughing in astonishment
Hospital:put my husband on pain and antibiotics for the infection and pain..then was given a shot
Police officer: was stunned by the severity of the bite and took photos of it as well
Me: so trying to make a long story as short as I can, my husband did not get any compensation he was given a day off of work and told to report back the next following day, And as of today he lives with a bite mark on his leg just a reminder not so much of the dog bite but of how the Postal office really treat their carriers.
Back in the day, they would of been all over that person and made sure my husband was fine, now its all about the dollar..

I thank you all for your wonderful comments I will try to read them all today.
God Bless each and everyone of you
Please note when you see a mail Person walking please take the time and ask them if they need a drink..or turn on your sprinklers for them..I know first hand they would appreciate it.

Mrs. Davis

[happyslug]

37. My Father had a policy on dogs, he kept his old Leather mail bag for years just due to dogs.

Unlike other carriers of the 1960s and 1970s, he retained his old leather mail bag. His supervisors kept telling him to turn it in, he kept refusing. He went on vacation one year, and when he came back it was gone.

The reason he retained the Leather mail bag was dogs. You drop the heavy leather mail bag in front of a dog, it was going to block the dog and you could use it to defend yourself from the dog. When dropped onto the ground the leather bag stood up, not collasping on the ground las the cloth mail bags do. Furthermore, the leather in the Leather Mail bag was so heavy, it ws more the thickness of leather in a saddle then a leather jacket, thus more then enough leather to to used as a shield against a dog. You can NOT do either, drop the bag to block a small dog OR used the bag as a shield with the cloth mail bags the replaced the old leather mail bags. The cloth bag are to light to do either job.

As a preteen and teen age in the summer I would walk over to his route, it was about five to six miles away. It was a nice walk on a nice summer day when I had nothing better to do. I would walk to his route, find out where he was on his route, find him on his rounds, and then I would go in his car (This was the time period when he was given a bus pass, but he drove his own vehicle to his route instead) to the Post office he worked out of and then went home with him. I helped him deliver his mail, it was something to do. He also warn me the days I could NOT visit him on his route, for he had the dogs that day (By dogs, he was referring to his supervisor who watched him deliver mail to make sure his route was not to small).

On the days I did go to see my father I saw his old leather mail bag and watched him carry his mail in it. It was heavy leather, more like a leather in a saddle then the leather in a leather jacket. Once he said why he kept it, since I had seen the leather mail bag, I could understand why he kept it and how it could be used to protect him from an attack by a dog. The leather mail bag was almost a shield. No dog was going to bite or tear through that bag.

Yes, the cloth bags are lighter, but the old leather bags had character AND could be used to defend one from a dog. The replacement of the old leather mail bag with the cloth mail bag was another example of the Postal Service carrying less about their employees and more about reducing costs at all costs.

As to the Post Office and employees on the Job, my father was working in the Mt Lebanon Post office (When I visited him on his route, he was working out of the Dormont post office then the Cederhurst Post Office, by the time of this incident he had bid for an easier route, I was in High School by then) when a letter carrier was involved in an auto accident and was sent to the Hospital. My Father was in the Post Office when news of the event occurred and he mentioned what was the first thing the supervisor said, "Get him off the clock". My father objected that the supervisor had NOT ask what was the condition of the Carrier, nor anything else about the carrier, but that the carrier be "off the clock". My Father made his objections known, and since this was after the 1970 Postal strike I suspect my father's objections worried some people.

The reason for this is in 1970, the New York City Letter Carriers went on strike. It was an illegal strike. That Saturday, the Pittsburgh branch of the National Associations of Letter Carriers (NALC) held a meeting at the Soldiers and Sailors haul in Pittsburgh. In that meeting the subject of a strike was brought up. The Local President objected to the subject with the following words "We can not go on strike, I would go to jail" at which point my Father rose and said "That is why we pay you" and carried the vote to go on strike.

On the picket line my father advised his fellow carriers to take their children with them, I could not go, I was 12 and thus "to old". My then 10 year old brother went instead (He is naturally bald and has been since birth). I remember my father talking about the picket line, if the police arrived to arrest them, the presence of the children will force the police to behave themselves i.e. Police do NOT like being pictured beating up 10 year old kids. Thus the risk of violence by the police will be minimized, if the carriers were arrested, the Police will give the Kids Ice Cream till their mothers showed up. I remember feeling cheated, I couldn't go, I was the tallest kid in my class and thus more a troublesome teenager as opposed to an innocent child.

