Don’t Walk Alone II

About five minutes before the start of the December membership meeting, I was notified by the branch President that one of my members had passed, Matt Albanese of Bellmore. I learned a long time ago that dealing with death is part of this job. This one especially sucked. Matt was young, married, two kids, big smile and even bigger personality. Loss! So, a week later, my take-away is the USPS is surprisingly flexible, resourceful and resilient in the face of many adversities. However, it’s not well tooled at mitigating workplace stressors.

The American psychological Association (APA) lists common sources of work stress as: low salaries, excessive workloads, few opportunities for growth or advancement, work that isn’t engaging or challenging, lack of social support, not having enough control over job-related decisions, conflicting demands, or unclear performance expectations. Arguably, being a City Letter Carrier checks most of those boxes. No surprise there, since I have had the job, being a Letter Carrier was synonymous with workplace stress, especially after a cluster of fatal shootings in postal facilities in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They left several Postal Employees dead or injured, the most famous of which was the shootings at the postal facility in Royal Oak, MI, on Nov. 14, 1991. This resulted in the crafting of the Joint Statement. The Royal Oak shootings came just five weeks after a similar deadly incident at a postal facility in Ridgewood, NJ.

Shortly after the wave of workplace violence, the USPS, with the help of the NALC and APWU, started to expand the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP, which started as the Program for Alcoholic Recovery (PAR) evolved from earlier workplace alcohol programs, grew into a comprehensive, confidential resource for all postal employees and families, offering counseling, referrals, and work/life support for mental health, financial, and family issues. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be aware of the impact that work stress can have on you and your co-workers. Stress can cause anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. It can also contribute to health conditions such as depression, obesity, and heart disease. Compounding the problem, people who experience excessive stress often deal with it in unhealthy ways, such as overeating, eating unhealthy foods, smoking cigarettes, or abusing drugs and/or alcohol.

I believe that for many people, it is hard to acknowledge that workplace stress DOES have an impact on mental and physical health. The best way to insulate yourself from these effects is not to dismiss them. It is a great idea to journal situations that create stress and how you respond to them. Develop healthy responses; exercise or any form of physical activity, participate in hobbies or activities with Family and Friends. Getting enough sleep is also important for effective stress management. Taking a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity like exercises, walking, or meditation can help melt away stress.

Accepting help from friends and family members can improve your ability to manage stress. Utilize what is available to you. Programs such as EAP can be very helpful at times, if for nothing else then to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Since about March of 2024, the NALC has initiated their own program designed to compliment and/or in addition to EAP. The Program is called the NALC Emergency Response Team (ERT). The ERT are highly trained Letter Carriers who provide peer-to-peer support and resources to fellow members and their families after traumatic events like deaths, injuries, or other crises. Their role is to offer empathy, guidance, and a supportive presence; connecting members to help, not acting as counselors, but ensuring no carrier faces tragedy alone. 

Within an hour or two of being notified about Matt, the Branch President notified the National Union, and they deployed the NALC ERT to Bellmore a few days later. So far, my experiences with the ERT have been very positive. Unlike other programs, the affected Carrier(s) do not have to initiate the first step; the Union does. I like that our Union has designed the program in a way that the Carriers are met initially in their own work environment. For Bellmore, the NALC deployed Bilal Minhas-Medford (Branch 6000) and Shirtedra Thomas-Lenox Hill NYC (Branch 36). They both did an excellent job speaking to the Letter Carriers, making sure the Carriers knew they were available to them as well as reaching out to the deceased’s family. I feel that having peer to peer support to help grieving family and friends to not only deal with tragedy and stress, but also, to inform the affected about what resources they have, where and how to find them can make a tremendous difference in how they cope with the loss. When I spoke to Bilal he stated:

“Dealing with the loss of a loved one is never easy, however it is a humble reminder of the inevitability we all must face. A reflection from my past deployments: Witnessing the heavy emotions and palliating grief really speaks to the necessity of the ERT program itself. Our collective resilience as a membership is the key ingredient for overcoming hardships."- Bilal Minhas.

Something that I have felt we have lost sight of as a Union. In the pursuit of being the best as individuals we have forgotten that we are a family. As Brothers and Sisters, we must watch out for each other and care for one another. Do not ever forget that making life better for everyone is what we are about, and we will never get there without the willingness to give and receive help! NALC members can reach out to the ERT through the branch president.

ERT-Branch 6000

Richard McLehose

1 (613) 789-1616

EAP- 800-327-4968

800-EAP-4YOU