Dear John,

Did your gifts arrive on time, or is your granddaughter still waiting for her present to arrive? Well, unless you waited until the last minute, you can likely blame Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

But the truth is, the problems with DeJoy’s failed leadership are a lot worse than late delivery of mail.

In the worst case scenario, a combination of understaffing, negligence, and falsification of records to cover up the negligence led to the death of a US Postal Service worker earlier this year.

That’s why we need to demand Congress investigate Louis DeJoy and ensure the safety of our USPS postal workers now.

Under DeJoy’s leadership, USPS workers across ten states have indicated they did not receive mandated Heat Illness Prevention Program (HIPP) training, but their records were falsified to say they did. Meanwhile, productivity demands increased following the layoffs of tens of thousands of workers.

Then, during the record-breaking heat in Dallas this summer, 66-year-old letter carrier Eugene Gates collapsed and died while delivering mail.

An autopsy found the cause of death to be due to extreme heat combined with underlying heart disease, though Gates had felt well before starting his route that morning. The temperature in Dallas that day was 98 degrees, with a heat index of 115 degrees, but rather than learning strategies for coping with the heat, workers were pushed to increase productivity.

To date, Gates’ widow, Carla Gates, says she has never received any word of condolence from upper management. Following Gates’ death, however, workers did receive a message from management saying "BEAT THE HEAT!!! NO STATIONARY EVENTS; KEEP IT MOVING!"

A “stationary event” is when a letter carrier’s tracking device indicates the vehicle is not moving. Ms. Gates says he had received a disciplinary letter for a stationary event just a month before his death -- his first disciplinary action in 36 years. Having received this disciplinary action may have pushed Gates to exceed his physical limitations, resulting in his collapse and death.

"It made me feel like my husband was just a number. You put in 36 years -- and then it's goodbye. That's how I felt… Let these employees be properly trained to be prepared for the extreme heat and the change of our weather."

- Carla Gates, widow of postal worker Eugene Gates

Still, USPS workers are not being trained on prevention and management of heat illness, breaks are discouraged, and OSHA citations are being dismissed. Trump-holdover DeJoy, who should have been ousted long ago, is responsible for protecting USPS workers under his leadership.

Tell Congress to step in and ensure that our letter carriers’ safety is of primary importance. Demand an investigation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy by adding your name now.

DeJoy must finally be removed from office by the Postal Service Board of Governors to prevent the further destruction of the Postal Service, but Congress doesn’t have to wait for that to start holding him accountable now.

Thank you for your attention to this human tragedy, and to efforts to correct this mismanagement starting at the top of the USPS.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action