A few days later another meeting was called by the Union leadership. It was clear the local union leadership wanted to end the strike, but most of the Carriers wanted to stay on strike. At this second meeting a motion was made to vote to continue the strike be sent home not from the floor. My father realized what was going in, the local union leadership knew that a vote from the floor would be to continue the strike, but a vote by mail to the home of each carrier, their wives (We are talking 1970, very few female carriers at that time period) would put pressure on their husbands to end the strike. When the vote to vote by mail instead of from the floor was carried (a vote my father did his best to stop for he knew it would end the strike) my father and one other carrier walked out of the meeting in protest. The next day the Pittsburgh Paper had an article on the meeting and mentioned the "Two young Radicals" that left in protest. My father was 51 at the time, the other carrier was 55. Just a comment on what is meant by the term "Young Radical" i.e anyone who protests.

I bring this up, for this was well know who did what in those union meetings. Thus my Father's comments as to the supervisor's first comment on hearing of the accident was "Off the Clock" carried more weight then even my father knew. The strike was long over and the Carriers had return to their jobs, but the Postal Service never ever forgot who went on strike in 1970 and who drove for the strike (people like my father NOT the actual union leadership). Being Civil Service AND union, the Postal Service could not do much to my father but they did worry about what he said.

Among the changes the Postal Service did was to slowly transfer the bundling of the mail to be delivered by the Carrier from the Carrier to the Clerks (The Clerks had NOT gone on Strike). This lead to increase wrong mail to wring address, but it also gave the Post Office another employee who could set up the route for delivery, if the Carriers ever went out again (The chief problem the Post Office had in the Strike was when the National Guard was called in to deliver the mail, the guardsmen did NOT know how to set up the mail for delivery. My father had told his fellow carriers before they went to the first union meeting to take off all the "Nexies" off their shelves. Do NOT take them out of the Post Office, just leave them lose on the floor. Any replacement workers would get a bag of mail, a seat and a lot of empty boxes to set up the mail to be delivered. My father told his fellow carriers this, I suspect others told other carriers to do it. Thus the National Guardsmen called up to set up these routes during the NYC strike, could not. It is for this reason carriers were slowly striped of how their mail was bundled. My father complained of this change, but the Postal Service wanted it and my father took it as an attack on the Carriers for going on strike (and an award on the Clerks for NOT going on Strike).

I have not followed the Postal Service like I did when my father was alive (He died in 1992) but I suspect this policy to make the carriers more replaceable has continued to this day. The Carrier to my office has a "box" he had to pass with his electronic ID outside my office. I suspect the Postal Service says it is to kept track of Carriers, but I suspect the real reason is to make sure the Carrier's route can be done by any replacement worked if the carriers ever go on strike again.

You must understand the Postal Strike of 1970 showed that the Government ban on Strike could NOT be enforced if the strikers were essential to the operation of government AND business. It was the business community need to mail that forced the President and Congress to agree to increase wages for Carriers (after rejecting such an increase all through the 1960s, by 1970 many carriers were eligible for welfare in New York state based on their income). President Nixon tried to use the National Guard instead, but when that failed as did the threat of jail time, the business community told Nixon to give in and he did. The business community and the GOP hated what the Carriers had done to them and all doing the 1970s it was clear both the GOP and the Business Community wanted to undo the "Harm" they believed had occurred do to agreeing to the terms demanded by the Carriers.

Thus when PATCO (The Air Traffic Controllers) went on strike in 1981, it was the perfect target to "undo" the "damage" done by the Carriers. Unlike the Carriers, they were enough active and reserve personal TRAINED in air traffic control to take over the positions of the PATCO Strikers if you also permitted massive restrictions as to actual air traffic. Since the Airlines had been deregulated under Carter, there had been a massive expansion of air traffic, this was undone by Reagan as part of the attack on PATCO. Thus the airlines were re-regulated to reduce air traffic (PATCO went on strike do to to few Air Traffic Controllers to control the massive increase in Air Traffic tied up with deregulation). When PATCO offered to go back to work, given this re=regulation, Reagan said no. My Father on hearing that, said George Meany (Then head of the AFL-CIO) should have called a National Strike, for that decision was an attack on labor that could NOT be unanswered. Labor had to do something, and that was a national strike. Even if the Strike failed (few people participated) and ended after one or two days, it still would have shown opposition to this attack on labor. Meany did NOT call a strike. As a whole I liked George Meany as head of the AFL-CIO, but in this case he failed in his duties. It would have been better to be defeated with drums beating and flags flying then destroyed like mice hiding from a cat.

