Postal Workers Have the Right to a Safe Work Environment

(This article appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)

In 2020, the United States and the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic. It abruptly closed schools, restaurants, and movie theatres, and disrupted the lives of millions of people. But the one thing that kept going was the U.S. Postal Service. Every day, the mail moved throughout the country and was delivered to people’s homes. Every day, thousands of postal employees went to work risking their own health and lives to keep this vital service running for the people living in America. In fact, we lost nearly 400 postal employees due to COVID-19, and tens of thousands more were sickened by the virus.

The pandemic was when the term “essential worker” be-came a household term. Obviously, first responders are essential workers. Medical professionals, some maintenance workers, and even postal employees were also identified as essential workers during the pandemic.

No matter if postal workers are identified by the Postal Service and the public as “essential” or what “emergency” they work through, postal workers—you—have the right to a safe work environment. You have the right to be able to travel to and from work safely. No human being can have the right to decide to travel to and from work if it is unsafe to do so, taken away from them.

During times of emergency like severe storms, flooding, wildfires, or civil unrest, the public still relies on the employees of the Postal Service to deliver their letters, parcels, medicines, and checks. They trust the postal employees and consistently rate the Postal Service as one of the most trusted government agencies in surveys. All postal employees should feel honored by that.

Many of you have heard the unofficial Postal Service motto, “Neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of night stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Many people think that means you have to move the mail, no matter the risk to the postal employees and their safety. This is simply not true.

Management always claims that safety comes first and that postal employees need to work safely. I agree – safety is first. You need to work safely. You also need to be able to commute to and from work safely.

When there is any incident that affects a community and mail delivery, you must insist on and defend your rights to a safe workplace and to be protected from harm due to natural disasters, civil unrest, and any other large-scale emergency. You cannot be expected or required to commute through burning wildlands, floods, on icy roads, or large amounts of snow (which could be any amount depending on where you live in the country), or civil unrest just to get to the post office to work. Your life and safety must come first. You have the right to make that decision.

Our contract demands safety, and it is management’s responsibility to provide that safety. In my opinion, management must recognize when events affecting a community could imperil employee commutes. Local unions have the right to demand the curtailment of postal services in unsafe areas until it is safe to resume operations.

Our contract with the Postal Service includes provisions that allow us to negotiate and implement guidelines for the curtailment or termination of postal operations to conform to orders of local authorities or as local conditions warrant because of emergency conditions. Local leaders and members need to be proactive when conditions are foreseen that could require curtailment and demand that the safety of the employees is put first, including commutes.

Not every event requires curtailment, but when it does, the APWU will vigorously defend and enforce these rights during any emergency, no matter what letter the Postal Service may issue and demand you carry.