This
year will mark the 10th year anniversary of employees at the USPS seeking accountability
against managers whom created the conditions which ultimately led to the shooting at the
Royal Oak Post Office on November 14, 1991. The following letter is from Charlie Withers
the Chief Steward of the Royal Oak Post Office: November 14, 2001 will mark the 10th anniversary of the shootings at the
Royal Oak Post Office. This tragedy was the result of a hostile work environment, created
by postal management and condoned by those in higher positions within the postal service.
This militaristic autocratic management style was allowed to go unchecked, even though the
Royal Oak District was feeling the "backlash" in service to its patrons.
The actions by postal management during this period (1990-1991), were under investigation
by members of Congress due to reports of horrific working conditions being reported to
them by employees and lower level managers.
There were also complaints by customers of cutbacks to service which had been provided to
them in the past.
The workforce throughout the Royal Oak District was under attack by over zealous managers
who used whatever tactics needed to disrupt their lives.
This same group of managers had been investigated in a GAO (Government Accounting Office)
investigation done in Indianapolis for the same problems 3 years prior ……and
nothing was done!!
They were brought up to the Royal Oak District to spread their acts of aggression against
the workforce and to do anything they wanted, in order to "get the numbers".
It isn't as if there wasn't already a group of "wanna be thugs" in Royal Oak,
this just made a blending of malcontents being allowed to do whatever they wished to
created havoc on anyone that got in their way.
These actions were allowed and condoned by those in higher echelon management positions
from Detroit, Chicago, and Washington D.C. They wouldn't end up taking the heat….so
why should they care.
They (management) got away with it in Indiana so therefore they must have felt protected
in one way or another. To quote one of the mangers at that time, Christopher Carlisle,
"Who do you think they (Congressional Investigators) are going to believe a level 5
carrier or a level 25 manager?"
Yes, it was quite apparent by the conditions in Royal Oak, that it was just a matter of
time before a tragedy was going to occur. If it wasn't Thomas McIlvane, it would've been
someone else!!
This tragedy was preventable months before the shooting occurred. Congressional staffers
had met with postal authorities concerning information that they had been sent by
employees documenting the worsening conditions. Management continued to ignore these
problems and defended those whom were causing the turmoil by saying any problems were
being blown out of proportion.
If these managers would have been removed in the beginning even as far back as 1989, when
the Indianapolis GAO study had been done, it would have made a difference.
Another way to have avoided this tragedy would have been for the Postal Inspection Service
to have provided security. They were contacted 2 days prior, but those who had the
position of authorizing either postal Inspectors or Postal Police ignored the pleas for
help!!
Why wasn't the national union getting involved when they were made privy to reviewing
"the black book" (records kept on complaints throughout the Royal Oak District
concerning harassment, threats, and improper actions taken against the workforce?)
For 10 years we've demanded accountability, and for 10 years, nothing has been done!!
There is still autocratic management going on throughout the USPS and nothing is being
addressed.
If they would have done something to hold this type of management style accountable after
the Royal Oak shooting it may have made a difference. Congress and the national unions did
nothing to assure accountability so those who did the dirt escaped justice. They all
retired, got promoted, or went out on OWCP due to stress.
On September 15, 1992 I went to the Congressional hearings on the Royal Oak shooting in
Washington D.C.. I presented congress with a petition signed by over 100 carriers
demanding accountability and informing them that the USPS was attempting to cover up the
mishandling of their investigation. The petition read: