Postal Workers Union to Sue for Anthrax Tests

A union representing about 3,300 postal workers in South Florida said it would file suit today to try to force local post office officials to let employees be tested and buildings checked for anthrax exposure.

“We want curtailment of operations until we can get in front of an arbitrator to get safe conditions for our people,” said Judy Johnson, general president of the Miami area local of the American Postal Workers Union. The U.S. Postal Service “must prove to us they’ve sanitized the buildings and retrofitted equipment,” she said.

Government officials have not ordered widespread anthrax testing for postal workers in Florida, where the outbreak was first discovered. That makes it impossible for the postal employees to find out if they’ve been exposed, the union says.