On Workers Memorial Day, Take Action for Dignity & Respect at Work:
The Postal Campaign Against Toxic Workplace Environments
April 14, 2023
This year, on Workers Memorial Day, postal workers across the country will take action to demand dignity, respect, and adequate staffing to get the job done.
Each year on April 28, working people around the country commemorate Workers Memorial Day.
The date is the anniversary of the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970, and serves as a day to remember workers killed or injured at work and to redouble the labor movement’s fight to secure safe workplaces for all.
On Friday, April 28, we are kicking off our campaign against one of the biggest safety challenges that we face - toxic work environments.
The culture of bullying and toxicity from managers has created a hostile work environment that makes workers’ lives miserable, hurts everyone’s morale, and, too often, forces dedicated workers out of the service.
This culture is made all the worse by the epidemic of understaffed postal workplaces. For years we have made miracles happen to get mail to its destination from understaffed facilities, but this lack of staffing is taking its toll on our health and safety, on the workplace environment, and on our service to the public.
This toxic environment, together with the crisis of short staffing across the country, is hurting our jobs and is hurting the public.
- Toxic workplaces hurt individual postal workers, who suffer effects on our mental and physical health.
- Toxic workplaces create physical hazards, as workers are unable to meaningfully report dangerous workplaces to managers who refuse to listen.
- Toxic workplaces hurt the service that we provide to the public. They lower morale, drive workers out of the Postal Service, and create a vicious cycle of worsening working conditions and poorer service.
There are several ways to get involved:
- TAKE THE SURVEY: The voice of one person may be ignored. When we all speak up together, we are unstoppable. Take the union survey on Workers Memorial Day to share your experiences.
- WEAR A STICKER: Look out for campaign stickers in the mail to wear on April 28 - Workers Memorial Day - and beyond, in support of our campaign to end toxic workplace environments and short staffing.
- JOIN AN ACTION: Public actions will be happening across the country, find out from your local leadership if one is happening near you, and join in.
On April 28, wear your campaign stickers, attend a local rally, and let management know that it’s time to stop workplace harassment! It’s time to properly staff our workplaces! Visit the campaign page at apwu.org/safe for a full list of downloadable resources and detailed information.
