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Arbitrator: Officials Covered Up Years Of Sexual Harassment, Bullying At Redondo Beach Post Office

REDONDO BEACH (CBSLA.com) — An independent labor arbitrator has ruled that U.S. Postal Service officials covered up years of complaints of sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation at the Redondo Beach post office.

Arbitrator Jonathan S. Monat's independent investigation found that local and regional postal service managers failed to respond to employee complaints about supervisor David Azolas, who was fired in May 2010, according to the Torrance Daily Breeze.

The Postal Service's investigation also resulted in the demotion of two post office managers in Redondo Beach, for covering up and not reporting complaints, the newspaper reported.

Azolas had been accused of sexual harassment, bullying, intimidating, threatening, humiliating and demeaning local mail carriers and other post office workers, between 2005 and up to Azolas' firing in 2010.

"There is evidence that local management covered up Azolas' conduct from LA District Management and some District managers who came into the Redondo Beach facility ignored Azolas' conduct," Monat wrote in the ruling. "Furthermore, there is evidence in the employee statements that they were bullied and intimidated by Azolas, making them afraid of retribution if complaints were filed against them."

Monat says Postal Service managers took action only after the union filed a grievance.

The ruling ordered the Postal Service admit to the wrongdoing, make written and verbal apologies to the workers of the Redondo Beach Post Office and reimburse workers who took leave because of Azolas' alleged harassment. The ruling also ordered Azolas, if he is ever returned to work, to be barred from ever supervising any letter carrier wherever he would be assigned.

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