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Terrorsist Attack
Burrus Update #47, September 12, 2001
APWU and its members join with the citizens of our country in the revulsion of the cowardly acts of terrorism inflicted upon the communities of New York and Washington, D.C., and the passengers of the doomed aircraft. This is the time for all Americans to rally together in healing our wounds and bind our nation.
The post offices in the impacted communities curtailed services on Tuesday, September 11 and employees were placed on administrative leave. While the American Postal Workers Union has differences with some decisions that were made by postal management during this time of crisis, we will defer our public disputes until after the crisis.
The major immediate changes to postal operations are the use of air transportation that has been temporarily suspended throughout the country. Postal management has informed me that upon the opening of the nation's airports space, passenger airplanes will be initially reserved for delayed passengers and their luggage so it will be several days before the major airlines will provide airlift for mail. In the interim, dispatched mail will be converted to ground transportation and the Fed Ex air system until commercial air is available.
The immediate area where APWU headquarters is located was declared an emergency area at 2:PM on Tuesday, September 11 and the occupants of all buildings ordered to vacate. The public street on which our building is located was converted to a staging area for D.C. fire vehicles and closed to traffic. Thus, operations at APWU headquarters were suspended for the balance of the day. I remained in the building until 3:PM in communication with postal officials who had moved their operations to the Bolger academy. As we return to normal operations, we will conduct a thorough review of the USPS emergency procedures put in place during the catastrophe as well as the charge of administrative leave for those employees whose safety was jeopardized.
The New York Metro and Washington, D.C. Southern Maryland Locals had members employed in the facilities decimated by the terrorist acts. Postal retail operations were located at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center but the reports received are that the postal employees assigned survived without injury or loss of life.
William Burrus
President
