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'm not really sure how to answer this question because I would have suggested speaking with the letter carrier or delivery supervisor to make it clear where your apt. is and that you have no access to the packages in the front of the house as the gate is locked and you have no key. You have already done that according to your question. Is the rear apt. accessible to the letter carrier without the key? Where does the mail get delivered to? is it safe to go to the rear of the house? I agree that it's lousy that the carrier just throws the parcels to the front. Possibly a replacement letter carrier delivering the route doesn't realize they can go to the rear even though the packages say so. I would contact the PO and say that situation hasn't been resolved. I'm not sure how much help they will be but you deserve a clear answer and good service from us.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi.%20Though%20my%20apt%20%23%20says%20REAR%2C%20the%20mail%20carrier%20throws%20my%20packages%20over%20the%20front%20gate%2C%20that%20I%20don%27t%20have%20a%20key%20to%20open%2C%20vs%20the%20rear%20gate.%20I%27ve%20discussed%20this%20with%20him%20in%20person%20before.%20No%20change.%20How%20can%20I%20get%20him%20to%20deliver%20the%20packages%20correctly%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15656)
Thanks for your question. We do sometimes get requests from attorneys or collection agencies or process servers which ask us to verify if a certain name received mail at a certain address. I don't know what the form is called but I believe this is legal as long as the proper procedures are followed by the requesting party. They will also ask if they have moved and, if so, what is the new address for the person in question. I receive these forms not too often. If I do get this written request, I just tell the registry clerk or supervisor what the status is of that name because I pretty much know all the names of people who receive mail on my postal route. As far as I know it's usually for a legal matter or debt recovery issue.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=The%20mailman%20just%20knocked%20on%20our%20door%20and%20asked%20my%20name%20and%20I%20said%20yes%20that%27s%20me.%20He%20did%20not%20give%20me%20anything%20he%20only%20said%20the%20form%20he%20was%20holding%20was%20for%20him%20to%20report%20something%20and%20he%20left.%20Now%20I%27m%20worried%20what%20it%20was%20he%20needed%20to%20report%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15978)
They really shouldn't be taking your mail into their unit or house or apt if you don't shared the same living space with them and they aren't responsible about giving it to you. It may not be easy but you could politely ask the landlord and girlfriend and son to maybe leave your mail in the box or slip it under your door if that's accessible or appropriate. I agree it's not good for you to need to be concerned if someone is taking your mail and giving it to you at their convenience. I know it's not the answer you'd like to hear, but a PO Box rental would solve this issue. The drawback is that it costs money and is probably less convenient than getting mail at your residence. The USPS would probably not get involved in separating out your mail and putting in to a different mail receptacle unless the unit was officially designated an apt for mail receiving purposes. I don't know how one would go about doing this or the complexity of it. We have a database of authorized addresses that we go by to deliver the mail and if there aren't multiple units designated in the same dwelling, all of the mail would normally be put together.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20landlord%20%26%20I%20have%20the%20same%20mailbox%20%26%20for%20some%20reason%20his%20girlfriend%20%26%20son%20continue%20to%20take%20my%20mail%20into%20the%20house%20%26%20when%20I%20ask%20about%20the%20landlord%20says%20no%20your%20mail%20isn%27t%20in%20my%20house%20%26%2010-15%20mins%20later%20he%20appears%20with%20my%20mail&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16080)
I only drove a two ton van a few times in my postal career and that was many years ago. I didn't feel comfortable driving such a large vehicle but some of my co-workers don't mind it. I believe they aren't that hard to handle. As far as a woman of short stature I don't know if a lady carrier can drive it. We have females that drive the two ton postal truck and do it fine. They are probably 5' 5" or taller so I can't say how the visibility is for a short person. I don't know about the adjustability of the seat height.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Have%20you%20ever%20drove%20a%202%20ton%20postal%20van%20and%20do%20you%20think%20a%20lady%20carrier%20can%20drive%20one%20if%20short%20in%20stature%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15902)
Debate Coach
Are presidential debates actually "debates", by the traditional definition?
Wills and Estates Lawyer
Can I leave everything to my pets?
Basketball Referee
Ever get into a physical altercation with a crazed parent?
I am going to have to pass on answering this question with any authority because I don't know the union contract when it comes to this subject. It's also possible that a local agreement governs what is done. It makes sense to me that an unassigned regular can hold down a vacant route until it is put up for bid. They also shouldn't be bumped off that route unless it's the non-scheduled day for that route. In that situation the comp person would usually do the route on the day they are supposed to. If there is no available routes to do on a comp persons group of 5 routes there is usually another route for them to cover. The above is just based on what I've seen done at the PO where I work. I can't even say that my info is accurate. We usually treat hold downs to mean that the carrier holding it down has many of the rights as the regular carrier on the route, but not necessarily all. This is where it gets confusing to me about bumping rights.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20a%20unassigned%20regular%20with%20a%20hold%20down%20bump%20a%20comp%20person%20off%20his%20tour%20on%20a%20route%20that%20is%20vacant%20until%20it%20goes%20up%20for%20bid..%20Not%20fair%20and%20where%20does%20the%20comp%20person%20go%20if%20no%20open%20route%20on%20comp%20tour&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16006)
To be honest with you, I don't know that there is any way to get the letter carrier removed from your neighborhood for the reason given. Has this affected the delivery of mail to your house? If so, I would recommend talking to a delivery supervisor or manager at your local post office. As long as your dogs are secure and the screen won't break and your mailbox isn't too close to the door, the letter carrier should deliver your mail as they would anyone else. I am not sure who has the ultimate authority whether or not it's "safe enough" to make the delivery. The USPS management does take a very proactive stance to stop letter carrier from being bitten by dogs, but we should be delivering the mail unless it is unsafe to do so. I should clarify that the decision might be up to the individual letter carrier whether or not they feel it is safe or not. I am quite afraid of dogs myself but have never not delivered mail due to a dog on the property. They have always been behind a screen or storm door or on a leash where they can't get to me. I know my answer to you is a bit vague, but carrier safety is the number one priority. Having said that there is sometimes a varying opinion on what is safe and what isn't and I'm not sure who gets to make the ultimate decision.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20anyway%20to%20get%20a%20letter%20carrier%20removed%20from%20my%20neighborhood.%20She%27s%20afraid%20of%20dogs%20and%20why%20she%20took%20the%20job%20in%20the%20first%20place%20is%20beyond%20me.%20My%20screen%20is%20secure.%20Have%20had%203%20dogs%20over%20the%20years%20and%20not%20once%20did%20they%20ever%20get%20out.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17575)
I generally don't wear winter boots but I wear rubber overshoes if there is snow on the ground. These are the same thing I'd wear if it were raining outside. The brand I use is Tingley and they come in at least 3 dfferent height overshoes. They aren't really warm so I wear thermal socks in the winter so my feet and toes don't freeze.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20brand%20of%20winter%20boots%20do%20you%20wear%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17599)
-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