Yes, it is over 30 years ago, and labor has gone down hill ever since the PATCO Strike. It is going to be a long hard fight to get back up but hopefully labor can do it.

Sorry about the rant, but when I think of my Father I think of the 1970 Postal Strike and his part in it AND then PATCO and how the suppression of PATCO undid most of the gains labor gained in the Postal Strike of 1970.

[Tikki]

14. HI davisfamily77..WELCOME to DU

Thinking about everyone in the midwest in this Summer's weather...hoping it will cool down soon for you all.

Tikki

[davisfamily77]

33. THANK YOU

When my husband comes home this evening, I told him I want him to sit down and read all these wonderful post, and see that the people out there really do care about their postal carriers.
God Bless you

[grantcart]

19. welcome to DU

My clients who are carriers tell me that the do go and check up on them, to see if they are wearing a seat belt or using a cell phone, both offenses that could lead to firing.

Think about it. It is against Postal regulations for a carrier to have his cell phone with him so if he has a medical problem like this, he cannot call.

[davisfamily77]

34. lol

wow if that is not the truth, yes if they are caught carrying a phone around they will get written up, BUT, if they cannot get in touch with you, then they ask you why didn't you have your phone on..
Hmm makes me wonder who is paying the phone bill lol.
God Bless you for your posting

[EmeraldCityGrl]

4. This is heartbreaking.

I adore my postal carrier.

As Congress dallies, postal workers and community activists are turning to civil disobedience to combat the sweeping cuts planned for the Postal Service.

Ten postal worker and community activists in Portland, Oregon, were arrested May 24 when they occupied the city’s University Station post office, refusing to leave and blocking the closure of the office’s retail desk.

Nearly 100 supporters rallied outside as the activists inside held their ground, singing and holding banners proclaiming “Occupy the Post Office” and “No Closures! No Cuts!” Police hauled them out after an hour and a half.

http://labornotes.org/2012/05/postal-workers-increase-pressure-usps-cuts-loom

[davisfamily77]

24. Emerald city

God Bless your heart.

You get arrested for trying to protect what they should be doing themselves. smh

[Sherman A1]

6. It's unbearable out their for the delivery folks of all sorts

be they USPS, Fed Ex, UPS, Hostess, Brownberry, Entemann's, Frito, or whoever.

I took the temp of a return trailer about noon yesterday and it was 112. The roof was 138. Staying hydrated is one thing, taking breaks out of the heat is vitally important. If the stuff doesn't get delivered until later or the next day, well in most cases it isn't worth a life.

[davisfamily77]

25. ITS NOT WORTH A LIFE

Yes but here if my husband does not deliver and get back on time as expected they get written up automatically..
my husband pushes himself everyday.
He now was even asked to give up his vacation..and unfortunately being dedicated like he is, he is doing it,
I am not happy about it, but I do respect my husband wishes.
If only the postal office could see what a dedicated mailman they have instead of writing him up everytime he comes in a little late.
God Bless you
Sir

[Sherman A1]

36. The only thought I can offer is

(beyond the staying as cool & hydrated as possible), is to when presented with a write-up (and be sure to document everything and involve whatever representation he has available) is to suggest to the supervisory type that is doing so to come out and enjoy some of the delightful weather with him (or less politely... "If your so G**D*** Good Skippy let's see if you can run this route any faster.&quot

And I seriously would not give up the vacation, he needs every bit of it.

[Trillo]

11. Some of the most dedicated workers around.

Postal workers. Work till you drop .

[davisfamily77]

26. SUPERMEN AND WOMEN

It is so true, and does the post office care, nope they will just see another one being buried and hire someone else and move on

God Bless You Trillo

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

13. AC is useless in any delivery truck

So many of them have those open doors all the time....all the cool just drifts out the doors.

[davisfamily77]

27. vans/ac

So true, my husband even was privileged to use their new vans one day, and he said it wasn't worth it, first the doors are extremely hard to open and close, and it takes up more time, because you have to get out the vehicle to open up the back doors to get everything sorted out..
Now I do not know much about all of that, but I do trust my husbands word when he states those vans are not worth it, you run late get written up and your more out of the van and walking then you are in a truck
God Bless you

[kickysnana]

16. Great thread. Postal workers keep America running. (On my list of heroes.)

This one got reported. I cannot believe that this has not been happening all along somewhere.

