{"article":{"id":28311,"heading":"Picket with Long Beach Postal Workers this Friday!","author":"Campus Progressives","created":"2003-02-07 07:11:23","modified":"2013-11-10 23:48:30","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 06:48:30","article":"
My name is Treasure Ortiz and I am writing to tell you that a great injustice is going on at our local post office. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with you. Right now as you read this letter, the Mail Carriers Union is being broken down by the government. There are upper level managers treating the workers like garbage and nothing is being done about. If this continues and our mail service will be affected, there is no doubt in my mind that George Bush will see this as an opportunity to Privatize the Mail. This would have great effects on our service and it would put more
government monitoring and control in our lives. So, what I'm asking you to do is help these workers. There will be a picket on Friday Feb. 7th at 4:00pm on
the corner of Spring and Bellflower. I know that this is short notice but, I would like to ask you to try and be there. Attached is a letter that has more detail on the matter.
Thank You and Hope to see you there
Treasure Ortiz
Employees at Spring Carrier Annex urgently need your HELP, not tomorrow, yesterday. The station manager Mrs. Debra Pendleton at Spring Carrier Annex, 3019
Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California, is making the lives of every employee (including her own supervisors) a living HELL. The number of sick
calls is up dramatically because everyone fears the day she pushes someone too far and violence erupts. She is a danger to every employee. In addition,
the number of grievances has reached epidemic proportions.
At this time, there are five (5) EEO grievances in the works. Antoinette Thomas, Michael Hall, Milly Jones, Juan Barios, and finally Mrs. Lori Reed (Supervisor) I understand, even as you read this letter, Lynette Pritchard is meeting with officials to confirm that she has grounds to file another EEO grievance, with more to come. There is talk among the employees about going to the ACLU or the NAACP, asking them to set up pickets around the facility.
At one point, a rap session was called by Branch 1100, so the employees could discuss the problems at Spring Carrier Annex. John Jackson-Senior Vice
President and Chris Jackson-Fourth Vice President represented the union. The employees are extremely angry about the most unprofessional way they are
being treated.
Here are several examples: When a carrier is unable to complete their route in the time allotted, they call the office for instructions. If they are told to finish the route, they return to the office, when all of the mail has been
delivered. Several carriers reported that when they returned to the office, they were told that Mrs. Pendleton (who had gone home) wished to speak to them on the telephone. She began screaming at them in a very unprofessional manner, berating them for being late, even though they had received instruction to deliver all the mail.
One of the toilets in the women's bathroom was out of service for at least
three months. Mrs. Pendleton was informed innumerable times but failed to
act. The union shop steward finally got so disgusted, he called maintenance
to get it repaired and was told that they had never received a work order.
For several days the facility, with over 100 employees, had no toilet paper,
everyone complained to no avail. The union shop steward filed a safety hazard
report. Postmaster Ed Jenkins, said it was not a safety problem and anyone
using the rest room should check for toilet paper first.
Mrs. Pendleton continues to be moved from facility to facility only after
there are many grievances filed. The Postal officials, in order to conceal
trouble supervisors, uses the same procedures the Catholic church used to
conceal pedophile priests.
A supervisor told the employees that, \"the union means nothing, the contract
means nothing\" Supervisors can do anything they please. Long Beach management
will protect them regardless of what they do.
We realize that the union has no jurisdiction over mail delivery, but Mrs.
Pendleton, for over a year, has been curtailing vast quantities of mail. It
came to the attention of Long Beach politicians, Congressmen and Senators,
giving them ammunition in their quest to privatize the Postal Service.
Why do Long Beach officials continue to conceal and encourage Mrs. Pendleton
with regard to curtailment of mail? Justifying virtually everything Mrs.
Pendleton does.
What can our union do to prevent them from giving the Republican Party
reasons for privatization?
Everyone is desperate. The mistreatment cannot continue indefinitely.
PLEASE HELP THE EMPLOYEES AT SPRING CARRIER ANNEX.
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