The following statement is from the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee, which was founded in late 2023 to oppose attacks on the USPS workforce by management and their enablers in the union bureaucracy. To contact the committee, fill out the form below.

Fellow postal workers,

We write to you in the name of the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee (PWRFC) and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA‑RFC) to get involved in the inquiry into the deaths of two postal workers last month. 

The tragic, preventable deaths of our brothers Nick Acker and Russell Scruggs Jr. expose the deadly logic of the “modernization” being enforced on the Postal Service: profit and speed are being placed above our lives. The only way these tragedies can be stopped is if rank-and-file workers reveal the truth and take collective action to protect our lives. 

We are calling on every postal worker to come forward with information for a worker‑led inquiry and to begin organizing rank‑and‑file committees to take control of safety and to oppose further privatization of the USPS.

On November 8, maintenance mechanic Nick Acker was killed inside a mail sorting machine at the Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park, Michigan. Workers report that safety features on the machine were disabled and that a grievance was filed with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) about the equipment less than 90 days before Acker lost his life. 

One week later, mail handler assistant Russell Scruggs Jr. died at the Palmetto, Georgia Processing and Distribution Center when he fell and hit his head in the facility. There were significant delays in medical treatment due to the lack of cell phone service and emergency protocols.

USPS management is trying to sweep both these horrific deaths under the rug and continue business as usual. We cannot let this happen!

As postal workers, we know that the deaths of Nick and Russell are not isolated incidents. Workers in postal facilities across the country report speedup, lack of safety procedures, inadequate staffing and pressure from management to keep machines running instead of properly shutting down for repairs. Postal carriers are facing job cuts and wage cuts, along with a draconian monitoring regime. 

Management, OSHA and the union bureaucracy have repeatedly failed to protect us. Company-run investigations and advance notice of inspectors allow management to temporarily “clean up” plants before visits. Union officials are complicit or passive, leaving grievances unresolved and safety failures unchecked. 

That is why an independent, worker‑led inquiry is essential: to collect the facts honestly and build a case. The only way we will see justice is if we reveal the truth, hold accountable those responsible for the conditions that put us in harm’s way, and set up our own shop floor organizations to take control.

The inquiry must be democratically controlled by rank-and-file workers. It will collect testimonies, inspect machine lockout/tagout records, document the bypassing of safety features, obtain grievance histories and witness statements, and preserve photographic and video evidence. 

The purpose is not only to establish responsibility for these deaths, but to produce clear demands and plans to enforce safe working conditions under workers’ control.

This is how you can get involved:

• Come forward with testimony and evidence. If you fear reprisal, we will protect your anonymity.
• Convene a meeting at your workplace to discuss working conditions and what must be done. 
• Document hazards and preserve records: grievances, maintenance tickets, lockout/tagout logs, photos of disabled sensors or blocked exits, and witness names. 
• Organize workplace safety teams that can insist on lockout/tagout enforcement, the right to stop unsafe work, and immediate medical emergency protocols.

Safety and jobs cannot be defended within the logic of profit. The push to make USPS “self‑sustaining” through the Delivering for America plan—which is being implemented by Trump and supported by both Democrats and Republicans—is being used to justify automation, cuts and outsourcing that erode safety and public service. We also hear from postal workers in Canada, Europe and other countries that similar attacks are underway throughout the world.

The struggle for safety must therefore be linked to a broader campaign against privatization and for workers’ control of essential services. The Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee has been established to serve as the democratic instrument through which postal workers can unite locally and internationally to defend jobs, halt dangerous speedups and oppose the handing over of the postal system to private profit.

We call on every postal worker who cares about their life and the lives of their coworkers to act now. Do not leave the truth to management or the union bureaucracy. Join and build rank‑and‑file committees, contribute to the independent inquiry, and connect your struggle to postal and logistics workers around the world. 

Together we can stop the cover‑ups, control safety in our workplaces, and defend the public postal service from privatization.

In solidarity,
The Postal Workers Rank‑and‑File Committee (PWRFC)