Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Do mailmen take pictures of packages (small 8lb box) delivered? If so, why?

Asked by Denise almost 10 years ago

Generally I don't think that mailmen should be photographing packages that are delivered. There are cases where I have done this, but not often. I photograph the USPS Tracking # if my handheld scanner can't read the barcode or I can't manually type in the numbers because they are smeared or otherwise unreadable. I will then bring back the image to my supervisor to see if they can figure it out or at least as a CYA to show them why I couldn't scan the item.

can i give my package to the mailman to ship off or take back to that specific location

Asked by juan over 10 years ago

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.

I ordered 2 items and stupidly but the wrong house number on the delivery information.I just checked my tracking and it says being returned to sender,I have another package being sorted at the moment probably out for delivery Mon.How do I stop same?

Asked by Ger over 10 years ago

If the package is supposed to be delivered Monday, I would see if you could somehow contact (via phone or email) your local PO early Monday AM and see if they could "intercept" the package before returning it to the sender. I know some POs would be very helpful and others not at all. This is a sad aspect of the company that I work for. We are sometimes overwhelmed and feel we don't have the time to go the extra step to help out in a situation like yours. Somebody would need to go look at the parcels for the route which covers your house and try to find the parcel and correct the address. If you don't know how to contact your local PO, please call 1-888-ASK-USPS to see if they have any suggestions. I wish you well.

I am a CCA(8months)& have been sent a letter of removal from driving unsafely(dismounted improperly). This was my 1st offense since being hired. Yes I was wrong & appologized for my mistake. Is there anyway for me to get my job back or tranfered?

Asked by HeWhoDeliverith over 11 years ago

I don't know I what you can do to save your job. Does the NALC represent CCAs? I am not sure. If you dismounted yoUR mail truck without turning off the engine, that is often grounds for dismissal. It does seem a bit harsh but I know the USPS is very strict on safety sometimes!

hi, I recently put something in the mailbox today going to Sharon hill pa from east falls 19129. Wondering if it will get today or tomorrow?

Asked by ashley over 10 years ago

I looked on Google Maps how far apart those 2 areas were and it said about 17 miles. In most cases, that piece of mail would be delivered the next day as long as it was put in a mailbox before the daily collection.

I was recently offered a job as cca for Melville Long Island and start orientation soon I wanted to know how was the hours and how long did it take you to get a career position

Asked by NA over 10 years ago

Congratulations on being offered the CCA position in Melville. As far as how many hours you will be working per week, it depends on the needs of the office to which you are assigned and how well staffed they are. During the months of July and August, many offices are short-staffed due to letter carriers taking vacation. When I was a Part-Time Flexibe (similar to a CCA), I usually did work a full 40-hour week or at least in the mid-30s. Many offices often have carriers out on long-term injury/illness or on vacation. I think it took about 3 years for me to get a Full-Time Regular position, but I can't remember for sure. It was in the early 2000s. In our office, there were 3 CCAs who recently got a career regular position after less than 1 year so it is hard to say how long it will take. There were PTFs in my office where it took about 8 years to become regulars.

If a CCA has a hold on a route and is told not to come into work (on a day they are supposed to), is that something the union will fight if you file a grievance? Can you get paid for that day?

Asked by question over 10 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question. I know as a PTF, if you had a hold on a route, it came with certain rights and you could only be "bumped" off that route in certain situations. I don't know if it is any different with City Carrier Assistants (CCA). I don't have a lot of familiarity with the details of the NALC contract and union/mgmt rules.