Andy Henderson, the mail sorter who refused to process a piece of homophobic hate mail Oct 25, says he’s been assured that he won’t face additional disciplinary action from his employer, Canada Post.
Henderson led more than 60 of his coworkers to briefly walk off the job at a Commercial Dr postal station after Canada Post insisted they process and deliver a piece of junk mail that called queer people the plague of the 21st century.
The hate mail was eventually delivered by Canada Post management, but on Nov 1 Henderson says he was called to a disciplinary interview with his bosses.
“It was like being grilled by a couple of cops,” he told Xtra West later that day.
But while Henderson was waiting to hear if he might be suspended or even fired, he says the president of his union local told him that Canada Post CEO Moya Green had assured Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) national president Deborah Bourque that Henderson was in the clear.
“I have to take that at face value,” Henderson told Xtra West Nov 20. “Locally, though, none of the management at Canada Post has said anything to me at all, which I think is quite rude.”
He says he’s received letters of support from CUPW members from across the country. “The support I’m still getting now is incredible,” he says. “It’s so cool.”
Henderson says he has no regrets and that if he’s faced with the same situation again, he’ll react exactly the same way.
“Not only was it the right decision, it’s absolutely a stand we all need to take,” he says. “Canada Post has shown that they have a standard in other areas, so they really should develop something for hate propaganda.”
But without a new policy, Henderson is concerned that Canada Post management might react more aggressively when something like this happens again.
“Management might come on stronger and force the issue earlier next time,” he says. “In this case, they waited a day and it allowed some momentum to build.”
Why you can trust Xtra
