Pressure at the Post Office

Postal workers in Fullerton worked in a “tense and stressful environment” over the last year because of “abusive management styles,” according to a report prepared by the U.S. Postal Service office of inspector general.

The study, written in May but obtained by The Times this week, recommended special training for Fullerton management in how to relate to workers. In the last few months, supervisors received sensitivity training, which will continue throughout the year, said Terri Bouffiou, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Southern California.

“We are taking this very seriously,” Bouffiou said of the report. “The reality is we don’t have a good history. We cannot afford to ignore these complaints.”

The report found that management pressured workers by pacing behind them on the job, timing their trips to the bathroom and bullying them into skipping lunch breaks and working overtime without pay. One supervisor told investigators that employees were afraid to call in sick because it would lead to disciplinary action.

The report also agreed with employee complaints that they were forced to work without pay to complete routes that were too large.

The inspector general’s office chastised Fullerton postal management for not taking seriously enough allegations of sexual harassment made by female employees.

Despite the postal service’s new training effort, some Fullerton postal workers Friday said conditions have not significantly improved.

“The basic problem is the same--they just push, push, push,” said one employee, who asked not to be named.

“It’s all about numbers, not people,” added another worker. “As long as their numbers are strong, this place isn’t going to change.”

Problems in the Fullerton post office became public last summer when workers picketed. They also complained to Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), who asked postal officials in Washington to look into it.

Bouffiou said it wasn’t possible to measure how serious the Fullerton complaints are in comparison to other post offices.

Workers focus most of their complaints on Fullerton postmaster Tim Bomersback. The inspector general’s report said employees interviewed accused Bomersback of encouraging his supervisors to adopt an abusive management style.

“Management used threats, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation to control employees’ behavior,” the report stated. The goal of the tactics was “to maintain high operational performances.”

But Bouffiou said there was nothing in the inspector general’s report to indicate Bomersback should be transferred.

“This has been one of the most productive postal services in the area,” she said of the Fullerton office. “The tactics may not have been the best, but he’s been getting the job done.”

It has been a difficult time for Bomersback, she said, “but he has cooperated fully with this inquiry.”

Bomersback declined to comment Friday, but issued a written statement in which he said he is working to improve conditions.

“I am aware of the seriousness of the charges raised by some employees,” he said in the statement. “I also am aware that because of our dedicated employees, we provide the Fullerton community with great delivery service.”

Bouffiou said all indications are that workplace conditions are improving in Fullerton. “I don’t think the workers there love the postmaster. But they seem to be working together on this,” she said.

Santa Ana Regional Postmaster Eduardo Ruiz, who took over the position last week, issued a statement to Fullerton workers that he intends to do what he can to make sure they’re happy on the job.

The U.S. Postal Service has been working for much of the decade to improve workplace conditions. After several incidents of workplace violence in the early 1990s, a congressional study called for better training of supervisors, among other recommendations.

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Tension at Work

Here are some of the complaints mentioned in the U.S. Postal Service’s Inspector General Report on the Fullerton post office:

-- Added tension by pacing behind workers while they did their job.

-- Timed their trips to the bathroom.

-- Pressured them to complete their rounds “off the clock” (without pay).

-- Discouraged sick leave, and sometimes even lunch breaks, to keep the pressure on to complete the job.

-- Intimidated workers through foul or coarse language.

-- Did not take seriously enough female employee complaints about sexual harassment.

-- Threatened disciplinary action if employees too often asked for help in completing lengthy routes on time.

-- Intimidated workers who feared retaliation if they filed complaints.