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 carry flat rate boxes and envelopes on their vehicles for people who need them along the route?

Asked by neva about 12 years ago

Generally I would say no. I know that I don't carry them in my vehicle. We are told to empty out our vehicles each night. Maybe some carriers do bring them with, but I would doubt it and we aren't told to by management. If a customer asked me to bring them some I would the next day. The best way to get supplies is to visit a Post Office or order the Priority Mail supplies for free at www.usps.com. Thank you for your inquiry and I think Priority Mail is one of the most reliable services that the USPS provides.

Can my mailman writes on my mail demanding to unlocked my mailbox?

Asked by Cj about 12 years ago

I am not sure what you mean by demanding to unlock your mailbox. How does he deliver mail to a locked mailbox? Is there a small slot in the box where they can put the mail through? I have that situation with a few boxes on the route I deliver but am always able to put the mail in the slot. I wouldn't ever write on the mail demanding that it be unlocked. If a box was too full or if it was too difficult to deliver to a locked box I would just not deliver it and bring it back to the PO explaining to a supervisor why the mail wasn't delivered.

if i didn't put in a change of address at the post office where i used to live and then i send a letter to the irs using the address at a motel i am temporarily staying at will it still reach its destination

Asked by william almost 12 years ago

Sure, the letter should reach its destination as long as it has the proper address and ZIP code. The only issue could be if the letter would need to be returned to you for some reason and you no longer are at the motel and there is nowhere to send the letter to. You don't need to put a return address on the letter to begin with. It's your own choice. 

How do i get the full name of my postman?

Asked by dave about 12 years ago

I am not sure how you would get the full name of your postman. I read that he won't give you his last name. I have no idea whether or not he has any obligation to do so. I gladly would give it out, if asked. It is also on my ID badge that I wear. I feel that it should be available to the public, but I am sure you will find great disagreement among my colleagues. If you were to call the PO and ask them, I have a feeling they wouldn't give it to you either. Some people get very private about certain matters, yet they will join Facebook and broadcast a lot about their personal lives. That's about all of the insight I have on this subject. Thanks for writing.

I live in a big building with lots of tenants. The mailman has keys can open all of them at once. Is the mailman delivering regular letters different than the mailman delivering small packages with tracking that fits in the mailbox?

Asked by Lisa almost 12 years ago

Lisa, I'm not sure who is delivering what to the apartment cluster mailbox, or NDCBU as it is sometimes called. Usually if the small package (regardless of whether or not it has tracking) can fit into the mailbox the regular letter carrier will be delivering it as well. When I deliver to an apt complex I bring all of the mail even if it is a larger parcel. In larger city environments, a parcel post route carrier may be delivering the larger parcels. I hope this helps answer your question and thanks for the inquiry.

Good Morning.
My mail box is a slot in front door. Up until 3 months ago, there was never a problem with delivering my mail there. Now my mailman has told me I have to have my mail box in the back, so that he doesn't have to walk up my steps.

Asked by Matt about 12 years ago

Matt, I am not familar with any real details about where a mailbox has to be with regards to steps. I just know that the box needs to be accessible to the letter carrier. I have never heard anything about steps being an issue. You may call the post office to ask if there is any regulation about the placement of a mailbox or mail slot. If they give you an answer that seems like it is made up, you may ask to see where this regulation is in writing or ask for the number to the regional or area office that oversees your local post office. Without having any more information than what you provided me, I'd say that the request by the mailman is invalid, but I just want to reiterate that I'm no authority on all of the rules on this subject. Thank you for writing.

how many hours a day do you work? How much is starting pay for 1 hour?

Thank you. I want to be a mailman and I am 18.

Asked by albert about 12 years ago

Albert, your message posted 2x so I will answer it once and then copy and paste it. I currently work 7 hours a day as I am on a limited schedule for personal reasons. A regular city letter carrier can expect to work 8 hours per day (plus 30 min. unpaid lunch), 5 days per week. The 5 days may not be consecutive since mail is delivered 6 days per week. As a new hire, you will likely be a CCA (city carrier assistant) who has a very varied schedule and I'm not sure they are guaranteed any hours. I believe starting pay is about $16/hour for a CCA, with very few benefits, if any. Once you are promoted to a regular city carrier,  the salary increasea to about $23/hour and tops out at about $28.50/hr after a certain amt. of years. These salaries are set in accordance with a labor agreement between the USPS and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), which is our union. You also get benefits once you become a regular city letter carrier as opposed to a CCA. If you visit the website www.nalc.org they have pay charts listed or you can probably just do a google search or look on www.glassdoor.com. Good luck in what is a pretty good career in my opinion.