GEORGETOWN, DE- Letter carriers in Delaware are rallying for stronger protections following a rise in assaults and robberies targeting postal workers.
The National Association of Letter Carriers organized a rally at at the Georgetown circle to raise public awareness of these unsafe conditions, and to call for stronger protections on the job.
Since 2022, there have been nine attacks on Delaware letter carriers. There has been around 2000 nationwide attacks since 2020, which is a 30% nationwide increase.
Shawn Colleran, the Dover President of the National Association of Letter Carriers, representing the workers says the streets are unsafe, and the violence is taking a significant toll on employees.
“To have to go back out on those routes — knowing that the individual that attacked you is right back on that route — has left carriers physically injured, but also mentally traumatized and emotionally damaged” .
According to the union, letter carriers in Kent and Sussex counties have a 1 in 44 chance of being assaulted on the job.
At the rally, workers are expected to highlighted the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act (HR 7629), a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that aims to provide greater safety measures for postal workers. The bill has 113 co-sponsors, including Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del.
In a statement to WBOC, Blunt Rochester expressed her support for the bill.
“I will always fight... with our labor leaders to make sure all workers have the protections they deserve”.
Colleran emphasized the urgent need for the bill to pass and for perpetrators to face justice.
“We are asking for protection. We are asking for this bill to become law. And we are asking for these criminals to be held accountable for what they are doing to our carriers,” he said.
Postal workers are hopeful that the federal government will deliver a solution to improve their safety on the job.
