Medford Mail Carrier Collapses, Dies on Job
– Allison Goldsberry
A Medford mail carrier collapsed and died on the job on Friday, according to WCVB.
James Baldassarre, 45, of Haverhill, was found lying on the ground outside of 99 Riverside Avenue around 5:30PM on Friday. His wife Cathy told Channel 5 she believes the extreme heat and humidity played a role in his death.
“I have a bunch of texts from Jimmy all day long, saying, ‘I’m going to die out here today. It’s so hot,'” Cathy Baldassarre told Channel 5 on Sunday, and that her husband meant the messages as a joke. “They found him lying on the ground with a temperature of 110 degrees, delivering the mail out in the heat.”
Baldassarre had been with the Post Office for twenty-four years. The Post Office confirmed his death with Channel 5 but would not say if it was heat related.
The flag outside of Medford’s Post Office was flying at half mast, according to Channel 5.
Everyone should be aware that the letter carriers are no longer permitted to sort their mail in the office as was the case in the past. The carriers are now forced to sort their mail on the street out of the back of their truck in any weather. Carriers are also being forced to do work on other routes without any additional time. Carriers are continuously being disciplined for going over eight hours. The PO has no concern for carrier safety what so ever.
It’s about time that the public is made aware of the pressure the Post Office has now put on the carriers. its nothing but abuse. These dedicated employees deliver our mail 6 days a week during all types of weather. They like the previous comment are forced in some cases have had thier routes increased with more deliveries. The public has to finally be made aware of the time and money spent on such foolishness of inspections that the carriers are occasionally put through inspections that everystep they take are actually counted. It’s nothing but bullying in the workplace. this should no longer be tolerated. With the no bullying laws this clearly should include the US Postal service throughout the country. It needs to stop.
As a recently hired CCA – we are out there in all kinds of weather with no regard to anything except how come it takes you 10 minutes (or more) longer than they say it takes the regular carrier to do the route. The regular carries say it is impossible to do the route in the allocated amount of time. If we do the route in the 5 or 5 1/2 hours or less do we get a thank-you nice job – NO…we work through lunch because we are trying to get the mail delivered in the time allocated…they dock us 1/2 pay if we go over the six hours – for 15.00 dollars an hour it just is not worth it. Something needs to be done. Would like to see the supervisors deliver the route in 5 hours….it is abuse as previously mentioned…..
I am a fairly new cca. We fill in for off regulars or csreer guy call outs. We could be doing 5 different routes a week. Hard to learn so many routes but the supervisors tell us to get on the road 10 minutes after clocking. Our routes are not even set up. We get no breaks since the time we are given for routes is 5 hours and you must work 6+ to get a lunch break. So if we take 6 hours to do the route due to bad weather or not knowing the route, they dock us 30 mins for a break we did not take. They literaly will yell at us for taking to long to delivery the mail. Regardless of how much mail we carry. We NEVER get a good job for coming back early but if we go over 5 hours they threaten our job but then tell us to be safe out there. Catch 22.