Dec 21, 2011
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The U.S. Postal Service has ordered a letter carrier to stop wearing a Santa Claus outfit after a co-worker complained.
- Photo by Chad Coleman, Bellevue Reporter
The U.S. Postal Service has ordered a letter carrier to stop wearing a Santa Claus outfit after a co-worker complained.
Bob McLean has been dressing up as Santa for the past decade, donning a red suit to deliver the mail along his route in Bellevue, WA. He even has a snow white beard – that’s real.
“The government is shutting me down because it’s a non-postal regulation uniform, McLean told the Bellevue Reporter. “This was the first time; I don’t know what happened. I don’t step on anyone’s toes. Being Santa isn’t religious to me; it’s secular. It’s about giving.”
But the U.S. Postal Service said it’s about looking like a letter carrier.
“The Santa Claus suit is not in compliance with the Postal Service’s dress code for letter carriers,” Postal Service spokesman Ernie Swanson told Fox News & Commentary.
He confirmed that someone was not too happy about a colleague dressed like Jolly Old Saint Nick.
“He had been doing this for some and there had not been an issue and a couple of weeks ago one of his fellow carriers raised the issue with management,” Swanson said. “The postmaster acknowledges that until one of his fellow carriers made an issue out of it he was okay with it,” Swanson said.
By most accounts, McLean’s Santa suit was well-received along his route – especially the children.
“Little kids – they just stare because they wonder,” said Brenda Archuletta in an interview with the Bellevue Reporter.
“I love seeing Santa,” Rachel Young told television station News 9. “It does bring cheer. It brings something to old Main Street that other places don’t have.”
Regardless of what the Postal Service said, McLean told News 9 he plans on defying orders.
“Kinda going rogue,” he said. “Might get in trouble.”
The Postal Service said there was no leeway in the dress code.
“The postmaster didn’t feel he had any choice in the matter,” Swanson said.
Read the entire story at the Bellevue Reporter.
FOX News Talk
Go Santa tell the jerk who had an issue to get a life Merry Christmas.
well then we should complain when their not wearing the uniform, but then the post office would complain they need a bigger uniform budget.
reminds you of another place of employment…..next year anything goes for clothes at work!!!!
Some complaints should be ignored.
Would it be refreshing to actually celebrate family and the birth of Christ during Christmas, instead of indoctrinating children to believe in Santa and creating materialism..Maybe that is why the postal santa was outed by his fellow employee..I do not condone being a rat, but there is a real possibility that this coworker is a religious fundimentalist that is upset with the birth of christ being turned into an orgy of spending which most can not afford. I do not have room for another pair of socks or another tie in my closet anyway.
Would it be refreshing to actually celebrate family and the birth of Christ during Christmas, instead of indoctrinating children to believe in Santa and creating materialism..Maybe that is why the postal santa was outed by his fellow employee..I do not condone being a rat, but there is a real possibility that this coworker is a religious fundimentalist that is upset with the birth of christ being turned into an orgy of spending which most can not afford. I do not have room for another pair of socks or another tie in my closet anyway.
all he was doing was bringing cheer I would love to see santa bring my mail at christmas time u go mr mclean merry christmas to your family from ours.
all he was doing was bringing cheer I would love to see santa bring my mail at christmas time u go mr mclean merry christmas to your family from ours.
Eva…the strangest thing is happening. You can comment on my wall, as you should be able to do, since were friends and my security is set to 'friends only', but yet it's showing we're not FB friends. It's not making sense, cause if we're not FB friends, you wouldn't be allowed to comment on my wall. Still, I came to your wall to leave you Christmas wishes, but it shows here we're not friends, and I can't leave you a comment except in this news link. :/
Just so some of you know the USPS is delivering for UPS and Fed- EX, a lot of those packages are dropped off at the USPS by UPS and FED EX and the GREAT USPS delivers. This has been going on for years on round shipments.
