Statewide Day of Action: Postal workers demand enhanced protections amid rising violence

CHICAGO - Letter carriers and their supporters rallied to demand improved safety measures during a statewide day of action.

Eight organizations joined forces to prioritize the protection of postal workers, who have faced increasing dangers on the job.

Union leaders report that over the past two years, more than 140 letter carriers have been attacked in Chicago alone.

The rally featured prominent supporters, including Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Congressman Chuy Garcia, and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, all calling for immediate action from the Postmaster General and elected officials. They are urging the implementation of policies and legislation that will protect those who provide essential public services.

The need for reform was highlighted by the tragic July killing of Octavia Redmond, who was shot while on her mail route in West Pullman.

In March, the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act was introduced in both chambers of Congress. This proposed legislation seeks to amend sentencing guidelines to treat assaults or robberies against postal employees with the same severity as those against law enforcement officers.

A spokesperson for USPS released the following statement: 

"We respect our employees’ rights to express their opinions and participate in informational picketing while off the clock. Through our Delivering for America investments, we have built capacity into our processing, logistics, and delivery infrastructure to meet customers’ evolving mail and package needs. We are executing on strategies to pull together the people, technology, transportation, equipment, and facilities into a well-integrated and streamlined mail and package network. We have worked hard in past 3 years to stabilize our workforce. We have converted more than 191,000 pre-career employees to career status since January 2021."