The NRLCA expresses its sincere condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of our fellow Postal employee, Tyson Barnette, who was killed this past weekend. Mr. Barnette, a City Letter Carrier was gunned down while delivering mail in Landover, MD, a suburb of Washington D.C., on the evening of November 23. He was 26 years old.
We are profoundly saddened any time we lose a member of the Postal family, especially when he is killed while performing the Postal Service’s most essential function: delivering mail. These tragedies remind us that, every day, Rural Letter Carriers face many serious dangers.  Rural Carriers deliver mail under all types of conditions, in neighborhoods good and bad. Unfortunately, the everyday dangers we face intensify during the winter months as weather, heavy holiday mail volume, and limited daylight hours come into play.  To make matters worse, the Postal Service has failed to hire sufficient numbers of carriers and other staff and continues to close and consolidate facilities, often requiring Rural Carriers to travel further and receive their mail later in the day. Too many carriers have been injured or killed simply because they have been forced to carry mail into the evening hours, well after it is safe to do so.
The loss of Mr. Barnette will only strengthen our resolve to encourage and work with the Postal Service to put safety first and to ensure that it has sufficient staffing levels, sets sensible work schedules, and implements real and meaningful safety policies that protect the dedicated women and men who deliver the nation’s mail.
via News Info.