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Going Postal.Pdf This book is written from an insider’s perspective. It is based significantly on my thirty-four years experience with the United States Postal Service. I felt compelled to write the book for two important reasons: First, the postal culture, beginning in 1997, progressively worsened. Second, the last postal district I worked at became a toxic workplace for many of its employees during the last year of my employment as an internal consultant. In good conscience, I could not turn a blind eye to postal management’s blatant display of arrogance at the highest level of the organization. I couldn’t ignore the lack of accountability for unethical organizational practices and behaviors and not bring it to the attention of the American public, the press, and, most importantly, to Congress. In chapter ten, I argue that it is a moral obligation for public and private organizations to create healthy organizations. It is no less a moral obligation for pub- lic policy makers to create the tone and the legislative requirements to ensure that healthy organizations become the norm in this country. In writing this book, it became my mission to comprehensively investigate these con- cerns and lack of accountability in the context of workplace violence in the Postal Service and its postal culture. As a result of this examination, I provide an answer to the question: Why has there been so much violence in the Postal Service and what can be done to prevent it? Accordingly, as a chief part of my motivation for writing this book, it became neces- sary to demonstrate how, as a result of this comprehensive investigation, the Postal Service could shift from an unsafe and unhealthy organization to a safe and healthy one. It would have served no useful purpose just to explore what was not working and not offer viable solutions. Copyright © 2009 Stephen Musacco In Part 1 of the book I explore the prevalence of workplace violence in the United All rights reserved. States and the Postal Service. In this examination, I discuss twenty-seven incidences ISBN: 1-4392-2075-1 of postal tragedies, from 1983 to 2006. ISBN-13: 9781439220757 In Part 2, I review the notion of “going postal”, especially in the context of the Visit www.booksurge.com to order additional copies. Califano Report. This review is critical because the Califano Report has been a cen- tral part of the Postal Service’s public relations efforts to frame the notion of going the dismay of postal unions, with retail chain stores named “Goin Postal,” an agree- postal as a myth. ment that gives the “Goin Postal” chain, with three hundred stores nationwide, the benefits of being part of the USPS “Approved Shipper” program. It is very telling and The Califano Report’s importance is revealed by how the national media reacted to interesting that the Postal Service would enter an agreement with a company bear- it, especially national magazines and newspapers. If you Google “going postal as a ing this name. For the last fifteen years, they have engaged in an arduous publicity myth,” for example, there are still archived articles from the national media empha- campaign to combat the assignment of this stereotype to postal employees. sizing the major conclusions and findings of the Califano Report. The uncertainty and anxiety of postal employees is probably higher than anytime In Part 3, from an insider’s perspective, I examine the Postal Service’s workplace in recent history. Like other companies, the Postal Service is struggling under the violence prevention efforts. The building blocks of the postal culture are detailed impact of a national recession. Mail volume has declined while delivery points have in Part 4. I discuss in detail the impact of this postal culture, from an insider’s increased. Besides the contracting efforts previously mentioned, early-out opportu- perspective, on postal employees and their families. nities, with penalties, have been offered to all employees. In light of a 7.9 billion dol- lar deficit for the last two years, the Postal Service is reviewing its option of lay-offs Finally, in Part 5 of the book, I provide requirements and recommendations to top for the first time in its history and all positions have been “frozen.” Furthermore, the postal management and congressional leaders that, if implemented, will serve to Postal Service requested that the management associations consider agreeing to make the Postal Service a safer and healthier organization for its employees. have their salaries frozen. The Postal Service is at a crossroad in its history. The private mailing industry has When turmoil, anxiety, and anger are at high levels, there is an increased potential for aligned itself with the Postal Service Board of Governors (BOG) and the Bush admin- workplace violence. How the Postal Service reacts to the numerous changes that are istration to contract core postal operations. Since 2006, these events have heated transpiring, both externally and internally, is critically important. Besides attention to up and employees have been caught in the middle. the “bottom line,” the