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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There were issues in the work environment, lousy
contracts, low wages, over stressed working conditions (doubled up work loads),
and health care benefit issues.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Apparently letter carriers have had physical
injuries due to being weighed down by what used to be just a load of mail
in their satchel, but now also includes carrying extra mail on their
arm, while on longer routes but with the same pay. They are also required
to continue these walk routes no matter what the winter weather happens to be
and have suffered frost bite etc. in hours of below zero temperatures.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are also stories of workers </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>being stood behind by management, who time them using a stop
watch while sorting the mail or while on breaks. Some supervisors have been
reported as (and admitted to) spying on route carriers in unmarked cars or
simply following them to make sure their route is eight hours long. If you do
bad on route or in the mail room you get written up and followed more, if you do
well you are given larger loads. Supervisors have been told to be strict on
workers for small infractions and routinely call workers "bodies", this and
other behaviors cause workers to feel they are treated as less than human. There
is even a story where a woman's house was on fire, the supervisor was called and
told, but did not notify the woman until her route was finished, her
father died in the fire. Apparently the supervisor didn't want anyone to take
her place, because he would then have to give the replacement
carrier "overtime" wages, so he wanted to keep her. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Workers often experience repetitive motion injuries
as well as the mental numbness and back troubles. This has become a larger
problem with the jump in the amount of mail being processed. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gina "Nanogirl" Miller<BR>Nanotechnology
Industries<BR><A
href="http://www.nanoindustries.com">http://www.nanoindustries.com</A><BR>Personal:
<A
href="http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html">http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html</A><BR>Foresight
Senior Associate <A
href="http://www.foresight.org">http://www.foresight.org</A><BR>Nanotechnology
Advisor Extropy Institute <A
href="http://www.extropy.org">http://www.extropy.org</A><BR>Tech-Aid Advisor <A
href="http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html">http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html</A><BR>Email:
<A
href="mailto:nanogirl@halcyon.com">nanogirl@halcyon.com</A><BR>"Nanotechnology:
Solutions for the future."<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR>> > At 09:24 PM 9/8/2004 -0700, Spike wrote:<BR>> >
<BR>> > >Has anyone an explanation of why postal workers were
going<BR>> > >postal there for a while?<BR>> >
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