If my Aunt and I did not have postal service we would be in a nursing home and under someone else's guardianship. UPS does not stop here to pick up every day. Medicine, Medical supplies, Food, Clothing, Household supplies, critical papers for our well being go out and come in every day.

I became disabled at age 32, my Aunt at 56. I was able to successfully raise 2 kids who are doing well and have families of their own. We have had a good life only because there is a Postal Service. We are very grateful and appalled learning what we learned in this thread.

[davisfamily77]

28. Heroes

Yes that is so true, they do pick up food items which makes it harder for them to carry being that most of it is all cans, so they may have to carry it for one whole relay.
but they do it everytime.
God Bless you for looking at them as such.
My husband truly is my hero
Our prayers are with you and your Aunt.

[kickysnana]

35. We are on a truck business mail van route. He goes to the bank next door and then here.

We are a low income seniors building in a business area with regular housing a block behind us and when I moved in the majority of residents were 80-102. Lots of package delivery.

The bigger packages seem to come in a separate delivery here with things book size delivered by our regular carrier. I don't know all the ins and outs only how it works in this building now.

I cannot change the postal system from here and my father-in-law could not change it from inside first as a mail train sorter and then as a main post office sorter. So I am not sure how to answer you but I think you are probably right, I would not do this on a walking route. I have lived in the suburbs with van to mailbox delivery for half my life (beginning and now) and in the city to door with walking routes (married with kids years). Our mail carrier in the city delivered from a van also a block at a time in the city. Large packages he would pull up to the house, we were on a hill, so he would come up in the driveway, after the regular delivery with that package maybe a few times a year.

[Brickbat]

17. One of Mr. Brickbat's colleagues on the railroad came down with heat exhaustion a couple weeks ago

on the job (railroading). He ended up in the hospital for an IV. The company is now investigating him. Why? Because it can.

[davisfamily77]

29. investigating the person

See now that just irritates me, it seems he is already going through a lot, but lets see dont investigate how things are being run and how this could of been prevented lets just blame the person so we do not lose out on any money right.
Our prayers are with them
God Bless you for posting this up
Its time for us to take a stand and make whats wrong right, and if the Lord allows me or one person here to start the change then I am ready.
Have a bless day

[KurtNYC]

20. There are cooling vests that might be useful in the open trucks

They are worn on your torso so they cool your body very directly and efficiently. They are used by firefighters and athletes.

Here is one version:
http://www.arcticheatusa.com/

Here is another:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Cooling-Vest-3XLN7?gclid=CKiNzMfKt7ECFcHb4AodAFcAJw&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Safety-_-Workwear-_-3XLN7&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=3XLN7&ef_id=qI5Oobcf4GAAAE7V:20120726144626:s

Too damned hot is becoming the new normal and we need to deal with it. This man's death should be a wake up call to us all.

[davisfamily77]

30. cooling vest

Yes we are thinking about getting our husband/dad one, but 9 out of 10 they would say he is out of uniform, if someone catches him wearing it.
even though it is under his shirt, again its less likely they are worried about the persons well being but they themselves getting wrote up because one of their postal carriers are out of uniform trying to keep himself or herself alive.
God Bless You.
We are going to try getting him one next paycheck and I will keep you updated if they tell him he has to take it or and can no longer where it.

[adigal]

38. Maybe those cooling things that go around your neck

Then he can take it off if he sees any troublemakers.

[Shankapotomus]

39. Please everyone

make sure you have some cold water out for your letter carrier.

[KansDem]

40. When I was growing up in Long Beach, CA, during the 1960s...

...on really hot summer days, my mom prepared a cold pitcher of ice water and a glass filled with ice for the trash collector.

This was during the days when there was only one worker who was both driver and collector. Since large, plastic trash bags weren't "invented" yet, he'd have to work with heavy, metal cans. He'd pull up to the trash cans, get out of the truck and walk around to pick them up and empty into the truck, then place them back on the ground to walk back around the truck to climb in and drive to the next house where the routine was repeated.

We lived on a street that had an "island." One would drive down one side then make a U-turn to drive down the other side. We lived in the last house on the corner.

When my mom heard the trash truck start down our street, she prepared the ice-water offering for me to take out to the trash collector. By the time the truck made the U-turn and was approaching our house, I'd be waiting at the curb with the pitcher and glass.

The trash collector really appreciated it! He'd be perspiring profusely and looking tired, but the ice-water always perked him up.