Local letter carriers with the U.S. Postal Service are at their “breaking point” as they continue to work through rampant burnout, high staff turnover and a pandemic that keeps punching holes in their ranks, a union president in Utah told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Post offices in Salt Lake City, Provo and St. George are all dealing with significant staffing issues, leaving healthy workers sometimes working 12-hour shifts with only one day off per week as they fill in for colleagues sick with COVID-19, said Phillip Rodriquez, who works at a postal station in Salt Lake City and serves as the Utah president for the National Association of Letter Carriers.
In an emailed statement, the Postal Service said the agency “continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation, including reviewing and following practicable guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” such as requiring workers to wear masks.