Bolick Urges Change After AZ Postal Worker Cooks Steak In Vehicle

TUCSON, AZ — Arizona State Representative Shawna Bolick is asking the USPS to reform its mail carriers' working conditions after an Arizona postal worker cooked a steak in his vehicle. The worker took photographs of his digital thermometer, which routinely showed the vehicle’s interior average temperature at 128 degrees Fahrenheit. The worker also sent Bolick photos of a steak he cooked in his vehicle. The steak had reached an internal temperature of 142 degrees Fahrenheit.

This motivated Bolick to write to Mark Dimonstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union last week. The Arizona Daily Independent News Network obtained a copy of the letter, which starts, “It has come to my attention that quite a few USPS employees over the past few weeks in the Phoenix area have been sent to the emergency room to deal with heat stroke and heat exhaustion. In a few cases, these postal carriers have been hospitalized for several days and at least one was disoriented in their mail truck,” she wrote.

“This is inexcusable,” Bolick continued, citing the average temperatures in excess of 128 degrees that carriers must presently endure. She then wrote about the postal worker who cooked the steak in his vehicle, enclosing photos and reminding Dimonstein that part of the American Postal Workers Union’s mission is "improving your employees’ working conditions."

The final paragraph of Bolick’s letter refers to the July death of a 28-year USPS veteran in Los Angeles County, then an appeal for change. “I implore you to review any safety or incident reports that have been filed and hold necessary hearings to help improve the working conditions of your members because right now they are inhumane,” she asserted. Bolick then requested that Dimonstein contact her office to advise her of their plan of action to reform USPS working conditions.

ABC15.com contacted the USPS to request an interview, but instead, they received this USPS statement: “We want to emphasize the Postal Service works to protect its employees all year through a strong health and safety program. This includes instructions on messaging through the handheld carrier scanners, frequent service talks on recognizing heat illnesses and taking shade or hydration, and street supervision that checks on carriers during the day. Our letter carriers work hard and we appreciate that effort in all conditions.”