An alleged case of mail theft by a postal worker in Winnipeg – one of the largest cases in the country's history – illustrates the increasing burdens and stresses of the job, her former union says.
RELATED: Former letter carrier charged with mail theft
On Tuesday, police charged the former letter carrier, accusing her of failing to deliver the mail over a five-month period between October 2005 and February 2006, when she stopped working for Canada Post. The woman, 33, faces up to 10 years in jail, if convicted.
Canada Post investigators are still sorting through trash bags and boxes full of letters, small parcels and flyers police found stashed in the woman's east Winnipeg garage over the weekend.
Police have said they don't believe the woman was trying to steal the mail; rather, they think she simply failed to deliver it to its intended recipients in the Transcona area.
Brian Ferris, the president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, said the case reflects a heavy-handed work environment at Canada Post.
"I'm concerned at why somebody would have to take the mail home and not feel safe or secure enough to go to their supervisor and explain that they've got a problem," Ferris told CBC News.
"If they find that a carrier has delayed the mail: automatic five-day suspension. What ends up happening is people don't say anything about what's going on. They hide it."
Post office says it monitors workloads
Ferris said a recent increase in mail volume and a dramatic rise in flyer delivery is making it difficult for some carriers to complete their routes in eight hours.
"We're seeing more and more that carriers are having problems completing their eight-hour work day," he said. "I think that the system is flawed."
Canada Post officials said the case was unusual. Spokeswoman Teresa Williams said the post office regularly assesses letter carriers' workloads.
"We measure our routes to ensure that they're not too long," she said. "There's a value attributed to absolutely every action the letter carrier would perform."
Williams could not say whether the former letter carrier's route would be re-evaluated.
People in Transcona whose mail was found in the woman's garage will have their letters and packages delivered, she said, with a letter explaining why it was late.