Postal Service Assault on Middle Class and the Illusion of Justice

[img]583|left|||no_popup[/img]Thousands have been following the story of Ms. JoAnn Snow’s pursuit of justice within the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Postal Service. She was being forced to work for free, as are many others within the postal service. When evidence documented her abuse, the officials and government agencies mandated to protect her interests closed ranks. They guarded her abusers, preserving the agency's lucrative status quo.

Prior to deciding to stand up for her rights, Ms. Snow not only was coerced into working twelve hours a day, she was robbed of her compensation. When she decided not to take it anymore, she became the subject of reprisal for having the audacity to complain to the Office of Inspector General, not only from her bosses but the OIGs office.

Unsurprised, she was prepared because this was business as usual. As late as yesterday, a manager who also is considering coming forward advised me that she, too, is forced to work twelve hours a day, six days a week, without proper compensation.

This case is a good cause because Ms. Snow’s ordeal is a perfect metaphor for the blatant corporate and governmental assault on the middle class. When I promised to keep you abreast of the twists and turns in this case, I thought it was going to be one middle-class worker’s struggle to finally obtain justice. Instead, it is a story of governmental extortion, threats and collusion, an undeniable demonstration that justice has become nothing more than an illusion for the middle class.

What makes Ms. Snow’s story unique that, is unlike most, this lady has the backbone to stand up against her union, one of the nation’s largest, most brutal agencies. She refuses to be swayed by money or the systemic pressure and reprisals that have allowed the government to sweep its gross assault on middle-class workers under the rug. Ms. Snow is motivated by the conviction that shining a light on the millions of dollars a day that the Postal Service extorts from its employees should take precedence over the $8,000 of hush-money they offered her to drop the case. She says the pursuit of justice takes precedence over the reprisals that she’s been forced to endure.

“Somebody’s got to stand up, so I guess it’s got to be me,” she says. “I didn't ask for this. Sometimes God just drops things in your lap. That means he wants you to handle it. I'm gonna do it.”

The Postal Service had yet another card up its sleeve. It got Ms. Snow’s union, the National Assn. of Letter Carriers, to sign off on a settlement, without her knowledge or consent, awarding her a cash payment, even after she specifically demanded in writing that her union not accept any monetary settlement without bringing to justice those who falsified her official time records. She didn’t receive so much as a Decision Letter until she demanded it after noticing $7,866.26 mysteriously showing up in her bank account. Obviously they expected her to simply accept the money, along with the fact that her fight was in vain., neither her union nor the postal service understood the kind of woman they were dealing with. In part, the letter reads:

“Dear Mr. Jackson:

Calvin Brookins
NALC.”

Mr. Marney offered Ms. Snow the identical resolution last year, but she turned it down because he added the proviso that she drop the charges against Manager Marci Luna and Area Manager Tyrone Williams. Afterward, he went to the union for help. The above agreement seems to indicate that he colluded with the NALC to circumvent Ms. Snow’s wishes.

“Collusion” is an ugly word. I was not there or privy to negotiations that led to the settlement between management and the union. Maybe I am unfairly characterizing the agreement that way. But Ms. Snow sent the following letter to the NALC. Mr. Larry Brown is president of Branch 24 and also a national officer of the NALC. Draw your own conclusion:

“April 30, 2010

“President Larry Brown:

“I spoke to Ray Espana today, and he told me that he was meeting with Marci Luna and the postal service next Friday to get me paid for their falsifying my clock rings. I told him at that time that I didn't just want to be paid, I want the people responsible for falsifying my time removed from the postal service. In response, Ray told me that he couldn't do that. That's what EEOs are for.

“That's a bunch of crap! Ray has been [Executive]Vice President of Branch 24 for over 15 years. You'd think that he'd know that the EEO procedure is for discrimination, not simple theft. The postal service is an equal opportunity thief. They steal from anyone, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, age, or gender. Therefore, if I filed a claim with the EEOC it would simply be thrown out. If he doesn't know that, he's not qualified to be in his position.

“In addition, I had to fight him last week just to get a copy of what was supposed to be my clock rings. He refused to give me a copy, saying that it was “union property.” What?!! It was my understanding that the grievant owns the grievance. But even if I'm wrong in that regard, why should a grievant have to fight with the union to get a document in their own case?

“Then once I got the document, it turned out that it wasn't my clock rings at all. It was only a summary of my weekly time, without any indication of my rings, or any modifications thereto. Why didn't he reject that useless piece of paper out of hand and ask for the documents that I'm alleging were falsified? Ray Espana's efforts in this case just don’t pass the sniff test. It looks to me like he either doesn't know what he's doing, or that he's much too accommodating to management.

“If I'm going to have to fight both the post office, and the NALC, I'm more than prepared to do so. But in that event, I respectfully request a copy of every document that the union relies upon to prosecute this case. Let's be clear. The union is not going to sweep this crime under the table without a lot of noise. That's why the post office thinks it can do whatever it wants to the employees with impunity.

“I am formally requesting that you have someone handle my case who is both knowledgeable, and has some modicum of integrity. And DO NOT RESOLVE THIS CASE WITHOUT THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THIS CRIME, AT THE VERY LEAST, BEING REMOVED FROM THE POSTAL SERVICE. Nothing else is acceptable.

“18 U.S.C. § 1001 of the United States Code reads as follows:

“‘Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States, knowingly and willfully – (1) falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact; (2) makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation; or (3) makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry; shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years or, if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism (as defined in section 2331), imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.’

“I don't know what's going on here, but I've been in the postal service for 27 years, and 21 of those years was in management, so I know how things work in the post office. So please understand that I am far from an innocent and trusting fool.

“I look forward to a just resolution of this case – not just for me, but for every employee who's being robbed by the postal service.

Sincerely,
JoAnn Snow
Ayerssnow@aol.com”

Ms. Snow’s case demonstrates that filing grievances and EEOs play right into the hands of a system that’s designed to defeat you. The administrative process takes forever, and justice delayed is justice denied. The system is designed to make you think you have rights while its actual function is to maintain the status quo. That is why you are paying thousands in union dues and still suffering.

Have you ever wondered why an employee can pick up a Walmart coupon out of the trash and be summarily fired while your manager can be caught falsifying thousands of dollars of employee clock rings and be promoted? It is time for employees to wake up and use their political clout.

The only way that the middle class can receive justice and make their jobs secure is to come together and make the jobs of their bosses, union officials and politicians insecure.

Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet and musician, born in Los Angeles. A columnist for the Los Angeles Sentinel, the Black Star News, a staff writer for Veterans Today, he is a contributing writer to Your Black World, the Huffington Post, ePluribus Media and other online sites and publications. He also is the author of “A Message From the Hood.”

Religious bigotry: It’s not that I hate everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like me – it’s just that God does.