Nearly 1 Million Petitioners Demand USPS Employees Receive Hazard Pay Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The latest petition to circulate on Change.org calls for the United States Postal Service to offer [...]

The latest petition to circulate on Change.org calls for the United States Postal Service to offer hazard pay for its employees while the coronavirus pandemic continues. The request is nearing its goal of one million signatures with 938,107 signatures as of Tuesday evening.

Workers at USPS have been tasked with continuing throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, even working overtime on 12 hour days, according to the information provided by the creator of the petition, Carrying Mail 365. The message notes that at least 40 workers for the company have contracted the disease, and none of the workers across the company have received any supplies for their work in the field. According to the petition, Megan Brennan, the CEO, has yet to send any supplies such as masks or facial coverings to her employees. The lack of support is growing tiresome for its workers, who the petition states, "carry this company on their backs day in and day out at the expense of time with our families [and] wear and tear on our bodies, mental and emotional abuse from USPS management."

The petition wraps up by stating their demand for hazard pay, which is additional money given for performing during physical hardships such as a pandemic. Other companies have been criticized for the limited hazard pay it has offered, such as Walmart and Kroger, who added an extra $2 an hour for its workers from April but ended it in the middle of May.

Those who have responded by signing the petition have also voiced their support in the comment section, many of whom find it hard to believe that the postal service has yet to offer the benefit considering all of the travel involved with the mail. One user commented, "They deserve to be protected at this time of need and I want to thank the postal workers for delivering the mail please supply them with stuff to protect them for they have families to and deserve hazard pay." Another responded by writing, "Essential workers continue to put their life on the line while ensuring Americans get their basic needs met during this extraordinary time. They deserve hazard pay." One comment was even from someone who says they are a mail carrier themselves for the company and wrote that they feel that they are on "the back burner" in terms of being treated as a frontline and essential worker.

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