MailmanDave
17 Years Experience
Long Island, NY
Male, 43
I am a City Letter Carrier for the US Postal Service in NY. I've been a city letter carrier for over 17 years and it is the best job I've ever had. I mostly work 5 days per week (sometimes includes a Saturday) and often have the opportunity for overtime, which is usually voluntary. The route I deliver has about 350 homes and I walk to each of their doors to deliver the mail. Please keep in mind that I don't have authority to speak for the USPS, so all opinions are solely mine, not my employer.
I am not sure why probation camp mail takes longer to receive or to be delivered. My main thought would be that incoming mail may be checked for prohibited items sent to the probation camp. I don't have any personal involvement with delivery to such institutions.
I don't know of any way to stop a delivery once it has been sent out by the sender. You could always refuse the item and leave it back out for the letter carrier with a note saying "refused..return to sender" and that should work.
I don't know that the mailman would have taken it. Is your mailbox locked? I don't recommend using your mailbox for anything but mail. It may not be legal but it is unlikely that there is a penalty for leaving the key in the mailbox, except the key disappearing for whatever reason.
I don't think the insurance covers express 1-day if it is delivered late and not damaged. You would be eligible for a refund of the 1-day Express Mailing cost if the item is not delivered on-time as guaranteed on at the time of purchase.
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Dustin, Fortunately my body doesn't hurt due to the strain on the body and the repetitive motions on the job. There are quite a few co-workers who have hip, back, and foot pain. A couple of carriers have had joint replacement and returned to full duty, maybe a bit slower, but back at work. I don't think there is coverage for long-term illnesses if it is not specific. If the injury got to be so bad that you couldn't perform the job for more than 1-year you could apply for a disability retirement. Work, doesn't cover any short term disability. That is one reason you get 13 days of sick leaver per year.
I don't think there is any penalty for the letter carrier to pay anything out of pocket. I've never heard of this happening with respect to a First Class Mail Parcel going missing. It is usually hard to prove that a mail carrier actually had possession of the parcel and then didn't deliver it. I know the scans are meant for tracking an item but it may not prove internally who had possession of the parcel. This is different from a registered or certified item which we sign for when we take possession of them. The item could go missing anywhere along in the mail stream. I suppose if one particular mail carrier had several complaints that parcels on their route were missing it would raise some eyebrows and there would need to be an investigation as to the rate of missing parcels. I've never heard of it happening where I work, but I'm sure there are some letter carriers who aren't very honest. I still don't know how one could get away with taking multiple parcels without being caught. Then again, I don't have that kind of mindset so I'm a bit naive when it comes to this subject.
I can't imagine that not making it through probation as a CCA means that their future in the private sector is ruined. How would a future employer even know that you were a probationary CCA for the USPS unless told by the applicant? I understand how it can be somewhat of a conflicting situation to want to do the job properly (i.e. deliver the mail accurately and safely) and be under a time pressure from management to get a route (or part of a route) done in a certain amount of time. For some, it isn't easy to do both without resorting to some type of illegal tactic. This job isn't for everybody as it does take a fair amount of organization, literacy, and knowledge of an area to do correctly. I hope you do make through probation and thank you for your question.
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