New Postal

Wild, Wild West?

By Edward P. Fletcher, President

The Postman’s motto of, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” unfortunately needs to be amended to include “except in the case of a robbery.”

The recurring robberies of our Letters Carriers have become a shameful and unfortunate reality. You hear about it on the news from the East Coast to the West Coast that carriers are frequently targeted by criminals. And, not just for the mail and parcels that we carry, but also for our mail keys that open mailboxes and access buildings

The Lawlessness Must Stop!

In the City of Oakland alone in the last 2 years, there have been more than 60 robberies of every kind against letter carriers.

There is the “smash and grab the mail,” the “pop the lock off and grab the mail,” the “assault the carrier and grab the mail” and the “armed robbery.” Of course, the worst by far is armed robberies.

Unbelievably, some Oakland carriers have been robbed more than once. In fact, on February 1, 2023, a North Oakland carrier was punched in the face without warning and robbed for his Postal keys. That was the second time he had been robbed. This robbery was reported on Channel 2 News. The first time he got robbed was on the same North Oakland Street in 2001. In the 2001 robbery, the perpetrators came from behind and said they had a gun and told him to give them the mail.

On February 2 and 3, 2023 in the Martinez Post Office, two more carriers were robbed the same week. The first robbery was a “smash and grab” the mail on February 2nd. On February 3rd the letter carrier had the keys snatched out of his hand and the perpetrator stole his LLV. On a positive note, the dumb bunny criminals left the scanner in the stolen LLV, and the Postal Inspectors were able to track them to an apartment building, where they were arrested.

All these robberies are pure lawlessness against our Letter Carriers, who are Federal employees. Armed robbery of an USPS employee is a violation of Title 18, U.S. Code Section 2114, and is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. All of these thieves need to be fully prosecuted and brought to justice for their crimes.

Protecting Yourself

So, what should you do if you are being robbed? Should you fight back at all costs to protect the U.S. mail? No, the mail can be replaced. Should you wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care and become loud and belligerent to scare the criminals away? No, you won’t scare them and might provoke them even more. Should you threaten them? No, violence is not the answer. Should you chase them down the street after they steal the mail to get it back? No, that’s not your job.

If you are a victim of an armed robbery, please don’t try to be a hero or try to stop them. It’s simple math. They may have a gun, and you don’t. The stolen items can be replaced, but your life can’t.

If you can, make mental notes of what the perpetrators look like, the vehicles involved and the license plate number and identifying tattoos if any. This information could be helpful for the prosecutors.

I encourage letter carriers to be extremely aware of all individuals around you at all times while delivering and or loading your LLVs. Please report any suspicious activity to management and /or the Postal Inspection Service, who should immediately act to protect you.

Branch Meeting Attendance

Now that the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in many States and Federal Agencies, including the Postal Service, many unions have gone back to regular in-person Branch meetings. Our Branch meetings are on the 4th Tuesday of every month, except in the month of December. It is important that rank and file members attend and participate in their Branch meetings. The Branch meeting is the democratic “heart and soul” of our union.

The Officers give their monthly reports. Issues are discussed, debated, and voted on. For the first time that I can remember, we didn’t have an official branch meeting on January 24, 2023, because we didn’t have a quorum of at least 25 members. We only had 24 members.

Please make every effort to attend our Branch meetings. The union is not just your Full-time Officers and Shop Stewards, it is all of us standing and fighting together in unity and strength to promote the better welfare of all Letter Carriers.

Branch 1111 needs Shop Stewards.

Please speak with your Full-Time Officer or call the Branch at 510-2375111 if you are interested