Jason Thompson, a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS), claimed he was suspended and threatened with termination after using his Facebook profile to complain about extreme working conditions during a snowstorm affecting the region.
Last Monday (26), Thompson arrived at work at the Fairfield post office, 42 kilometers north of Cincinnati, Ohio, and found the parking lot poorly cleared and delivery trucks buried under “60 to 90 centimeters of snow,” he wrote.
“Our mail carriers deliver mail through heat waves, snowstorms, storms, and emergencies, and today they showed up once again, only to be put in danger, with nothing to do and no safe place to work,” Thompson said on his Facebook profile.
“Mail carriers are coming from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and surrounding areas, risking their lives just to get to work, only to be told there is no mail or packages,” he revealed.
“This is not our fault, and this is not a situation we should have to solve. Why don’t we hire a specialized company to dig out all these facilities, instead of having the carriers themselves struggle to dig themselves out?” he asked.
Thompson said that mail carriers were informed they would have to use sick leave or vacation days if they wanted to miss the rest of the shift, despite having nothing to deliver. “This is not how the most dedicated men and women of the United States Postal Service should be treated,” Thompson argued.
Five hours after posting his rant, Thompson said USPS supervisors warned him to remove the post or “there could be repercussions.” “Now I’m being threatened that if I don’t remove this post, I could lose my job! Help, hear us… Please!” he wrote.
About an hour after the first warning, Thompson announced that he had been suspended without pay because of the post. “I was notified that I am on emergency placement without pay! I hope this brings positive changes for everyone,” Thompson lamented.
Speaking to WXIX, a USPS spokesperson said that “the safety of our employees is a top priority, especially during periods of extreme cold. In extreme cold conditions, mail carriers follow established safety precautions.”
“The Postal Service continuously monitors weather conditions and reinforces safety guidance to help ensure that employees can deliver the mail as safely as possible while continuing to provide reliable service to our customers.”
Photo and video: Facebook. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
