11/18/2025
A grievance was filed after workers warned that a machine was unsafe less than 90 days before a worker died.
The USPS tells us in ELM 665.15 to follow instructions and then grieve. That puts carriers in a terrible spot. If it is unsafe, immoral, or illegal, you should not follow it, but if you do not, management can discipline you for failure to follow instructions. If you do follow the instructions and something goes wrong, management often forgets they ever gave the order. As we have seen too many times, management would rather climb a tree to lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth, especially when it is their fault.
This is not an isolated problem. We have seen it before. Eugene Gates, a City Carrier, died after being pressured and intimidated during an investigative interview. He was a tenured carrier, close to retirement, and during the interview he was told, "This interview may lead to discipline up to, and including, termination." This shows how carriers can be put in impossible situations, and when tragedy strikes, the system acts like nothing happened. These are not just mistakes. These are the results of policies and practices that put workers at risk and leave them exposed when things go wrong.
This is why we grieve the small things, before big things come to fruition. Grievances are not just paperwork. They are how we protect ourselves and hold management accountable. They create a record. They create evidence. They give us leverage when the system tries to blame the worker instead of the problem. But the grievance process can be slow. Critical safety issues cannot wait. That is why carriers should also document unsafe work conditions immediately using PS Form 1767, report it to their supervisor, and notify their union steward. That record can help protect you while the formal grievance process moves forward. If you are told to do something unsafe or questionable, document it, report it, and file a grievance. Follow the rules, but make sure there is a record. That record could be the difference between someone being hurt and someone being protected. Never do anything you feel is unsafe or could risk harm to yourself or others.
Management will never volunteer the truth. They will never admit their mistake. They would rather invent a story or pretend it never happened than take responsibility. That is why we have to use the tools the system gives us, even if the system makes it complicated and unfair. Grievances are one of those tools. Use them. Protect yourself. Protect your fellow brothers and sisters of every craft.
