Two postal workers robbed in an hour; union wants safety plan
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In recent months, we have seen an uptick in armed robberies against postal workers not only citywide, but across the country.
Just this past Friday, two letter carriers were robbed at gunpoint in a span of an hour while they worked in the same zone. It's a problem the letter carriers' union wants addressed sooner than later.
Surveillance video shows an SUV pull up to the side of a parked U.S. Postal Service truck making deliveries on Friday, and four people jump out of the SUV.
What the video doesn't show is the group holding up the postal worker at gunpoint along the sidewalk, behind the postal truck, out of view of the camera.
The robbery happened just after noon on Friday at the intersection of Adams and Oakley in the West Loop.
CBS 2 has learned this was one of two robberies that happened on Friday, just an hour apart in the same area. Two female postal workers were held up at gunpoint, although it's unclear if the same robbers were responsible for both crimes.
The robbers stole both workers' arrow keys, which can unlock a cluster of mailboxes at once.
"To go out there, and to be approached by someone coming up to you, probably thinking it's a friendly conversation, and they wanna rob you, it's scary, you know?. They are scared, and we are working in fear," said Elise Foster, president of Branch 11 of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC).
Frustration and concern are mounting for the NALC, the union that represents postal workers. Foster said more needs to be done on a legislative level.
"We are the number one delivery at the end of the day; to deliver ourselves home to our family. The way we came to work is the way we want to leave," Foster said.
Friday's robberies were the latest in a series of incidents involving postal workers that CBS 2 has covered. In every case, arrow keys were taken.
The union said there have been at least 45 incidents since August. One letter carrier told CBS 2 two weeks ago that he believes, despite the uptick in robberies, the U.S. Postal Service does not have a safety plan.
"Our lives are in danger every day," he said.
The letter carriers' union now is looking ahead with trying to address their current security dilemma, pushing for an ordinance that would do away with one master key.
CBS 2 has been told the two letter carriers robbed on Friday are currently off the job, seeking treatment for trauma. It's unclear when they will return to their post.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said they are aware of the robberies on Friday, and are investigating.
