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Title: Did Toxic Work Environment Contribute to Postal Employee's Suicide?
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Blog Entry: See Story: Police investigate apparent suicide at post office (There is a link for reader comments about the story. The comment count may indicate zero comments, but if you click on the link you will find comments that allege a toxic work environment at the Gastonia post office.) Personally, I don't understand why the postal unions aren't all over this problem. Toxic work environments are now endemic throughout the Postal Service, according to feedback I receive at PostalMag.com. When will the unions get on this problem? Let the USPS take care of HR 22. The unions have a crisis on their hands on how their members are being treated, yet they continue to cooperate and sign off on one concession after another. Selected reader comments: engineer123 wrote: I too am a carrier in Gastonia. I am hearing a lot of people bash the current PM and Station Manager, both of whom are deserving of the negative comments that have been previously posted about them. They both are very aware of their wrongdoings. So much that you can actually see the scare in both of their eyes. For the first time since knowing either of them, I think the reality of their constant bullying has finally set in. They are not sorry for what happened, only sorry that someone may actually be able to link them to such a horrific event. All of the previous post have addressed how poorly the Gastonia post office is supervised and managed, however,there is one supervisor that stands out above the rest. This supervisor strives to be fair to all employees and actualy treats the carriers and clerks like they are people and not like he is so much better than them like the PM and SM do. He gets on our level and even jumps in to help whenever it is necessary. I don't think it is fair that this one supervisor is lumped in with the rest. When we were told that this Supervisor would be our new Station Manager, we were all estatic. The problem is, we are still waiting. When will Upper Management ever take the time to realize what the real problems are?? Do you care or are all of your concerns regarding which bar you will meet the PM and Station Manager at after work for beer?????? gladtobout wrote: "Closertothetruth"...very well said in your last post. I worked in Gastonia for almost 9 years, but I am one of the fortunate ones-I GOT OUT before this current regime of idiots took complete control. Supposed to be one office, the two are seperate in union issues and I am sure this is why the Main office took it upon themselves to seek help via a petition. It wasn't to keep anyone from signing it, it was because they felt they had exhausted all of their options and had no other choice. They had sought help from the past president/current 204-b supervisor and never got any. They had gone to the OIG with reports of misdoings and illegal activities by management, but with no action. They went to Senators and Congressmen, with limited or no response. They sought help from the local and national unions, but got a deaf ear from both. The petition at least brought some attention, and even though the carriers complained about the mistreatment by management to the area head man himself....nothing has been done. It was even reported that one carrier said someone would go "postal", and another said the current PM's actions aided the first suicide. Still the PM is there even today. More than one person has mentioned that a shooting could occur, and the PM is still there. How much more has to happen to get the management team investigated and removed. Two of the 204-b's (carriers in management positions) have been caught and reported to OIG for various illegal infractions ranging from changing clock rings(including their own!)and using other supervisor's passwords to much worse. Hell, one of them even had an affair with a married non-postal person in the office after hours....more than once! Still, they are there. The PM and Station Manager both have had several complaints of harassment, and they are still there. There are problems in both offices, whether gr8whitestang wants to admit it or not. EEO's have been filed in both offices and harassment has been documented in both offices. Reports of misdealings from the supervisors on up have been reported. Still no one took them seriously. I applaud someone of Mr Mucasso's stature stepping in. Maybe he can help before the post office sweeps this one under the carpet. It is a career that I loved, but I just got tired of the BS. I have spent the past two days talking to many of my former co-workers, including some former supervisors(who were lucky enough to also get out of Gastonia). You can easily forget how important someone is until something like this happens. I have appreciated the friendships I made there more now than ever before. I hope by posting this that I can in some way help my friends that are suffering this first hand. I hope that through each other's strength that each carrier will bond even closer together and demand action to be taken. It is so unfortunate that a good man, father and husband had to take his life. My condolences to his family, both at home and at the post office. I urge the rest of you guys to bond together and accept nothing less than the complete ouster of the majority of the management team. I urge you to demand a complete investigation into the illegal activities conducted by everyone from the POOM on down to the 204-b's. I know for a fact there is enough physical evidence that some of these people should get time behind bars. Bond together guys and be there for each other. This is not a union issue, but a postal employee issue. From the clerks to the carriers to the custodians, every group has experienced more than their share of grief, even before Tuesday. Stay strong and be vocal! God Bless you all in Gastonia. Martin monkey2000 wrote: Dear Great White Mustang (gr8whitestang), Yes, I understand that the tragedy occurred at the Gastonia postal annex and that the Gastonia main post office city carriers have been reportedly more vocal and traumatized regarding their workplace environment than city carriers at the annex. However, both are under a leadership that has been described to me by two very credible sources as uncaring, ruthless, and past involvement in illegal time-keeping practices. As I stated previously, “where there is smoke, there is fire”. I clearly think that particular idiom is applicable in this instance. I feel I will do more of a service for the family and the public by posting herein what has reportedly occurred at the Gastonia postal facilities and throughout postal facilities nation-wide. I am hopeful that the media in both Gastonia and Charlotte do their jobs to get the "truth" out to the public and expose those who misrepresent it for their own personal agenda. Action to reform the postal culture is necessary now. Postal employees, regardless of rank or position, deserve a postal culture in which the core values of respect, fairness, and validation of dignity, are not empty slogans, but instead are the reality of organizational life. Stephen D. Musacco, Ph.D. Retired, Postal Employee monkey2000 wrote: First of all, I offer my heart felt condolences to the family of the deceased postal employee, his friends, and his coworkers. If necessary, I hope you consider utilizing the free counseling services that are available through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP counselors can be reached at 1-800-327-4968. I was contacted by a relative of an employee at the Gastonia office back in April of this year through my website. She was concerned because of what she reported as a toxic workplace environment at this office, lack of accountability to address employees’ concerns, and that the situation may lead to another workplace tragedy. She indicated that another suicide had occurred in the office several years prior, but in this particular case the employee killed himself at home. Both employees were reportedly city letter carriers. She further indicated several employees have resigned their positions at the office because of the toxic workplace environment and others were suffering from negative psychological and physical effects because of this environment. I was told employees' attempts, mostly city letter carriers, to have their concerns addressed over a two-year period included: EEOs, grievances, unprofessional workplace assessments, contacts to congressional representatives both locally and nationally, contacts to the OIG, and petitions to Charlotte District officials and national representatives of the NALC. I was further told that none of these measures contributed to fully addressing the workplace environment or alleviating its negative impact for the employees at the Gastonia Post Office. Workplace tragedies (i.e., employee related suicides and homicides) are far too common in the USPS. Congress, the national unions, and the national management associations are not doing enough to hold the USPS accountable for creating toxic workplace environments which serve as a catalyst to these tragedies. In my opinion, a significant amount of monies spent by the unions and management organizations on PAC needs to include lobbying the Congress to intervene and take legislative action to reform the postal culture. If this is not done, the postal culture will most likely worsen and its employees will bear the brunt of its harshness and soulless preoccupation with the bottom line. Since the OIG has already has had an opportunity to address employees' concerns at the Gastonia post office, I suggest that either a U.S. Congressional Representative or U.S. senator direct the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a full investigation of this tragedy. Additionally, like Senator Levin did in the Royal Oak investigation, have members of a Senator’s staff investigate this particular tragedy. Action to reform the postal culture is necessary now. Postal employees, regardless of rank or position, deserve a postal culture in which the core values of respect, fairness, and validation of dignity, are not empty slogans, but instead are the reality of organizational life. Donna1953 wrote: That is so very sad. wonder why or what was the reason that this happened?