The National Organization for Women is proud to join Project One Voice and postal workers across the country in the effort to raise public awareness of allegations of unfair employment practices and untenable working conditions.  The charges of gross sexual harassment and discrimination within the U.S. Postal Service are appalling.  Even worse, women who are fighting for their rights tell us that they often face retaliation from their superiors.

These allegations of harassment and discrimination within the Postal Service are echoed across the country.  While postal workers represent 31 percent of the federal work force, they file 50 percent of complaints received by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  When less than a third of the workers are filing half of the complaints, we know that something is dreadfully wrong.

It is time for the Postal Service to take immediate action, and to keep its promise to resolve complaints expediently and fairly.  We challenge Postmaster General William Henderson to deliver women-friendly workplaces.  As a federal agency, the Postal Service must do everything within its power to stamp out discrimination.  And we must demand and accept nothing short of a model workplace.

The National Organization for Women has named three companies Merchants of Shame -- targeting those businesses for direct actions and consumer pressure campaigns.  If the Postal Service is unresponsive to these widespread allegations of harassment, discrimination and retaliation, we will not hesitate to add the federal agency to our list.

Regrettably, women in workplaces across the nation and around the globe face harassment and discrimination everyday.  On October 15th, the World March of Women 2000 will bring together women and men from the United States and around the world in the first ever global action to demand -- once and for all -- equality between women and men.  And we will carry the energy and power from the World March of Women to the polls in November when we will elect candidates who support women's rights and all workers' rights.

• Sign up to receive these press releases by email.