organization needs to pay careful attention to the well-being of its employees by creating a “participative culture” with its unions, management Besides contracting of city letter positions in cities across the country in 2007, the organizations, and its employees. Postal Service also submitted a plan to Congress in 2008 to consolidate their net- work of processing centers and to contract out mail processing and transportation In writing this book, multiple audiences were considered, including: 1) rank and file services. In 2008, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) contracted with a private postal employees and their family members, 2) postal management and union of- vendor to conduct a comprehensive study on the Postal Service’s “Universal Service ficials, 3) human resources professionals, 4) arbitrators and administrative judges, 5) Obligation.” professionals in the field of workplace violence, organizational development, orga- nizational psychology, business management, and occupational health psychology, If the universal service requirement can be relaxed by congressional legislation, and 6) members of Congress and their staff. or the USPS is allowed to contract postal core services, this means huge profits for many of these contractors involved in the mailing industry. It would mean the “Wal- It is important to note as background information: The United States mailing indus- Martinizing” of future employees who will transport, process, and deliver public and try is a 900 billion dollar enterprise, employing about three million employees. The private mailings. No major action is likely on these issues until after the new Con- Postal Service is the third largest employer in the country, behind Wal-Mart and the gress is sworn in on January 21, 2009. Department of Defense. It employs approximately seven hundred thousand em- ployees and has a vast network of over four hundred mail processing plants and In addition to well-orchestrated efforts to contract delivery, mail processing, and thirty-seven thousand post offices. The Postal Service had a 5.1 billion dollar debt in transportation services, there have been efforts to expand contracting for retail ser- fiscal year 2007 and a 2.8 billion dollar deficit in fiscal year 2008. vices. A prime example of these efforts is the Postal Service agreement in 2008, to Book Sections ………………………………………………………………… *Part One (Chapters 1-2) The Specter of Workplace Violence 1-20 Part Two (Chapters 3-4) ”Going Postal”: Myth or Reality? 21-34 Part Three (Chapter 5) Overview of the U.S. Postal Service’s Workplace Violence Prevention Efforts 35 **Part Four (Chapters 6-9) Looking at the Big Picture: The “Fallout” of an Unhealthy Organizational Culture 45-108 Part Five (Chapters 10-11) Shifting to a Safe and Healthy Organization 109-137 *Includes Appendices A-B **Includes Appendices C-E Book Chapters ……………………………………………………………………… Chapter One Introduction: What is Workplace Violence? 1 Chapter Two Specter of Workplace Violence in the United States and Postal Service 11 Chapter Three Making the Case: “Going Postal” a Myth? 21 Chapter Four Let’s Examine the Record: ”Going Postal” a Reality? 27 Chapter Five A Closer Look: The Postal Service’s Violence Prevention Efforts 35 Chapter Six Building Blocks of the Postal Culture 45 Chapter Seven A Paramilitary, Authoritarian Postal Culture? 53 Chapter Eight Postal Culture from an Insider’s Perspective 73 Chapter Nine Impact of Postal Culture on Postal Employees, Families, and Organization 97 Chapter Ten Creating and Maintaining a Healthy Organization 109 Chapter Eleven Oversight and Accountability: Open Letter to U.S. Congress 123 Book Appendices…………………………………………………………………… Appendix A Psychological and Physical Aggression in the Workplace: Its Prevalence, Source, and Impact 139 Appendix B Profile of Workplace Tragedies in the U.S. Postal Service 149 I would like to thank postal employees throughout the country for sharing their sor- rows and hopes with me, in my role as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) repre- Appendix C Impact of Strategic Plans and Congressional sentative and as a Workplace Improvement Analyst. This book is dedicated to them. Oversight on Postal Culture 163 My hope is that information contained herein is used to enrich their workplace envi- Appendix D Impact of Internal Stakeholders ronments, well-being, and family life. on Postal Culture 179 This book is also dedicated to Patricia Anne Shea, M.S.W. She was steadfast in her Appendix E Impact of Postal Law Enforcement encouragement and belief that I was capable of completing this challenge. With- on Postal Culture 209 out Patricia’s support during the beginning of this effort, it is unlikely that I would have accomplished this task. Finally, this book is dedicated to my beautiful daughter Dominique and a very special person, Neila Jean Bowden. Introduction: What is Workplace Violence? Despite the attention and focus on this important topic over the last forty years, scholars and practitioners in the field have reached no real consensus in defining workplace violence.
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