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.
You certainly are paid when you go to orientation. The current CCA pay rate is approximately $16.10/hr. You will likely have to file HR paperwork if you'd like direct deposit or maybe it's all done electronically now. It sounds like you are hired, however there is a 90-day probationary period where you can be fired with not much recourse. If you can't perform sufficiently enough in the LLV or whichever vehicle they are training you in its possible you'll be terminated. Also, if you don't perform your job duties sufficiently and safely enough within the first 90 days you can also be terminated. Being on time and regular in attendance is also important. Many CCAs quit or are let go during this probationary period. I'd guess the attrition rate where I work is 50%. I truly like this job a lot though many others don't. As a CCA it's particularly difficult because each day you could be doing something different in an area you aren't familiar with. In my opinion it's worth it because most CCAs I've worked with become a regular career carrier within 18 months. Again, your mileage may vary. Once you are a regular carrier there is a guarantee of at least 40 hrs per week of work, benefits, and pretty solid job security. Dee, take one step at a time. Report to orientation and see how that goes and if you like it. The NALC has a brochure you can access online called "City Carrier Assistant Rights and Benefits" nalc.org That is the national union that represents City Letter Carriers nationwide,
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=2.%20If%20I%27m%20attending%20orientation%20does%20that%20mean%20I%20am%20hired%20as%20a%20CCA%3F%20I%20was%20told%20it%20is%20my%20first%20day%20of%20work%20and%20will%20be%20paid.%20So%20I%20guess%20I%20have%20it%3F%20or%20can%20i%20still%20be%20terminated%20if%20I%20performly%20poorly%20in%20the%20LLV%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17372)
Hello World Traveler. You're correct that mail can only be held at the PO for 30 days. I have 3 suggestions for you and hope one can be suitable for you.
1) if you have a neighbor or someone you trust you could have them take your mail and hold it for 3 mos. and you can pick it up when you get home.
2) you could rent a PO Box and have the mail temporarily forwarded to the PO Box. I don't think this idea will work because your mailbox would fill up quickly and it's possible any overflow mail would be returned to the sender. I'm not sure of the procedure for when a leased PO Box gets full.
3) If there is a friend or relative who is willing to accept your mail, you could have your mail temporarily forwarded to their address.
I can't think of any other solutions offhand . You could ask your local PO if they'd be willing to hold the mail for 3 months but I've never seen that done before and technically it's isn't permitted. I think they'd just quote the 30-day maximum rule for holding mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20going%20to%20be%20out%20of%20the%20country%20for%203%20months%20this%20summer%20and%20worried%20about%20my%20mailbox%20becoming%20too%20full.%20If%20I%20remember%20correctly%20you%20can%20only%20hold%20mail%20for%2030%20days%2C%20what%20should%20I%20do%20to%20ensure%20my%20mail%20doesn%27t%20get%20returned%20to%20the%20senders%3F%20Thanks.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16942)
There isn't really much to do Brittany except to be patient. Mail can go missing or be delayed for so many reasons. Most First Class mail isn't tracked either so it's not easy to tell where it is. 2-3 days delivery is the norm for most First Class mail in the US. If a piece of mail is misdelivered by a letter carrier it's hard to say when or if it will ever get properly delivered. Has your boyfriend mailed you items before to your current address and have there been issues in the past?
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=So%20I%20haven%27t%20gotten%20my%20card%20in%20the%20mail%20and%20my%20boyfriend%20put%20it%20in%20the%20mail%20on%20Tuesday%20what%20should%20I%20do&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18454)
No gift is necessary for a letter carrier, but if you'd like to give one I'm sure it will be gladly accepted. Most postal routes have the same person deliver it 5 out of the 6 delivery days per week and then someone else fills in on the regular carrier's day off. If there is a staffing shortage some routes may not have the same mailman each day. Anyhow, 2 common gifts I receive for the holidays are cash (average $20) or a gift card to a coffee chan like Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks. Thanks for asking about this.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20gift%20should%20I%20get%20my%20mailman%2C%20also%20will%20I%20have%20the%20same%20mailman%20every%20day%20or%20do%20mail%20deliverers%20do%20it%20on%20certain%20days%20and%20take%20turns%21&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17850)
Dry Cleaner
What happens to clothing at dry cleaners that goes unclaimed?
Programmer
What lessons can you share about past and present start-ups you've worked with?
Antiques Dealer
What's the most profit you've ever made from a single item?
Re: your orientation, it's good to know its for 5 days. I don't know whether or not that included the driving course. I can't tell you how much things have changed in 17 years. There is a lot more automation of mail and less manual sorting than in the past. Working in Brooklyn I don't know which vehicles are driven. I imagine there are mostly walking routes with a satchel or pushcart, but it will still be necessary to be trained on driving postal vehicles. It usually takes one day or part of one day for driver training and evaluation. I find a lot of negativity among some coworkers and try to steer clear of them as I am a generally positive attitude person. Also, please don't believe all that you hear. People like to spread garbage rumors which could be true but you never know.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Cool%20enough%2C%20we%20are%20both%20from%20Long%20Island.%20So%20your%20answering%20from%20your%20experience%20is%20probably%20good%20for%20me.%20This%20orientation%20for%20me%20will%20be%20in%20Brooklyn%20%26%20for%205%20days.%20Two%20more%20questions%20currently%20on%20my%20mind..%201.%20When%20does%20one%20take%20the%20driving%20course%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17371)
Jonas, I am no legal expert to cite which laws may or may not have been broken. I am pretty sure that this isn’t an appropriate action on behalf of your husband’s friend. In fact, I’m very disturbed to hear this story. You are completely correct that our job is to deliver the mail, NOT ask any q’s or comment about the mail destination or be a private detective. You need not answer him at all or you could take it a step further and say “Do not ask me anything about my mail”. I’m not so sure I’d threaten to report the letter carrier for his actions but you’d be within your rights to do so if the problem continued. I hope this issue doesn’t continue for you.
On a related note, I definitely do pay attention to where mail is going to or coming from. I would never comment on it to a customer or talk about it with someone else. We should be trusted employees and have an obligation to keep all information confidential.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20husband%20friend%2Cmail%20man%2Casked%20me%20why%20I%20have%20mail%20going%20to%20another%20mans%20house.That%20man%20is%20my%20payee%20rep%20and%20accountant.Your%20job%20is%20to%20deliver%20the%20mail%2C%20you%20are%20a%20mail%20man%2Cnot%20a%20private%20detective.Did%20he%20break%20any%20laws%2Cthis%20is%20not%20the%201st%20time%20w%20nosey&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19521)
Krissy, thanks for the question. The letter would likely take 2 days to be delivered to the person you are mailing it to even in the same ZIP code. It used to be delivered the next day but mail processing standards for first class mail has been changed from 1 day to 2 days a few years ago. When a letter carrier picks up outgoing mail from a customer, they generally aren't looking at the destination ZIP code. Upon return to the post office, outgoing mail is usually just put in a large hamper and sent to a regional mail processing center. From there it is sorted using automated equipment and takes about 2 days for mail in the same ZIP to be delivered.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20I%27m%20sending%20a%20letter%20to%20someone%20that%20is%20in%20the%20same%20zip%20code%20as%20myself%20and%20I%20put%20the%20letter%20in%20my%20mailbox%20to%20be%20sent%20out%20and%20when%20the%20mailman%20gets%20the%20letter%20while%20delivering%20mail%2C%20will%20the%20person%20I%27m%20sending%20the%20letter%20to%20get%20it%20the%20same%20day%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18596)
-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
