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.
Thank you for the NALC information. Definitely see if you can file a grievance for the mgmt not giving out Progressive Discipline. Again, if it is a big mistake like leaving the engine running or having a motor vehicle accident, maybe that couLD go straight to a letter of removal.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Yes%20the%20NALC%20represents%20us%20but%20Ithought%20that%20after%2090day%20probation%20that%20your%20supervisor%20had%20to%20issue%20a%20warning%20before%20termination%20%26%2For%20try%20to%20put%20an%20employee%20in%20a%20different%20craft.%20I%20am%20currently%20trying%20to%20file%20a%20grievance.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/8982)
ST, I'm not sure what happened in your situation. Some USPS carriers may be trained or take it upon themselves to do things differently than others. If the letter carrier saw the one letter in your mailbox but the rest of the mail taken in (by you), they might think it's mail for a person no longer living there and return it to the sender "Attempted, Not Known" or "Unable to Forward" or something else. It seems likely that this is what happened and the letter wasn't stolen though I can't says for sure.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20keeping%20a%20piece%20of%20mail%20in%20the%20mailbox%20that%20had%20been%20delivered%20to%20my%20address%20for%20our%20old%20roommate%20to%20pick%20up.%20After%20about%202%20days%2C%20the%20letter%20was%20gone%20but%20the%20roommate%20had%20not%20picked%20it%20up.%20Would%20USPS%20take%20the%20letter%20back%20and%20return%20to%20sender%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13422)
Most of the mail that we take out is sorted ahead of time into trays, but there is always some "residual mail" that has to be hand sorted and sometimes collated in with the mail that has already been sorted. It is rare that these trays would be more than 20 lbs. in my estimation. Some offices have more automation than others meaning some offices still have to do a lot of manual sorting. While there are sometimes heavy packages to lift, I think the max. Is 70 lbs. and i don't see a parcel that heavy too often. The mail that I mentioned earlier comes sorted into trays is done by automated sorting machines located at a larger processing facility.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20reading%20articles%20about%20mailmen%20and%20one%20person%20said%20he%20lifted%2075%20pound%20trays%20to%20take%20mail%20from%20%28for%20sorting%20into%20bins%20or%20trays%29%20before%20he%20goes%20out%20on%20his%20route.%20%20Do%20you%20do%20that%3F%20or%20is%20your%20mail%20already%20sorted%20for%20you%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/9678)
Congratulations on getting hired as a CCA. Even though you may not get benefits and pay like a career employee, I recommend sticking with it because it is a decent job in the long run. To answer your question I really don't know. It likely depends on the needs of the office to which you are assigned. There is no minimum amt of hours per week for a CCA as far as I know and be prepared to work every day including Sundays. Some offices deliver Amazon parcels on Sunday and assign a CCA to work. Once you pass probation (90 days) you can ask to "hold down" assignments for carriers who are either sick long term or on vacation. If you get to have a "hold down" you will then be guaranteed 40 hrs per week (8 hrs per day) for the period that the "hold down" is in effect. Good luck and remember to be professional and organized.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hey%20question%20i%20am%20going%20to%20start%20soon%20as%20a%20cca%20and%20i%20was%20wondering%20will%20i%20at%20leasy%20work%2040%20hours%20a%20week%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13075)
Call Center Employee (Retail)
Do you think it's just a matter of time before all U.S. companies move their customer support overseas?
Antiques Dealer
How easy is it to forge a rare piece, and are fakes a big problem in the antiquing world?
Programmer
Is Mark Zuckerberg really a genius programmer? Or was he just lucky?
You can give a mailman any package that has the postage paid on it either via a computer printed label (such as Click 'N Ship) or a label where the recipient will pay the return postage. In the latter case, the label will clearly say "No Postage Necessary If Mailed Within The United States". Every letter carrier should accept the package no questions asked. The exception to this would be a city letter carrier who may not have a USPS vehicle which they are operating from and are unable to bring the package back to the Post Office. In that case I believe you can go to www.usps.com to schedule a package pickup. The mailman usually won't take a package back to a specific address until it is processed through our mail distribution system. Most of the time we just accept any package or mail along our delivery routes and bring back to the post office where we work from and it gets dispatched to a mail distribution center for processing. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=can%20i%20give%20my%20package%20to%20the%20mailman%20to%20ship%20off%20or%20take%20back%20to%20that%20specific%20location&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12601)
I'm sure each Post Office has a slightly different dispatch schedule for mail being sent off to a P&DC (Processing and Distribution Center). I think that our Post Office dispatches the mail 2-3 times per day. I don't think that something mailed in the morning gets to its destination sooner than a letter which is collected prior to our final dispatch which is usually around 6PM. We have service levels which basically say if a letter or parcel is mailed on a certain date (before a final dispatch) that it should reach its destination by a certain date. This is usually 1-3 days depending on the distance between the origination and destination Post Office and the class of mail that is being sent (1st Class, Priority, Express, Parcel Post, etc).
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20many%20times%20is%20mail%20picked%20up%20at%20the%20post%20office%20and%20also%20does%20mail%20being%20sent%20off%20in%20the%20morning%20get%20to%20its%20destination%20sooner&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12882)
I wish you well in your career as a CCA, but I certainly understand that a drive from Brooklyn to Glen Head is pretty far. I don't know anything about the transfer process even when you just started your probationary period. I don't think it was possible when I was a PTF (part-time flexible) to put in for a transfer until a certain amount of time had passed since I was hired. I don't know if the process has changed. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20just%20started%20as%20a%20CCA%20for%20Glen%20Head%20long%20island%20but%20I%20live%20in%20Brooklyn%2C%20the%20drive%20is%20too%20long%20for%20me.%20Can%20I%20transfer%20right%20away%20if%20I%20see%20an%20opening%20on%20usps%20website.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11882)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
