USPS letter carriers hold rally after postal worker killed in Chicago shooting
Octavia Redmond, 48, shot multiple times while on the job last Friday in the West Pullman neighborhood
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A crowd of United States postal workers rallied Monday morning to demand action from elected leaders.
"We're out there, and we're facing the dangers of society, right?" letter carrier Michael Caref said. "And so, we're getting stuck up out there. We're dealing with crazy people out there, and we just wanna know who is out there to protect us?"
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Union members from the National Association of Letter Carriers said violence against workers on the job needs to stop. They want more police protection and laws in place to keep them safe.
"It should be a felony, not only at the federal level, but at the local level, for attacking letter carriers," union VP James Henry said.
It comes in the wake of the murder of a Chicago letter carrier in front of a South Side home.
Octavia Redmond, 48, was shot multiple times while on the job last Friday in the West Pullman neighborhood. She was a wife and grandmother who worked as a letter carrier for more than 15 years.
"We wanna go home to our families. Unfortunately, one of ours did not, and will not be going home. And, like I said, I have a problem with that," NALC Branch 11 President Elise Foster said.
Union members say, while they have support from many lawmakers, they need more on board to pass the Protect The Letter Carriers Act before Congress.
"I see no reason why, within the next two to three weeks, every Congressional representative in the U.S. House should not sign this bill," Illinois State Association of Letter Carriers President Louis Rivas said.
The union said, since August of 2022, more than 140 letter carriers have been attacked on the job in Chicago. They believe the U.S. Postal Service is failing them.
"It has to stop," said Keith Richardson, with American Postal Workers Union Local 0001. "Postal workers are under assault, not just carriers: The clerks, the motor vehicle drivers, the maintenance, it should not happen."
While Chicago mail carriers are united, some worry they could be next.
"How is this possible that someone could walk up, or drive up and shoot a woman that was clearly identified as a mail carrier in broad daylight? And you expect us to continue with business as usual?" said Adriane Frazier, a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
Chicago police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the incident, and following leads to tips they've received.
"We want to make sure that we do right by Octavia, and to get justice for her, and her family and friends, her coworkers and her community," said Spencer Block, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago.
Postal workers Monday said they cannot work, if they don't feel safe.
"Though we take pride in our jobs, if we are not safe, you will not get mail," said Mack Julion, assistant secretary treasurer with the National Association of Letter Carriers.
The spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service said in a statement, "The safety and security of our postal employees is of the utmost importance to the Postal Service. That's why we are continually strengthening our efforts to protect our employees through Project Safe Delivery, which notes recent convictions on federal charges."
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