DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Mail carriers across the country staged rallies Sunday, demanding higher pay for a job they say is getting harder and more dangerous.
The demonstrations came a week after a mail carrier was shot and killed on the job in southeast Atlanta.
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Dozens of sign-waving postal workers, demanding a fair contract, gathered outside the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 73 in Decatur.
The union is currently negotiating with the U.S. Postal Service for a three-year contract beginning in 2027.
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“We’re a value to our families, we’re a value to our communities,” Branch 73 President Allison Lockhart told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims. “People still want their mail delivered, but at the same time, we’re in a hostile environment because you don’t know what’s going to happen day to day.”
The murder of 31-year-old Dequavious Graves came as a jolt to mail carriers across metro Atlanta.
Several days later, police arrested Nahjel Williams and charged him with murder, but they have not released details about what led to the shooting.
Lockhart said the tragedy underscores the growing dangers of the job.
“At one time, we were connected with the public, now we need to be protected from the public, because now the public is attacking the letter carriers,” Lockhart said.
Members of his chapter have been assaulted and had guns pointed them, Lockhart said.
“I get calls all the time about how dangerous it is,” Lockhart told Channel 2 Action News. “They don’t want to go out and deliver the mail anymore. They don’t want to do it because it’s traumatizing.”
The dangers, the long hours and physical demands of the job have mail carriers demanding higher pay, higher starting wages, and an all-career work force with full benefits.
They say carriers handle more mail than ever before, delivering essential items to millions of homes and businesses every day.
“Our work is more than delivering mail,” a flyer for the rally viewed by Channel 2 Action News said. “We know our customers and are often the first to notice something is wrong.”
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