January 12, 2010

Bill Lucini, NBA

9601 James Street

Philadelphia, PA 19114

Re: Toms River Post Office Safety and Health Issues

Dear Bill,

The following safety and health issues/concerns are an accumulation of what the city letter carriers, other craft employees, and officers of NALC Branch 2128 Toms River have brought to my attention since early September 2009.

I have brought these safety issues to the attention of Postmaster Frank Papasso on numerous occasions, the Safety and Health Committee, and the management staff of Toms River.

I have submitted written notification of my concerns and issues and what

I believe to be safety and health hazards or potential safety and health hazards on September 16^th, October 1^st, October 21^st, November 4^th, December 19^th, and December 30^th.

These conditions still exist today as they did in September. The Toms River facility is filthy and an accident waiting to happen.

I have been recently appointed on the South Jersey Safety Task Force.

At my first meeting with the task force, I met Ms. Deborah Jones, Safety Specialist for my area and Mr. Crayson Cheung, POOM and Chairperson for the Task Force.

At that meeting, I voiced my concerns and displeasure with the filthy and hazardous work conditions that exist in Toms River.

Ms. Jones and POOM Crayson Cheung had assured me that we will have their full support when it comes to addressing and remedying safety and health issues, concerns, and violations.

Ms. Jones was invited to attend our Safety and Health Committee Meeting and an Abatement Meeting on December 30, 2009. She arrived in Toms River as scheduled, attended the Abatement Committee Meeting, but did not attend our Safety and Health Committee Meeting.

However, I did give her a copy of my agenda while she took care of other business on the phone.

Postmaster Frank Papasso left our Safety and Health Committee Meeting as soon as it began to take care of some business that he was called for.

The following agenda items were submitted by me for the committee to address:

• 1. Workroom floors need to be swept ... and swept more frequently than it is being swept. There is garbage, rubber bands, tie straps, dirt, and debris all over and throughout the workroom floor area. The aforementioned condition is present when the carriers come into work as well as when they leave.
• 2. Work room floors have garbage and debris lined along the walls; this garbage should be thrown out and not stacked for days at a time.
• 3. Bathroom floors need to be swept. There is toilet paper, newspapers, and dirt there everyday – well beyond what could be expected in a facility this size ... and ... it was never there when we had more custodians on staff.
• 4. Men’s room sinks are filthy – sinks are black with dirt - both when the carriers come to work and when they leave for the day.
• 5. There is mold all around the sinks, on the caulk surrounding the sinks, and in the corners of the walls of the bathroom. I am told that there is mold in the women’s room as well.
• 6. Men’s room exhaust vent grids have dust caked on them. The dust needs to be removed.
• 7. There is thick dirt and dust on top of the ceiling fans and overhead lights.
• 8. Men’s room air fresheners are not replaced often enough. The smell is sickening at times.
• 9. Men’s room door needs to be adjusted – or shaved – so that the door closes and does not stay open for all to see inside.
• 10. Tops of carrier cases need to be dusted.
• 11. Letter carrier cases have not been vacuumed in ages – the separations and cells.
• 12. Workroom floor garbage cans are not emptied frequently enough; garbage overflows and bugs fly around the garbage cans. Live gnats and fruit flies thrive and circulate around our garbage cans.
• 13. Workroom floor garbage can liners need to be replaced, not just emptied of debris. Liners that have liquid poured on them or sticky substances are to be replaced.
• 14. Swing room and offices along that side of building do not have air conditioning ... or if the air conditioning is working, it’s not working properly.
• 15. Empty equipment – such as – empty tubs are left all over the workroom floor area and not picked up and stacked in a centralized area or out of the way.
• 16. Carrier case areas are not being swept on a daily basis or regular basis – or on a frequency to remove potential safety hazards.
• 17. There is mold and caked-up dirt in all corners of the walls along our building; not only inside our bathrooms but along the perimeter of our building and various other locations.
• 18. Workroom floors are not properly sealed on a regular basis. They contain asbestos and are to be sealed on a regular basis.
• 19. Parking lot truck spaces need to be re-lined; the white lines are non-existent in some areas and the spaces need to be re-numbered. This was suppose to have been done.
• 20. Parking lot area needs to be swept; corners of lot need to have garbage and empty equipment removed; corners need to have weeds removed.
• 21. On Saturdays, there are no custodians here. When lights go out or something happens that requires maintenance to act upon it, there is no one here and nothing is done, including the fixing of a light at a carrier’s case. What is going to happen when something major happens and there is a need for a custodian?
• 22. Heating and air conditioning filters need to be replaced. They are filthy and caked with dirt.
• 23. Men’s room sink – far left when facing the mirrors is not operable.
• 24. Carrier vehicles need to be washed ... and they need to be washed on a frequent basis. What is the Postal Services accepted frequency rate?
• 25. Walls – building needs to be painted.
• 26. Dead gnats and bugs are stuck to the walls.
• 27. First-aid kits are not adequately supplied and not replenished
• 28. Workroom floor needs to be yellow-lined with tape designating work area from passage area, etc.
• 29. Handrail is missing from rear dock platform by parcel barn.
• 30. Several overhead lights are out on the rear dock platform.
• 31. West wing drain pipe is either clogged or unattached allowing water to pour and not be diverted.

