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2h ago

Coworker Says He Helped Remove Body of Detroit USPS Mechanic, Denounces 'Toxic' Safety Culture

Police are treating the death as accidental pending a months-long autopsy.

Matthew Stiffler, a close friend and coworker of Nick Acker, who was found dead at the postal facility in Allen Park on Nov. 8, said that there were safety protocols, but they weren't followed.
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Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6th District), who told Local 4 she has monitored the facility “for years,” said she immediately suspected something was wrong when she learned of Nick Acker’s death. She told Local 4 that the machine involved had been the subject of a safety grievance fewer than 90 days earlier.

Overview

  • Nicholas John Acker, 36, was found dead inside a mail-handling machine at the Detroit Network Distribution Center on Nov. 8 after reportedly being there for hours.
  • Union representative Matthew Stiffler says he assisted with the recovery and alleges management kept mail processing in another area while the body remained in the machine.
  • Stiffler describes aging equipment, staffing losses, and resistance to safety shutdowns as conditions that left workers feeling unsafe.
  • USPS said it was deeply saddened and that the facility remains operational, and it did not immediately respond Monday to new allegations reported by WDIV.
  • Acker’s fiancée says the family has no clear explanation for how he entered the machine, and the autopsy and forensic review are expected to take four to six months.