4 APRIL 9, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Middle Village post offi ce worker says employees will face
repercussions for calling out despite new COVID-19 policy
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM|
@QNS
A USPS mail carrier at the Middle Village post
offi ce told QNS that, much like the Ridgewood
post offi ce, they are short-staff ed and are having
trouble with the increased workload as more and
more employees call out due to what they say is a
lack of communication and proper cleaning of their
facilities amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
“It’s come to the point where they’re not keeping
us informed of anything,” the Middle Village
postal worker said. “Within the past two weeks,
we’ve been getting more and more call outs
from carriers in Middle Village. And those of us
who do come in are getting bombarded with the
workload.”
The Middle Village mail carrier, who’s worked
there for more than three years and asked to
remain anonymous, said they found out that one
of their clerks tested positive for COVID-19 via
Facebook. That clerk wasn’t at the post office for
two weeks, and another supervisor hasn’t been
there for three weeks.
The postal worker said that in response, management
at the 71-35 Metropolitan Ave. location
called for a janitor to do “a quick clean” and have
had brief talks with staff — but the workers still
don’t feel satisfied.
On Monday, March 30, only five out of 20 workers
showed up to work, the Middle Village mail
carrier said, adding that the post office’s vans
aren’t getting properly cleaned, either.
“When I came into work on Monday, there were
discarded gloves and face masks in my van. And
when I told my supervisor, they just gave me
cleaning supplies to clean it out myself. So now
you’re saying I have to clean up after someone
else? The proper procedures aren’t being taken,”
the mail carrier said. “Any equipment we need are
kept under lock and key until we ask for them.”
However, what concerns the Middle Village mail
carrier the most is that when they asked to take
three days off to self-quarantine, their supervisor
told them they need to have a doctor’s note when
they return to work.
“We were just told about a new liberal leave policy,”
they said. “Now, if we want to self-quarantine,
we’re going to see repercussions, like a letter of
warning, dock pay or some sort of suspension.”
The Middle Village postal worker said that they
were under the impression that they should selfquarantine
if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) guidelines note that workplaces should
implement “flexible” sick leave as well as other
supportive policies and practices.
A USPS spokesperson told QNS that USPS updated
their leave policy to allow liberal use of sick
leave to give employees “the ability to stay home
whenever they feel sick, must provide dependent
care, or any other qualifying factor under the
Families First Coronavirus Response Act.”
“We have entered into agreements with our
unions to provide 80 hours of paid leave to noncareer
employees for issues related to COVID-19,
and have expanded the defi nition of sick leave for
dependent care for covered employees to deal with
the closures of primary and secondary schools
across the country,” the USPS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted that when it comes to
repercussions for calling out, the general policy
TheMiddle Village post offi ce on 71-35 Metropolitan Ave. Photo via Google Maps
is that an employee needs to have a doctor’s note
when calling out for three or more days. But if the
employee meets the requirements of the newly
implemented liberal leave due to COVID-19, as well
as union guidelines, there shouldn’t be any issues.
They’re handling it all on a case by case basis, and
following CDC and medical authority.
When asked whether USPS is keeping track of
the number of employees who have contracted
the virus and making it available for them as well
as the media, the USPS spokesperson said that as
of Monday, March 30, 207 postal employees have
tested positive for COVID-19.
Only five days prior, the National Postal Mail
Handlers Union reported 65 confirmed cases.
Postal workers across Queens and the U.S. are
dealing with the same set of concerns during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
After QNS reported that only one employee at
the Ridgewood post office, located on 6060 Myrtle
Ave., was confirmed to have COVID-19, another
mail carrier, who asked to remain anonymous,
said that there were actually four confirmed cases
as of Monday, March 30.
“If you have more than four people who have
COVID-19, you should shut it down and clean.
Don’t require a janitor or custodian to do their
normal cleaning because that’s not enough,” the
Ridgewood post office mail carrier said. “You
can’t sit up here and say it doesn’t affect us. You’re
playing with people’s lives.”
The USPS spokesperson said they have no additional
confirmations at this time. “We use medical
provider and/or medical health reports for a highlevel
confirmation,” the spokesperson said.
The Ridgewood mail carrier said that after
they were informed of the positive cases a week
prior when they clocked into work, many people
walked out because they believed they weren’t
getting clear answers from management. The
Ridgewood mail carrier said that their union
president showed up, but they still didn’t receive
any answers.
The Ridgewood mail carrier added that they
normally have about 80 people at the post office,
but there have only been 15 to 20 people showing
up in the last week — which has caused mail to pile
up and made it harder to properly clean.
“I recently contacted OSHA to fill a compliant
and was told ‘you’re a federal facility, it’s out of
our district’ and was given a hotline number (888-
364-3065) if I wanted to be tested,” the Ridgewood
mail carrier added.
When asked what measures USPS is taking
to address their employees concerns regarding
cleanliness, the USPS spokesperson said “on a
very limited basis, we consider contract cleaners
to bridge staffing. If used, this is not different
cleaning than our staff would be doing as we follow
CDC guidelines.”
The USPS spokesperson said they’re ensuring
millions of masks, gloves, cleaning and sanitizing
product are available and distributed to more
than 30,000 locations every day throughout the
Postal Service supply chain.
When asked what policies they’re putting in
place to help their workforce, the USPS spokesperson
said that they have implemented “measures at
retail facilities and mail processing facilities to
ensure appropriate social distancing, including
through signage, floor tape, and ‘cough/sneeze’
barriers.”
They’ve also changed delivery procedures to
eliminate the requirement that customers sign
their Mobile Delivery Devices for delivery, among
other new procedures.
Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng said that
her office spoke with the Ridgewood post office
to ensure that the people of Ridgewood, Glendale,
Maspeth, and Middle Village get their essential
mail, while protecting their staff.
“Our postal workers are among the essential
employees who are making huge sacrifices to
help our neighborhoods get through this crisis,”
Meng said. “Every single precaution must be
taken to protect their health and safety, and the
safety of the public. My office has spoken with the
Postal Service’s area manager who works with
the Ridgewood Post Office. They say they are
aware of the need to deliver people’s mail, and
know how vital it is to ensure that postal workers
feel that they are protected. Officials are working
on a solution. As mail service resumes, they will
prioritize the delivery of important pieces of mail
that constituents need, and for which they have
been patiently waiting.”
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