 

A void in the maintenance craft was created with the loss (death) of custodian Jack Urban in July 2009 coupled with Ron Biederstadt, another maintenance employee taking a position in Trenton. To date, neither position has been filled. We currently have and have had only one maintenance person Carl Sibiga since July 2009.

• Please note that there has been a debate for the last three years in Toms River as to whether the Toms River Post Office is entitled to 3, 4, or 5 custodians.

 

The APWU has filed a grievance over non-compliance of an arbitrated award (the Das Award) to staff the facility back to the MS-47 Handbook in 1983 which would entitle the facility to five custodians. They are awaiting the grievance to be heard.

 

In the meantime, the building is filthy - pure and simple. It needs to be cleaned.

 

At one time management was using clerks in the maintenance craft to supplement the shortfall.

 

The use of clerks in the maintenance craft was obviously better than having no one to perform some of the functions of the maintenance craft when we are short of maintenance personnel.

 

This, however, was not a fix; it was a band aid. Our facility needs to have a sufficient number of permanent and supplemental custodians to adequately keep our building clean and safe.

 

As of this writing, management is not using any clerks to supplement the short fall, nor are they using the one maintenance employee on his non-scheduled day to clean the facility.

 

I had offered the use of letter carriers, on a volunteer basis, to supplement the short-fall of custodians similar to how management used clerks to fill this void.

 

The usage of clerks and carriers would have been a “temporary” fix to get us through the hiring stage for permanent custodians. More than six months have passed. It’s time to have a “permanent” fix.

 

Management is currently using a custodian from Bayville two hours a day – three or four days a week – to help clean the building. The building is still filthy and unsafe.

 

I could have our letter carriers flood the system with legitimate PS Form 1767 Report of a Safety Hazard, call OSHA, contact the Health Department, file grievances, etc. Employees come to me on a daily basis expressing their disgust with the filthy working conditions that we work in.

 

I would like to resolve this matter without having to take the aforementioned measures if I don’t have to.

 

Perhaps you can help me at your level. I am confident that the APWU would be more than willing to join the NALC and address this matter with management.

 

I ask for your advice and guidance in this matter.

 

Yours truly,

 

 

 

Joseph R. Palmerson, President

NALC Branch 2128 Toms River

 

 

cc: NALC Staff

   File

Safety and Health Committee Meeting

December 30, 2009

NALC Agenda Items

The following safety and health issues/concerns are an accumulation of what the city letter carriers, other craft employees, and officers of NALC Branch 2128 have brought to my attention since early September 2009.

I have brought these safety issues on several occasions to the attention of Postmaster Frank Papasso, the committee, and the management staff of Toms River.

I have submitted written notification of my concerns and issues and what

I believe to be safety and health hazards or potential safety and health hazards on September 16^th, October 1^st, October 21^st, November 4^th, and December 19^th.

These conditions still exist today as they did in September. Our facility is filthy and an accident waiting to happen.

I have been recently appointed on the South Jersey Safety Task Force. At my first meeting with the task force, I met Ms. Deborah Jones, Safety Specialist for our area and Mr. Crayson Cheung, POOM and Chairperson for the Task Force.

Ms. Jones and POOM Crayson Cheung have assured me that we will have their full support when it comes to addressing and remedying our safety and health issues, concerns, and violations.

I thank Postmaster Frank Papasso for inviting Ms. Jones to attend our Safety and Health Committee and Abatement Meeting.

The following is submitted as a list of agenda items for the committee:

1. Workroom floors need to be swept ... and swept more frequently than it is being swept. There is garbage, rubber bands, tie straps, dirt, and debris all over and throughout the workroom floor area. The aforementioned condition is present when the carriers come into work as well as when they leave.

