New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-05-22
Are Post-Office Employees
Human Beings?

From every city and village of this great rich
country and from every branch of the postal service
have come these protests and appeals for fair plaY:
I'VE are not able to provide families with the
necessities OF lite" Our wives and our children
have to go to work in order to exist" IF you
compel to be ll-fed and under-nourished
because of insufficient salary, it will have far
reaching effect on the coming generation. :. 1--WE
bought Liberty bonds to help the Government and
had to sell them at loss to buy food.
Can we hear such things from the men who are
working tor US and not tingle with shame and
indignation? Can rest easily and take our own
pleasure and comfort until we have first done all in
our power for quick relief?
Consider the kind of man our post-office
demands as clerk. His work is highly specialized
and complex; he must be skilled by long and
intensive training and study, memorizing thou
sands OF facts, intricate systems of cassihcations
and many methods used in banking insurance. and
commercial business. He must be familiar with
the postal laws and regulations filling volume of
1900 sections. All this study and preparation
must be in his own time and at his own expense.
And when he stands in his hard-earned place.
tull-equ1pped postal expert in the employ of the
American people, he is paid less than the common
unskllled day-laborer the streets. One of these
experts, who after twenty-four years of postal
service had acquired special knowledge and expe-
rience invaluable to the Government testified II
could go out as n1lk-wagon driver and get $50
week, yet the Government pays me an average of
about So day" The steadfast loyalty of such
man through long years of pinching penury may
be splendid example of American patriotism, but
not one of claim like virtue if we fail to
raise our voice against the continuance of such
shameful parsl1nony.
But that isn't all. These rneager salaries are
constantly shrinking throughout the year. ANY
absence for sickness other causes is penalzed by
forfeiture of pay If death in the family Of
the employee whether wife, child, or parent, not
day nor hour of absence with pay is allowed.
Even the solemn hours of funeral rites can be taken
only at the expense of the employee.
Letter. carriers converted into pack animals
and loaded down with burdens often weighing sixty
to eighty pounds more. Through driving rain
blizzard, in burning heat singing cold, they
must cover their routes schedule time. The
stoutest often succu1nb to the nhunan strain; yet
the highest salary they earn after years Of
smaller pay, is less than $32 week.
New York is the biggest post -ofice in the world
1t does the biggest business and turns in millions
of dollars profit. 1t is of the most highly spe-
cialized and responsible organizations in modern
industry, the center of innurnerable activities on
which the progress and prosperity of the entire
nation depend. Its banking and financial transact
tons last year alone tota1ed than
The management of this vast business concern
with it's great central office covering two city blocks
rinted from the May 22d Issu