From Deseret News archives:
Postal-worker complaints probed
Group sending rep to Provo to resolve conflict
"We hope to have some firm plans by Friday," said Mary Martinez, a regional administrative assistant for the letter carriers union, which helps protect postal worker rights.
Martinez works for a regional representative in Washington state but visited Utah earlier this month to investigate complaints of employees from the Provo post office at 95 W. 100 South. After interviewing close to 100 employees, she said that concerns surfaced regarding the "work climate."
"The work environment seems to be pretty poor," Martinez said. "There's communication and trust problems."
The NALC launched its investigation after learning that two postal workers were disciplined for taking time off work after the deaths of immediate family members.
One of the employees lost a father. The other lost a son in the Dec. 26 avalanche in Provo Canyon that killed three local men. Both felt punished for their loss.
"The employees themselves felt they were disciplined because it was administered along the same lines as disciplinary action," Martinez said.
Robert Vunder, a Provo post office representative, denies Martinez's claims, saying the union "misinterpreted" the action. He said there is an ongoing investigation into other employee complaints.
"There was no discipline that was issued," Vunder said. "That was erroneously reported and misinterpreted by the union."
Since the U.S. Postal Service has no "whistle-blower" protection for its employees, any worker who speaks publicly to a media organization could be terminated. For that reason, all postal workers contacted by the Deseret Morning News declined to comment.
Speaking out at this point will only exacerbate the problem, Martinez said. She thinks that a peaceful resolution will be reached this week when she meets with Utah's district manager for the Postal Service.
Both the employees and supervisors seem anxious to improve working condition, she said. Most of the postal workers enjoy their jobs and don't want to leave as a result of minor disagreements.
"These problems are correctable," she said, "but they need some help from an outside source."
E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com
