Employees Charge Postal Management With Harassment : Simi Valley: A union protest draws about 60 people. Officials deny the allegations and say a worker’s firing led to the uproar.

Some of his employees say that Simi Valley Postmaster Steven Gerstl likes to refer to himself as “Rambo” because of his get-tough management style.

But they also say that Gerstl’s treatment of his employees is more than tough, it’s abusive. They contend that workers are constantly harassed and are denied vacations and sick leave for filing grievances against management.

“It’s become intolerable,” Jon Gaunce, president of the local chapter of the National Assn. of Letter Carriers, said of working conditions at the post office. “And we want to bring it to the public’s attention.”

On Thursday, Gaunce did just that by leading an early morning demonstration in front of the post office in the 2500 block of Galena Avenue. About 60 people, mostly retired postal workers from Simi Valley and other post offices in and outside the county, participated in the march. Postal workers are prohibited by law from striking.

Gaunce said that during the past 18 months the union has filed 600 grievances charging management in Simi Valley with unfair labor practices and unlawful discrimination against union officials. But he said nothing has been done. The Simi Valley post office has about 185 employees, and about half of them are union members.

Gaunce said the sources of the problem are Gerstl and supervisor Mike Milby. He said both men have made it a practice to verbally attack and threaten their employees as a way of getting them to produce more.

“He likes to call himself ‘Rambo,’ ” Gaunce said of Gerstl. “That should give you some idea of his attitude.”

Gerstl and Milby were unavailable for comment Thursday.

But postal officials denied Gaunce’s accusations, saying most of the ruckus is being caused by a few employees upset over the firing of a union official in January.

“Many of the allegations being made by the union are out-and-out not true or are greatly exaggerated,” said Mark Bodycombe, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. “I’m not saying that there aren’t problems. But the union has not been cooperative in trying to resolve them.”

Bodycombe said the number of grievances that have been filed--which he said was closer to 800 than 600--”is ludicrous.”

He said 592 of those grievances were filed since January when the union official was fired.

He said the employee, who had worked as a letter carrier at the post office for the past three years, was dismissed after it was discovered that he had falsified information on his job application.

But Gaunce said the employee was fired because he had filed numerous complaints on behalf of other workers.

“It’s harassment,” Gaunce said.

Frank Salazar, a union steward and letter carrier at the post office, said he has been disciplined for filing grievances.

He said that since January he has been given two letters warning him of suspension. One letter was for allegedly running two stop signs in the post office parking lot and the other was for arriving to work two hours late.

Salazar denied running the stop signs. As for arriving to work late, he said he simply overslept.

“They’re just out to get me,” he said. “But I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about my people.”

Salazar, who had the day off Thursday, was the only employee to participate in the demonstration.

“I’m damned if I’m going to live on my knees,” he said. “I’d rather stand up for what I believe in.”

Gaunce said he will meet with Gerstl today to discuss some of the employees’ complaints.