Mail Carrier Says He Was Suspended After Posting Worries About Winter Storm Safety on Facebook

An Ohio man says he was suspended without pay from his job with the U.S. Postal Service after he criticized working conditions on social media during Winter Storm Fern.

Jason Thompson, 45, says he was placed on “emergency placement” without pay on Monday, Jan. 26 — the same day he posted on Facebook raising concerns about safety, communication, and what he describes as chaotic conditions following the storm.

Thompson says Winter Storm Fern hit his area on Saturday, Jan. 24, dumping more than a foot of snow. After the storm moved out, he says freezing temperatures settled in.

When workers returned on Monday, Thompson alleges there had been little to no communication about what to expect as surrounding communities continued digging out.

When he arrived, Thompson claims he found postal trucks buried in snow, a parking lot that had not been properly cleared, and building doors still chained.

He also alleges that employees who did report in — while others stayed home due to the weather — were expected to dig out the area themselves, even though he says their handbook indicates snow and ice removal should be handled by trained personnel. Some drifts, he says, reached up to three feet.

Thompson says one moment pushed him to speak publicly: seeing a 60-year-old co-worker struggling in the conditions.

“It crushed me. And I thought she could have a heart attack in this stuff,” Thompson recalls. “I was literally physically seeing and hearing her huffing and just struggling to do what she could do. And I was so overwhelmed with concern.”

That’s when he posted on Facebook, writing that he and his co-workers were “being put in an unacceptable safety situation,” while supervisors were “left without proper instruction or authority.”

“This is not how the hardest-working men and women of the USPS should be treated,” Thompson wrote. “Our letter carriers deliver in heat waves, blizzards, storms, and emergencies — and today they showed up again — only to be placed in harm’s way with nothing to do and nowhere to safely operate.”

He says the post quickly gained traction. Thompson says he was contacted by FOX affiliate WXIX within about 30 minutes. He also claims a co-worker later told him management called and demanded the post be removed, warning he could be fired.

Thompson says he did not speak with the person from management, but later learned in another call that he was being placed on “emergency placement,” meaning he could not return to work — and would not be paid. He says his social media post was not mentioned during that conversation.

After his interview with WXIX aired that evening, Thompson says he received a brief text from his supervisor that read: “Return to work tomorrow. Thank you.”

Still, Thompson says he felt uneasy and insisted on speaking with management. He also says he requested “stress leave,” but claims he is currently using accrued paid time off.

Thompson says this is not the first time he believes workers have faced “unrealistic expectations” during extreme weather, and claims employees are often pressured to work in unsafe conditions.

Now, he says he wants to see changes focused on communication and safety — and says he would even participate in broader discussions about improving processes.

“I would love for [the Postal Service] to stand up and say, ‘We see you, we hear you, and let’s get together. Let’s meet nationally. Let’s discuss this. How can we make a change?’ That’s what I want to see. That’s what I want to hear,” he says.

While Thompson says he feels anxious about what comes next, he says he is “willing to risk it all if it can bring a major change to the betterment of the organization,” and “everyone that works there.”

He says he has received thousands of messages since sharing his post.

“It’s been just overwhelming,” he says, adding that the response has given him “a spark of optimism and hope.”

He also encouraged others to speak up.

“You do have power, and you do have a voice, and we do have the right to free speech,” Thompson says. “It’s not about right or wrong. It’s not about this side or that side. It’s about humanity.”

In a statement, a USPS spokesperson said the agency does not publicly discuss internal administrative actions.