Two-Year Independent Postal Commission Study Finds:
“Going Postal” Is a Myth“

According to the report of the independent United States Postal Service Commission on A Safe and Secure Workplace, “Going Postal” is a myth. The report concluded that postal workers are no more likely to physically assault, sexually harass or verbally abuse their coworkers than other employees in the national workforce.

This report was prepared by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. The report came out of a two-year study that found that postal workers are only a third as likely as other individuals in the workforce to be victims of homicide at work.

Retail workers are eight times likelier than postal employees to be homicide victims at work and taxi drivers are 150 times likelier than letter carriers to be homicide victims at work.

This report includes the most comprehensive survey ever conducted of violence in the American workforce. Of the nearly 12,000 postal workers and 3,000 employees surveyed in the national survey, one in 20 workers were physically assaulted at work in the past year. More than one in six employees were sexually harassed at work (14% of postal workers and 16% of those in the national workforce. Approximately one third of all workers reported being verbally abused at work.

The Commission also found that postal workers were no more likely than other workers to be victims of physical assault by co-workers. Interestingly enough, postal workers were found to be less likely to be victims of physical assault by outsiders.

Postmaster General William J. Henderson established the independent commission in 1998. The goal was to develop steps that the Postal Service could take to make its post offices and related facilities as safe as possible. Former UAW president, Douglas A. Fraser is a member of the commission.

The Commission survey found postal employees to be less angry, aggressive, hostile, depressed and stressed than those workers in the national workforce. The study also found postal workers to be better at coping. Postal employees’ attitudes about work, management, and co-workers are no more negative than those employees in the national workforce.

Although postal workers were nearly six times more likely than the national workforce to believe that they are more likely to be victims of violence, the reality is that the likelihood is almost the same (4% vs. 3%). Postal workers reported being less confident in management’s fairness and honesty (37% vs. 60%) and postal workers did not agree that their employer takes action to protect them (52% vs. 70%).

In the final analysis, the Commission found that the U.S. Postal Service has comprehensive violence prevention programs but execution needs improving. It was also found that the backlog of grievances and dual compensation system cause friction within the organization. Several recommendations were made for USPS management, unions, and management associations. These include:

• Continuing to set up violence prevention programs already in place and address underlying sources of friction
  
  
• Screen job applicants more carefully for potential violence
  
  
• Clarify policy of zero tolerance for violence and improve employee understanding of the policy
  
  
• Continue violence awareness training for employees with unions having a greater role
  
  
• Assure that warning signals are heeded by improving operation of local teams established to assess threats of violence and respond to violent crises.
  
  
• Improve security by establishing a communications system for carriers, especially in high-crime and remote areas.
  
  
• Assure employees of the confidentiality of the employee assistance program and encourage joint local management/union oversight of the program
  
  
• Limit potential for violence during and after employee terminations by training managers and union official show to handle terminations
  
  
• Increase training to improve interpersonal skills of managers and strengthen incentives to focus managers’ attention on the work environment.
  
  
• Agree on a system of financial performance incentives for craft employees.