May 19, 2026
(This article appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
Workplace safety and the health of postal workers are not just priorities; they are fundamental rights. Workplace safety is central to everything we do as a union, organizing, bargaining, and advocating for our members. Right now, that mission is more important than ever.
We are at a critical moment where protections that workers have fought decades to secure are being weakened. This Workers’ Memo-rial Day served as both a time of remembrance and a call to action. The fight for safe working conditions is ongoing, and we must stand firm against efforts to roll back protections that save countless lives.
This year marks important milestones for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which both reach 55 years of service. These agencies were created because working people demanded better, and unions organized, spoke out, and insisted that no one should risk their life to earn a living, and every worker deserves a safe job. Since then, unions have continued to push for stronger standards, better enforcement, and real accountability. Those efforts have created safer workplaces and prevented injuries, illnesses, and deaths. But today, those gains are under serious threat. Years of underfunding has weakened the system. Reduced staffing and resources, paired with recent attacks on regulatory agencies, have stretched worker safety protections dangerously thin.
Each day, nearly 385 U.S. workers are killed by workplace hazards—including 15 from traumatic injuries and 370 from occupational diseases, and over 8,600 suffer preventable injuries or illnesses. Yet, safety enforcement has reached a historic low. OSHA is operating with fewer inspectors than ever; at the current pace, it would take nearly 200 years to inspect every U.S. workplace. Even more concerning, the funding allocated per worker is minimal, far too little to ensure meaningful oversight.
When enforcement is weakened, the consequences are predictable. Without proper oversight, too many employers fail to uphold even the most basic safety standards. Cuts to inspections, investigations, and enforcement increase the risk for every worker on the job.
We are also seeing broader efforts to dismantle the regulatory framework that protects workers. Attempts to weaken safety standards, eliminate protections, and slow or halt the development of new regulations threaten decades of progress, make it harder for OSHA to do its job, and prevent it from improving safety standards that benefit all workers.
Current workplace safety laws remain insufficient in many areas. Penalties for violations are often too low to serve as an effective deterrent. Workers who speak out about unsafe conditions continue to face retaliation, and serious hazards such as extreme heat, workplace violence, infectious diseases, and exposure to harmful chemicals remain inadequately addressed. These are real and present dangers that demand attention and action.
Therefore, we must recommit ourselves to the fight for safer workplaces. That means standing together on the workroom floor, at the bargaining table, and in the halls of government. We must hold the Postal Service accountable for maintaining safe working conditions, push for stronger enforcement, demand that our government invest in the necessary resources to protect all workers effectively, and continue advocating for dignity and respect on the job.
For union members, having a voice at work is not just about wages or benefits, it can be a matter of life and death. Collective bargaining gives workers the power to demand safer conditions, better protections, and a more secure future for themselves and their families. We will continue to hold the line, defending the rights we have won and fighting for the protections we still need. Because at the end of the day, every worker deserves to return home safely to their loved ones.
That is not too much to ask. It is a fundamental right.
