During recent intense winter weather throughout many states in the U.S., delivery services were feeling the heat. With as much as a foot of snow in many areas, it was impossible for mail to make its way to many homes. Still, USPS expected its workers to prevail through it all. One Ohio USPS worker decided to speak up when he felt the winter conditions were too dangerous for work. However, USPS responded in the most disrespectful way and it almost cost him everything.
TikToker @kymailman shared a news report showing what happened to Jason Thompson after intense January storms while he was working for USPS. Thompson decided that he was going to express safety concerns on Facebook after he was told he needed to deliver mail in treacherous, snowy conditions. He was frustrated due to “poor communication and safety concerns” and plastered these feelings on social media.
However, in doing so, Thompson nearly lost his job. Even though vehicles were virtually buried in snow and plows were unable to fully clear lots, he was expected to stay quiet and just do his job. One of the aspects he mentioned in his Facebook post was, “Today the United States Postal Service is operating under extreme and dangerous weather conditions, and our carriers are being put in an unacceptable safety situation.” Workers were left with few options during these dangerous conditions. They would have to use sick or annual leave of their own if they decided to call off.
Apparently, USPS didn’t like Thompson speaking out. As a result, they suspended him from his job without pay pending an investigation. Management threatened his job and told him he needed to remove the post or be fired. Thompson didn’t want to comply, as he thought it was important to spread this important news.
After being placed on leave, USPS then reinstated his position. It’s likely that they were receiving bad press for their decision to put him on unpaid leave. He received a message from his supervisor, telling him to return to work the next day. This made Thompson feel uneasy, so he decided to request “stress leave” at his position. Who could blame him after that mess?
One commenter suggested, “Employee safety has never been a top priority!” Another commenter stated, “USPS don’t care about nobody because you are replaceable. I know the feeling.” It’s unclear what Thompson decided to do about his position since being reinstated.
