Ex-letter carrier speaks out

"The problem with the postal service is that management in the post office has not been held accountable for their actions," said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous.

Since the U.S. Postal Service has no "whistle-blower" protection for its employes, many postal workers are hesitant to publicly speak out against bad management for fear that they'll be terminated.

But the complaints coming out of Provo's post offices aren't unique to Utah. In fact, letter carriers across the nation are upset.

"There are no area managers that care one iota about the feelings and concerns of letter carriers," said Texas letter carrier Mark Hanson. "But you have a majority of workers who just grin and bear it, which is the reason why intimidation and disgust comes from the employees."

Burnett doesn't deny that there are substantial problems with the postal system, but he thinks they can be easily rectified — at least in Provo.

"I think it's the right thing to go ahead and take care of it," he said. "Together, we are going to improve the workplace."

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E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com