Let the old guy dress the Santa part on his own time. The USPS has a uniform and this man gets paid to buy and wear this uniform. For those who support him would you have a problem with a policeman wearing the Santa costume at work or maybe a fireman?
This is just sad and pathetic on the USPS part. They are losing millions upon millions of dollars and they are worried about an old postal delivery guy dressing up as Santa? Give me a break. He is probably one of the last 5% of good people that work for the USPS.
I would love to have my mail delivered by Santa Claus! I would think this to be positive PR for the USPS, yet no they turned it into a negative. The USPS employee who complained sounds like the Grinch or Scrooge! Bah humbug!
Because they are the Govt Nazi marchers? Fucking Liberals. I dare them to fire one of them for doing so
Why do we have a world where one person complaining about something that is not a safety issues prompts an immediate and negative repsonse?
I thought this was going to be about Don't Ask, Don't Tell until I read the article.
Not in the post office, I think there only other rule is no guns.
wow… it's incredible..
Is it any wonder the USPS is going broke? They should give this guy a raise for spreading cheer and good will… instead they let some mealy mouthed co-worker ruin what anyone else would consider a good deed. Disgusting.
Hope the complaining co-worker is the first to lose their job. Just the present goverment doing their part in bringing down America. Gotta reach their goals. I mailed all my packages through other companies this year. I refuse to help this criminal goverment in any way.
Dress code? In San Diego the postmen wear untucked shirts, baggy trashed shorts.
Congress ordered USPS to have 75 years worth of pension money saved..then went belly up because of that insane law. Santa criticized for his suit by fellow postal worker..ba humbug to that worker! Constitution requires the postal service..a needed communication tool being cut to pieces by Bammo and company! WAKE UP AMERICA!
Liberals destroying America one step at a time.
Get a grip, Rob. What does this have to do with conservative or liberal? It has everything to do with obeying work rules, something a "conservative" should appreciate. This guy can obey the rules or quit. I don't see anywhere in the Constitution that says we have a right to wear a Santa outfit. Lots of people have jobs where they are usually not allowed to wear Santa outfits: police, fire fighters, military, etc.
PS, I guess the PM could have told the whiney worker ," oh well",..& Let the carrier continue to wear his Santa outfit-but then that whiney worker would probably file a grievance. Sad a few have to RUIN it for all those enjoying the enthusiasm of that carrier.
He is doing something that makes lots of people feel good! Just because of one grinch, they want him to stop spreading cheer. I say get rid of the grinch.
He's been making customers happy for ten years! Now they want him to stop spreading cheer because of a grinch. I think the Postal Service should pay for his Santa Claus suits, give him a raise for the good P.R. and tell the grinch to shut up or leave if he can't see people happy and ask him what he's done for his customers lately.
He's been making customers happy for ten years! Now they want him to stop spreading cheer because of a grinch. I think the Postal Service should pay for his Santa Claus suits, give him a raise for the good P.R. and tell the grinch to shut up or leave if he can't see people happy and ask him what he's done for his customers lately.
wow… whomever the person was who complained… they're a complete asshat.
Fools , just plain old fools. People are such scrooges. get a life people and leave the man alone to pay it forward and bring some cheer to some folks.
LOSERS!!!!!! People have no holiday spirit!!! The postal service should be ashamed of themselves!!!!!
Lots of people have rules on what they wear to work. I'd like to see those rules liberalized, but an employer has the right to enforce a dress code. Get over it, folks.
This is just another article designed to stir up outrage over the nonexistent "War on Christmas".
Mr.Complainer should be glad yes not be the Judge Ann! LOL!
Well blame his colleague then. But I'm sure that some are blaming Obama, atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Jews, and everyone not Christian for this…
Why is this such a federal fucking issue?
Good for you santa. you are the man! u've got guts and morals,. we are Americans and we love santa.
The land of the majority rule is becoming the land -of one-pissed-off-ahole! Lets give the liberals the west coast and we will keep the rest!