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CNN Live At Daybreak

New York Postal Workers Plan to Head to Court Over Anthrax

Aired October 29, 2001 - 08:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The CDC confirms a new case of inhalation anthrax -- the victim, a postal worker in New Jersey. Some of the postal workers, as you might imagine, are frightened and angry at the post office in New York City as well. Workers there plan to head to court and Jason Carroll joins us now with some of the latest details on that potential case.

Good morning Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you Paula. This morning I did have an opportunity to speak to an attorney who is working for the union and he says that he will file a complaint in federal court later today as soon as he's finished writing it. They want this Morgan facility shut down while an environmental cleanup is being conducted. Anthrax was found on four of the mail sorting machines up on the third floor.

Health officials say it is perfectly safe for workers to be here while an environment cleanup is going on, but the union does not buy that. They think a double standard is being applied here.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

WILLIAM SMITH, PRESIDENT, NEW YORK METRO POSTAL UNION: We do believe that the postal service is violating the people's safety and lives. They're letting them go in this building. As you know that the Senate, Congress, the Supreme Court Justices, all have been treated a total different and we do believe that they are taking these workers' lives as a joke.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CARROLL: Adding to the nerves -- adding to the nerves here, health officials are investigating the death of a postal worker who worked here -- a woman, she died on October 10th. Doctors say the cause of death was due to natural causes as well as complications due to high blood pressure. Once again, they are reinvestigating her death just as a precaution.

Paula.

ZAHN: Jason, have you had the opportunity to talk with any postal workers this morning? CARROLL: A few, Paula, and just as we were sitting out here getting ready to go on, and I have to tell you, I was out here this weekend. I was out here on Friday, and it seems as if as each day goes by, I have to tell you people are becoming more and more nervous and a little bit more angry. They just simply can't understand why postal facilities were shut down in New Jersey and not shut down here -- why congressional people who work at Congress, you know, in those offices -- those offices were shut down, but we don't see the same thing happening here, and I guess what's happening is they're trying to figure out why it happened there and not here.

Paula.

ZAHN: Jason, the other issue that the union leader brought up with Miles was the issue of race. Have any of these postal workers felt that there was a double standard here simply because of their race?

CARROLL: Well, you heard William Smith this morning and he definitely believes that race is a factor here. He says more than 80 percent of the people who work at this facility are minorities and he says if it's not that -- if it's not that, what else could it be?

ZAHN: OK, Jason, thanks so much for that update.

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