2. Work room floors have garbage and debris lined along the walls; this garbage should be thrown out and not stacked for days at a time.

3. Bathroom floors need to be swept. There is toilet paper, newspapers, and dirt there everyday – well beyond what could be expected in a facility this size ... and ... it was never there when we had more custodians on staff.

4. Men’s room sinks are filthy – sinks are black with dirt - both when the carriers come to work and when they leave for the day.

5. There is mold all around the sinks, on the caulk surrounding the sinks, and in the corners of the walls of the bathroom. I am told that there is mold in the women’s room as well.

6. Men’s room exhaust vent grids have dust caked on them. The dust needs to be removed.

7. There is thick dirt and dust on top of the ceiling fans and overhead lights.

8. Men’s room air fresheners are not replaced often enough. The smell is sickening at times.

9. Men’s room door needs to be adjusted – or shaved – so that the door closes and does not stay open for all to see inside.

10. Tops of carrier cases need to be dusted.

11. Letter carrier cases have not been vacuumed in ages – the separations and cells.

12. Workroom floor garbage cans are not emptied frequently enough; garbage overflows and bugs fly around the garbage cans. Live gnats and fruit flies thrive and circulate around our garbage cans.

13. Workroom floor garbage can liners need to be replaced, not just emptied of debris. Liners that have liquid poured on them or sticky substances are to be replaced.

14. Swing room and offices along that side of building do not have air conditioning ... or if the air conditioning is working, it’s not working properly.

15. Empty equipment – such as – empty tubs are left all over the workroom floor area and not picked up and stacked in a centralized area or out of the way.

16. Carrier case areas are not being swept on a daily basis or regular basis – or on a frequency to remove potential safety hazards.

17. There is mold and caked-up dirt in all corners of the walls along our building; not only inside our bathrooms but along the perimeter of our building and various other locations.

18. Workroom floors are not properly sealed on a regular basis. They contain asbestos and are to be sealed on a regular basis.

19. Parking lot truck spaces need to be re-lined; the white lines are non-existent in some areas and the spaces need to be re-numbered. This was suppose to have been done.

20. Parking lot area needs to be swept; corners of lot need to have garbage and empty equipment removed; corners need to have weeds removed.

21. On Saturdays, there are no custodians here. When lights go out or something happens that requires maintenance to act upon it, there is no one here and nothing is done, including the fixing of a light at a carrier’s case. What is going to happen when something major happens and there is a need for a custodian?

22. Heating and air conditioning filters need to be replaced. They are filthy and caked with dirt.

23. Men’s room sink – far left when facing the mirrors is not operable.

24. Carrier vehicles need to be washed ... and they need to be washed on a frequent basis. What is the Postal Services accepted frequency rate?

25. Walls – building needs to be painted.

26. Dead gnats and bugs are stuck to the walls.

27. First-aid kits are not adequately supplied and not replenished

28. Workroom floor needs to be yellow-lined with tape designating work area from passage area, etc.

29. Handrail is missing from rear dock platform by parcel barn.

30. Several overhead lights are out on the rear dock platform.

31. West wing drain pipe is either clogged or unattached allowing water to pour and not be diverted.

There is an obvious void in the maintenance craft with the loss (death) of Jack Urban coupled with Ron Biederstadt taking a position or being detailed in Trenton.

Regardless of whether we are entitled to 3, 4, or 5 custodians, the building is filthy - pure and simple. We need to get it cleaned.

We were using clerks in the maintenance craft to supplement the shortfall.

 

Using clerks in the maintenance craft is obviously better than having no one to perform some of the functions of the maintenance craft when we are short of maintenance personnel. This is not a fix; this is a band aid. We need to have a sufficient number of permanent custodians and supplemental custodians to adequately keep our building clean and safe.

 

I have offered the use of letter carriers, on a volunteer basis, to supplement the short-fall of custodians similar to how you used clerks to fill the void that exists.

 

Again, the usage of clerks and carriers should be a “temporary” fix. It is now time to have a “permanent” fix.

 

Additionally, I feel that the members of the Toms River Safety and Health Committee should receive a copy of whatever safety and health concerns and issues that either exist or are brought to the attention of the installation head just as we have received a copy in the past prior to an abatement meeting.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Joseph R. Palmerson, President

NALC Branch 2128 Toms River

December 29, 2009

 

 

cc: TRPO Safety & Health Committee

   D. Jones, Safety Specialist SNJD

   W. J. Lucini, NBA

 

 

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