Fellow postal workers,
We write to you in the name of the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee (PWRFC) and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA‑RFC) to get involved in the inquiry into the deaths of two postal workers last month.
The tragic, preventable deaths of our brothers Nick Acker and Russell Scruggs Jr. expose the deadly logic of the “modernization” being enforced on the Postal Service: profit and speed are being placed above our lives. The only way these tragedies can be stopped is if rank-and-file workers reveal the truth and take collective action to protect our lives.
We are calling on every postal worker to come forward with information for a worker‑led inquiry and to begin organizing rank‑and‑file committees to take control of safety and to oppose further privatization of the USPS.
On November 8, maintenance mechanic Nick Acker was killed inside a mail sorting machine at the Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park, Michigan. Workers report that safety features on the machine were disabled and that a grievance was filed with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) about the equipment less than 90 days before Acker lost his life.
One week later, mail handler assistant Russell Scruggs Jr. died at the Palmetto, Georgia Processing and Distribution Center when he fell and hit his head in the facility. There were significant delays in medical treatment due to the lack of cell phone service and emergency protocols.
USPS management is trying to sweep both these horrific deaths under the rug and continue business as usual. We cannot let this happen!
