A Canada Post mail carrier fired for keeping thousands of letters undelivered for months has been reinstated after a labour arbitrator ruled the behaviour stemmed from emotional and medical difficulties rather than deliberate misconduct.Blacklock's Reporter says Hyun Min Jang, a carrier in suburban King City, Ont., north of Toronto, was dismissed in 2022 after a postmaster acting on customer complaints searched his vehicle and found more than 6,000 pieces of mail, including cheques, health cards, wedding invitations, jury summons and immigration documents. Delivery delays ranged from several days to over two months.Arbitrator Kathleen O’Neil acknowledged the backlog was “very abnormal behaviour for an experienced mail carrier” but accepted testimony that Jang had become overwhelmed by his duties after being transferred from Brampton, Ont. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers argued Jang had no prior disciplinary record, had not stolen any mail, and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder worsened by a perceived unsupportive work environment.Evidence presented included a psychologist’s report describing Jang’s heightened sensitivity to criticism and difficulties coping with the King City route. .O’Neil concluded the scale of undelivered mail was “likely indicative of emotional disruption” rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead or cover up errors.Canada Post had argued Jang’s actions represented “major misconduct” that breached the trust essential to delivering the public’s mail, citing what it described as a “pattern of lying and cover-up.”The arbitrator ordered Jang reinstated without back pay. He may return to his King City position, or another mutually agreed role, on the condition he provides adequate medical evidence of his fitness to resume duties.
