By Jim Haley and Sharon Salyer
Herald Writers
EVERETT — A congressman went to the new front line in the war on bioterrorism Monday, listening to concerns of postal workers and assuring them that lawmakers and the government are doing everything they can to protect them.
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said he detected a "high level of concern" on the part of U.S. Postal Service workers at the main Everett post office, even though there’s little likelihood that anthrax or similar hazardous substances will be sent through the station.
Larsen said he’s heard from constituents and some postal workers, "so I wanted to hear for myself what concerns postal workers have," Larsen said.
Reporters were not allowed to accompany Larsen, but the congressman was peppered with questions for nearly an hour by about 50 workers who assembled to meet with him, a Larsen aide said.
He said he also came to tell them there should be no double standard when it comes to testing for and treating something such as anthrax. Unfortunately, he said there’s a perception that a double standard exists.
While lawmakers’ offices were evacuated and tested after Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle of South Dakota received a letter tainted with anthrax, two postal workers who weren’t tested died.
"It’s a tragedy two postal workers died," Larsen said. "I think we need to learn about what we didn’t do right the first time to prevent it from happening again."
Nobody wants to shut down the mail service, he added. Postal workers agreed.
Postal employees asked Larsen to deliver some messages to officials in Washington, D.C., said Linda Esquivel, president of the local American Postal Workers Union, which represents clerks, mail processors and maintenance workers.
"We wanted him to tell them that we don’t want the postal service shut down; we want to continue to work," Esquivel said.
If a situation arises where workers feel a postal facility should be shut down, "we’ll deal with it when it happens," she said.
"We want to keep the mail moving, just like Congress does, just like the whole country wants," Esquivel said. "That’s our intention, although not to the detriment of the safety or health of our members and workers."
To keep Postal Service workers safe, Larsen said they need the right equipment. That includes gloves, masks and items that will sanitize something such as anthrax spores. He also said some of the questions indicated that a few workers are still not well informed about anthrax.
"Postal workers are on the new front line" of the bioterrorism war, Larsen said. "Give them the tools they need to do their job in a safe manner."
Larsen and some other members of Congress want to use some of the $20 billion authorized to fight terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks to finance a new bioterrorism act. Larsen hopes for better training and equipping of postal workers, as well as local health agencies and fire departments that would respond to bioterrorism attacks.
"I want to assure everyone that the risk of anthrax contamination is still very low," Larsen said, adding that there have been 35 or 40 people contaminated so far out of 300 million people in the nation.
On the other hand: "I think it’s important to take reasonable precautions to make sure our mail is safe, so the public can be assured the mail is safe," he added.
Postal employees emphasized that officials should work closely with public health agencies nationwide to make sure "that what they’re recommending we get" to protect workers, Esquivel said.
Postal workers have long been trained to be on the lookout for hazardous materials in the mail, Esquivel said.
"Emergency plans have always been set. This is just a heightened version," she said of nationwide concern over the anthrax problem.
Union representatives have been working closely with managers to deal with potential anthrax safety issues in the workplace, she said.
"We’re extremely aware now and paying attention," she said of safety measures such as face masks and gloves that are being made available to employees. "They should be available to all employees at this point."
Security also has been stepped up around postal facilities, she said.
So far, mail delivery and processing at area postal facilities "is not being hindered at all," Esquivel added.
You can call Herald Writer Jim Haley at 425-339-3447 or send e-mail to haley@heraldnet.com.
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