Going postal is an American English slang term, used as a verb meaning to become
extremely angry, possibly to the point of violence. The term derives from a
series of incidents from 1986 onward in which United States Postal Service (USPS) workers shot and killed
managers, fellow workers, and members of the police or general public. Between
1986 and 1997, more than 40 people were killed in at least 20 incidents of work
place rage. Following this series of events, the idiom entered common parlance
and has been applied to murders committed by employees in acts of work place
rage, irrespective of the employer and generally to describe fits of rage in or
outside : the workplace.
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Considering the tragic list of fatalities that
have occurred within the Postal Service there is no questioning the necessity
of a “Zero Tolerance Policy” for violence in the workplace. No one can contest
that there is a need to take precautions to protect the lives of postal employees.
The thing that is troublesome, however, about the “Zero Tolerance” policy is
the one-sided mariner in which this policy is applied.
Although the management manual M-39 Sec. 115.4
plainly states: “The front line supervisor is primarily responsible for maintaining
a mutual respect atmosphere,” oftentimes employees are con fronted with
management personnel that are utterly unskilled in the ability to fulfill their
position in a manner that is cordial, respectful, and professional. In some
instances employees can be pushed, poked, prodded, prompted, provoked, and
pressured to the point that they are just about ready to pop!
It’s stupefying that despite the number of
tragedies within the Postal Service, there is little attention given to the
actions of some in management who have a history speckled with constant
conflicts, continuous complaints, multiple EEOs, and
mountains of grievances. People in management are in the position to deny your
leave, shorten your pay, delay your injury claim, and even put you off the
clock if you respond to them in like manner when they approach you with a
negative demeanor.
No one wants to come to work and feel as though
they are unsafe, or harassed, or that their livelihood is in jeopardy. If you
are a craft employee, you best believe that the playing field is not level.
It’s a sad irony that some of the same folks who consider it their responsibility
to enforce and uphold the “Zero Tolerance” policy are the ones who in their own
under handed covert ways are contributing factors to the policy’s necessity.
GOD BLESS
MOUND
November 2006/