For those missing packages

Right, I agree with most of what you wrote. I agree that you have to be a bad person to pull this, or at least a distinctive, atypical person. Normal people would never do it without a specific and huge reason, like complying with kidnappers who have their kids and who for some reason want them to dump packages...

But this isn't about thinking "If I was an employee, I wouldn't be stealing all these packages". For one thing, it's not going to be detached reflection on one's behavior, and trying to explain it. That would be ridiculous, especially the "If I was an employee..." part. Being a contractor is going to be a chronic category that will influence countless interactions with the company and customers. It's probably different for a driver, but in an office job you're going to be reminded that you're a contractor all the time, with lots of company meetings that you're excluded from, and various other exclusions and reminders of your status as "not one of us".

There are all sorts of shaping experiences that employees have, from explicit "team building" razzle dazzle to more subtle cues – contractors won't have any of that. So there's less inherent resistance to doing bad things. It comes down to given person's range of possible behaviors being shifted a bit one way or the other over time. If you imagine 10,000 people and all their behavioral limits, making half of them contractors might nudge 11 or something into package dumping territory, maybe a few years in. They won't say "If I was an employee..." They'll say "f*&$% those guys" or something.

Sometimes you see it with union guys too – their hatred of management or the company can be so intense that you'll never encounter any fiercer hatred in a normal human lifespan. Jeep workers actually sabotaged Jeep vehicles in the 1980s, when they were AMC. In Arizona, the copper company I worked a summer with was incredibly intense with union hatred. Humans have an amazing ability to see themselves as victims, completely independent of any underlying reality, and some victim ideologies enable people to rationalize anything. Lots of mail and packages have been dumped by disgruntled or indifferent workers. They caught it on camera in Chicago once – it was 60 Minutes or 20/20, with the USPS.

 

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I worked as a security screener for 12 years and all that time we hardly thought about being employed by a contractor for TSA. In fact, once a year we would be tested by TSA on our job of screening passengers and property.

Many times we were told by the testers that we were better trained than regular TSA employees. Private contractors are responsible for their employees, and if they have lax hiring practices, it's on them, not the company that uses them.

 

I Remember a few cases in the past with the USPS hiding mail in the attic and garages that they didn't have time to deliver (before end of their shift) so this is nothing NEW, just a different name of business and different state. One company (can't remember which one) had employees drop small packages on the floor while sorting and ACCIDENTLY step on them, looking for coins, jewelry or other valuable items. Yes they was caught and dealt with. Now I understand there are more Cameras watching for such actions.

 

Apparently, there had been a death in his family and he was depressed. He has admitted what he did, and is regretful. He has [rightfully] been criminally charged. He deserves to be punished, but not vilified. As someone once said: "He who has never done anything stupid while under stress, let him cast the first stone."

 

People get caught every year doing that its just a question of how bad and how long it went on. Informed delivery for USPS makes it a lot harder for them to do it now though.

But people that view themselves as victims will do so whether theyre an employee, union, or contractor. There's a difference between being lazy at your job not feeling invested in your company and flat out committing felonies.

 

There's a difference between stupid and that though. Stupid would be skipping work or just not delivering anything all day. It goes beyond stupid when you're dumping stuff in the woods. It's especially egregious for mail though as you dont know the contents of the boxes.

What it there were medical devices or medicine that people needed? Youd have to pay out of pocket when insurance denied the claims to get replacements or major health consequences going without.

Weve all done stupid stuff, and wrong stuff, but yea I'm comfortable saying dumping 100s of boxes in the woods is a level beyond stupid

 

My bad; I forgot that over the last few years, compassion has gone out of style.

 

Wheres the compassion for the people that had their stuff stolen that once again could have been medically necessary?

Why is the compassion for the criminal hurting 100s of people

 

Don't you feel sorry for the jerk? He said he was "going through a tough time in his life."

 

Did you miss the part where I said he should be punished? Is that not enough compassion for the victims? Maybe I am the strange one, but yes, I can have compassion for both the victim, and sometimes the criminal too.
I appreciate that you are standing up for the victims; after all, I have been a victim too, never a perpetrator. But I really think this country could use a little more of turning the other cheek.

 

True this was NOT a spur of the moment thing. He made MANY trips and dumped them. He had to Know he would be caught up in the crime and he was and will pay for it. Was the death the stress? Was the job its self the stress? Both? Only he knows. He will get Punished under due law and go from there, I am no lawyer and YES folks could have suffered and or Died from not getting the packages. Hopefully due process will prevail on this case. Me losing a coin may hurt but i won't die from it.

 

In this case no. It was a decision that only hurt people and could have really hurt someone or killed them given that many people have been getting their medicine in the mail for the last like 2 years. It was just luck if that didnt happen and either way this was just someone harming random people so yea I have little to no compassion for someone randomly hurting tons of people.

 

Thanks for an interesting conversation on compassion. I would say I learned a lot, except it really just confirmed my view of human nature. By now.

 

This made me chuckle. In a previous life, I worked on a contract basis to develop a database application for a large company. That company's information security policy stated clearly and unambiguously that contractors must not have access to view information from any corporate databases. Let me tell you, it was loads of fun programming with a blindfold on...

 

Oh, and the bit where they were providing free flu shots for employees and their family members, but not for contractors. Apparently there are robust studies proving that the flu can't be transmitted between humans and contractors.

 

I recently had some checks for my brokerage acct shipped to me via Fed Ex.
He put them in my mailbox. (Not allowed.) Didn't ring the bell. Didn't ask for a signature, just took off. I e mailed my broker and she said I was supposed to sign for them. I was on my way out to the gym. What if a porch pirate comes by and steals all my blank checks? Fed Ex charges a lot of money and their service is questionable.

 

As much as I dislike Fedex, they all stopped requiring signatures and just have the carriers sign for it since Covid. They should have at least put it on the porch, but its basically standard now for stuff to get put in mailboxes that fits

 

The act of stealing all those packages honestly says a lot more about human nature than someone not having sympathy for them. It'd be one thing if they were isolating themselves or being a jerk because of something bad that happened which certainly deserves sympathy. That said an event isn't an excuse to just start stealing from countless people harming a bunch of people especially not random ones that never did anything to you.

 

I have been purchasing gifts for Christmas over the internet and the packages are delivered by various companies, so, I don't know which one it is, but one of the delivering companies takes a picture of the package when it is delivered. It has been good enough that I can see the information about the package.
Another issue... I bought the 2021 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin. When it was delivered, he gave the package to me and then "he" signed for it. I asked him if it wasn't the policy of the Mint for purchases over a certain amount, the purchaser is supposed to sign for it. He told me that if he waited for everyone to come to the door to sign for the packages, he couldn't get all his deliveries done in a day. I contacted the Mint and I was told that I was supposed to sign for it. Oh, well!

 

FedEx drivers are not unique in leaving packages in mailboxes. I live in the country, and my large mailbox is on the main road which is 3/8 mile from my house. So, it’s pretty tempting for non-USPS drivers to leave a package in the mailbox … FedEx, DHL, UPS, Amazon and OnTrac have all done it.

Worst case was a gold coin coming from the UK via DHL. Coin was supposed to be signed for. DLH texted me after dark that the coin had been delivered, so I grabbed a flashlight and searched all around the outside the house … no driver, no package. I was starting to think the text was an error or the package had been swiped. Then it dawned that the lazy bum may have left it in the mailbox … yup, he did.

Cal