San Antonio lawmakers call out post office for denying letter carriers water

A group of San Antonio lawmakers is asking the U.S. Postal Service to explain why it’s no longer providing bottled water to Alamo City letter carriers despite the ongoing heatwave.

In a letter sent Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro and Henry Cuellar — all San Antonio Democrats —  and U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales — a Republican whose district includes part of the city — said postal facilities here once provided water to workers but have since stopped for unknown reasons.

“This heat is particularly dangerous for letter carriers, who do not have air conditioning in their vehicles and therefore endure even higher temperatures in their vehicles than outdoors,” the congressmen wrote in their letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and San Antonio Postmaster Robert D. Carr.

“We ask that you immediately create a plan to ensure letter carriers have access to cold water and are safe while on their routes.”

The letter continues: “Without access to water bottles, letter carriers often need to stop at stores to buy more water and ice out of their own pocket. Unfortunately, many letter carriers report they can be penalized for stopping to get more water and ice to take a break while on their route,” the letter reads.

In an email to the Current, USPS San Antonio spokeswoman Becky Hernandez said letter carriers deliver the mail through a variety of weather conditions, including extreme heat. She added that USPS drivers are mandated to participate in a “Heat Illness Prevention Program,” but she didn’t address the specific concerns outlined in the letter.

Last month, San Antonio recorded an average daily high of 100 degrees, according to the Express-News. However, temperatures inside USPS trucks car reach far higher, according to a soon to be retired letter carrier who spoke to the coalition on the condition of anonymity.

“Postal management has absolutely no concern for my well being — my postal truck reaches temperatures of 130 degrees inside,” the postal worker said, according to the letter. “I feel defeated, concerned, and afraid of how the lack of water and extreme conditions I’m required to work are going to shorten my lifespan or affect my quality of life.”

Further, letter carriers allege that they are penalized for stopping at local stores to buy water while working a route, the letter alleges.

The unrelenting heat has already claimed the life of one USPS worker. In June, Dallas postal worker Eugene Gates Jr., 66 collapsed and died while working his route. His family has since said they believe Gates died of heat-related illness, the Dallas Morning News reports.

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This article appears in Aug 9-22, 2023.