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Photo by Bill Green
Glenda Franklin, a mail carrier for the past five years and a native of Nicaragua, moved to the Frederick area 15 years ago. |
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On Michael Suder's first day of work in 2007 at the Frederick post office, Glenda Franklin brought him a plate of food.Franklin, a mail carrier and native of Nicaragua who moved to the area 15 years ago, made him feel instantly welcome, Suder said. And as he began to settle in, Suder, postmaster in Frederick since August, said he was taken aback by the diversity of his workplace. "I was also amazed by how well the different groups work together," he said. So when Hispanic Business magazine named the United States Postal Service among the best companies in the nation for Hispanics last week, Suder was not surprised. Beyond maintaining a broad range of diverse employees, he said the USPS encourages purchasing supplies from minority-owned businesses. The USPS, through its National Hispanic Program, works with Hispanic organizations to help stage passport fairs, Freda Sauter, a USPS corporate spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail. It has also designed automated postal centers to communicate in Spanish. "We try to meet customers on their terms, overcome language barriers and offer services relevant to different lifestyles," Sauter wrote. The roughly 190 employees at Frederick 's branch include Latinos, Asians, African-Americans and the hearing impaired. They are among the most diverse groups Suder seen in his 29-year career with the USPS. Speaking Spanish and signing come in handy as the local population becomes more diverse, he said. Franklin began her Worman's Mill route five years ago. Since then, she has seen the number of Hispanic customers grow, though they still make up only about 2 percent of the total. She likes her job so much, she encouraged her three sisters to apply. Now they also work as mail carriers. Offering homemade taquitos and rice with chicken or beef at employee birthday parties or other special occasions is a way for Franklin to share her culture. So far, she said, her bosses and co-workers have treated her fairly. "I give respect, and people give me respect," she said.
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