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Mail Carriers Take a Stand, Deliver
Thursday, October 25, 2001
By Fredrick Kunkle
& Christian Davenport / Washington Post

"You never thought their job was dangerous before," Lucie Levine, 33, a federal budget analyst and a fan of postal workers, said. "I do think it was in poor judgment not to provide gloves, and maybe masks, right away."

Location -- Washington Post
Not so long ago, a U.S. Postal Service commission fretted about the agency's image as "going postal" became popular slang for workplace rage.

But now that anthrax has entered the headlines, the folks in blue uniforms -- whose biggest worry used to be a protruding staple or an unleashed dog -- are on the front lines of the new war. And the people they serve are thinking differently about them.

"I feel for them," Laura Tocci said after a postal worker dropped off a bundle of mail at her office in Columbia. "It's like now they're the ones being attacked."

People who may have grumbled about slow deliveries pass on their prayers. Others come to the mail counter bringing tidbits of the latest news along with their envelopes and packages. Still others, glad to see latex gloves on some employees, say they wonder if the Postal Service should have done more to protect its workers. And customers who always thought the Postal Service did its job well appreciate its work even more.
(More: Washington Post News Source)
2001 © The Washington Post Company.

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