Most USPS delivery trucks don’t have AC and letter carriers are not provided with bottled water. Officials say seven workers suffered heat illness in San Antonio.
SAN ANTONIO — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating a string of heat-related illnesses among United States Postal Office (USPS) workers in San Antonio.
Homer Hernandez is the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Alamo Branch 421, which represents about 1,300 mail carriers.
“We had seven dehydrations this year,” said Hernandez. “Two people ended up in the hospital.”
Hernandez says nothing has changed since last August when postal workers rallied for better working conditions.
“It’s not that USPS couldn’t afford bottled water, but they took the bottled water away from us at the time when it was mostly extreme heat,” he said. “So, we rallied to bring some attention to USPS and the postmaster in San Antonio.”
One year later, Hernandez says letter carriers are not given bottled water and most of the USPS delivery trucks don’t have air conditioning.