The United States Postal Service is facing a series of lawsuits from its customers over alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that could force it to close its mail delivery centers.
In a case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the USPS has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, alleging that the service has failed to adequately address concerns over a series, which include a lack of customer service, the failure to provide proper customer service training, the practice of forcing workers to work longer hours, and the failure of supervisors to adequately supervise workers, among others.
The suit, filed in Federal District Court in Los Angeles, says that in 2017, the USPS “failed to adequately investigate and remedy employee misconduct” in its mail-delivery service.
The complaint claims that it has identified several instances of supervisors engaging in a “pattern or practice of abusive and/or illegal workplace conduct.”
“The USPS has failed its customers and taxpayers by failing to take the appropriate steps to investigate and respond to customer complaints, and has failed in its fiduciary duty to its shareholders to act promptly in responding to and preventing violations of FLSA,” said David M. Singer, an attorney with the ACLU.
“The USPS, like all employers, has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of its employees, to ensure that it does not tolerate or tolerate unlawful behavior.”
The USPS said in a statement that it is reviewing the lawsuit and “is evaluating the merits of our response.”
In 2017, it was revealed that the USPS had engaged in “aggressive retaliation” against workers who spoke out about their complaints about abusive working conditions.
In one case, employees were fired after complaining that supervisors had pressured them to work more than 40 hours a week for less than the minimum wage.
In the case of the Florida case, the suit claims that the postal service “failed in its duty to protect employees by not adequately investigating and/and/or not responding to allegations of serious misconduct by USPS employees.”
The postal service has also been under pressure to overhaul its corporate culture following a series and several recent scandals in the postal industry.
Last year, the Postal Service was hit with the largest class action lawsuit ever filed by an American corporation against the government.
The class action claims that USPS employees were routinely punished for speaking out about discrimination.
The lawsuit alleges that the company retaliated against employees who spoke up about their concerns and made other complaints.
