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.
It does sound pretty bad that the office restroom smells from this letter carrier. Could you put a can of air freshener in there to be used? If it was just an odor, I may actually defend what the carrier is doing because it’s a bodily function that we all do. I think that the fact that he is inconsiderate and makes a mess, it’s understandable that you don’t want him to use the restroom. You are certainly alllowed to request that he not use the restroom but it may be a bit of an awkward situation. We have no right to use any private bathrooms even though most offices do extend us the courtesy.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=A%20letter%20carrier%20uses%20my%20office%20restroom%20daily%2C%20slamming%20the%20seat%2C%20making%20a%20mess%2C%20and%20leaving%20it%20odorous%20in%20a%20poorly%20vented%20building.%20Lots%20of%20public%20restrooms%20in%20the%20area..can%20I%20ask%20him%20to%20stop%3F%20I%20pay%20rent%20and%20see%20counseling%20clients%20all%20day&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19175)
It should be a very straightforward process as to who is awarded an assignment. Seniority is usually the main determining factor. In your case I don't know why they would say you won the bid and then later say someone higher in seniority bid for it. I would ask to see evidence of the bid and that it was submitted in time by the person with more seniority than you. I've never seen this conflict happen before where I work. If you can bid for other offices in your city I thought the process was fully automated. I am not sure what advice to give you. A union shop steward may be able to help you but maybe they are involved in person with higher seniority get assigned to the route that you got.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%20A%20month%20ago%20i%20bidded%20on%20a%20route%20and%20i%20got%20the%20news%20that%20i%20got%20it.%20I%20started%20working%20in%20the%20route%20and%20then%20i%20hear%20that%20someone%20else%20posted%20for%20the%20position%20also%20and%20that%20he%20had%20more%20seniority%20than%20I.%20I%20am%20ask%20to%20give%20him%20the%20route&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18730)
I've never worked in an urban environment to deliver mail so I can't speak from experience. While it's true you may not have the advertising circulars that you deliver so much of in the suburbs you could have a larger route even though the mail volume per house is lower. Some cities have routes where you use a pushcart and don't have a vehicle to seek shelter in when the weather gets very bad. Is it possible the streets are crowded so it's not always easy to find parking for your postal vehicle if you even have one? Please also consider that you will likely lose your bidding seniority if you switch offices. This may not be important to you of haven't been at the USPS very long. Living closer to work may be a valid convenience for transferring. I'm quite happy working in the suberbs. The neighborhood where my route is can be pretty quiet at times which is what I enjoy. There are probably pros and cons to each work environment and if I was originally hired to work in a more urban environment I may have been fine with that. The decision you make is personal. I hope you feel you make the right move whichever action you choose to (or not to) make.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20it%20better%20being%20a%20mailman%20in%20the%20city%20or%20in%20the%20suburbs.%20Currently%20I%20work%20in%20the%20suburbs%20and%20I%27m%20thinking%20about%20transferring%20to%20the%20city%20since%20they%20dont%20get%20advertisements%20and%20it%20is%20closer%20to%20me&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18850)
Congratulations and good luck to you in your postal career. I'm glad you love it so far. Despite some personal hurdles I've had along the way, I absolutely love it most days and feel very fortunate to have this career. I don't know Powerade but I'm assuming it's an energy drink. I see Gatorade is the main competitor. The main criticism of those types of drinks is the high sugar content. My advice (with no scientific background) is to just drink 1-2 day at most and then hydrate with water. I mostly d non-sugar naturally flavored sparkling water beverages. I drink it quite a bit on hot days and it seems to help so much. I've avoided the Powerade type drinks mainly because I don't want to ingest so much sugar that could hurt my teeth and body. Moderation is my advice. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20been%20a%20CCA%20for%2060%20days%20now.%20I%20love%20the%20job.%20What%20do%20you%20recommend%20for%20me%20to%20keep%20myself%20hydrated%20during%20the%20summer%20when%20it%27s%20hot.%20I%27ve%20been%20drinking%20Powerade%20but%20I%27ve%20read%20drinking%20too%20many%20of%20those%20aren%27t%20good%20for%20you.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18889)
Employment Lawyer
Can a man sue if he's denied a job at Hooters?
Stand-Up Comedian
What types of crowds are the worst for you to to perform for?
Firefighter
What's the worst you've been burned in a fire?
I don't think it's appropriate to leave packages on a sidewalk under a mailbox. I was taught that if it didn't fit in a mailbox to bring it to the front door/porch. As to whether or not it's common, I'd hope not. I do work with some lazy people so it wouldn't surprise me if this happened every now and then by some of my co-workers. We are paid by the hour so if it takes us longer to go to a door to deliver a package we are getting paid more theoretically. The only protocol that I'm aware of is that packages should be left in a safe location. It may be subjective as to what one considers safe. I'd recommend contacting your local post office and mention to a delivery supervisor or manager that you don't like packages being left on the sidewalk if they won't fit into your mailbox. You may request that the items be brought to your front door/porch. I don't know if this will solve your problem but it's worth a try. Thanks for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20used%20to%20have%20a%20mailman%20that%20would%20put%20packages%20that%20wouldn%27t%20fit%20in%20the%20mailbox%20on%20my%20porch.%20My%20new%20mailman%20will%20literally%20leave%20them%20on%20the%20sidewalk%20under%20the%20mailbox.%20I%20don%27t%20think%20this%20is%20appropriate%20at%20all.%20Is%20this%20common%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17831)
I use an LLV built by the Grumman corporation in the mid 1990s. Our office mostly has LLVs but more recently some carriers use a Dodge ProMaster which has a lot more capacity but isn't appropriate for curbside (mounted) delivery or dismount deliveries because it's a left hand drive vehicle (what most vehicles in the US are). We also have 2-ton USPS vehicles which are used by our mail collectors and parcel post drivers. I am only trained to drive an LLV of the 3 vehicles I mentioned. I feel most comfortable because it's also the smallest and most maneuverable. The main drawback is that in snowy or icy conditions it's very hard to control the vehicle safely.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Do%20u%20have%20an%20LLV%20or%20something%20else&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18758)
There are two reasons I can think of that there would be a rider in the middle seat. The first reason would be that a supervisor was riding along for part of the day which they may do once a year or so. Sometimes they just follow along in their own vehicle. The other reason would be if a new hire (CCA) was learning on the job from a carrier trainer and going out to deliver for the day with the trainer. Those are the two reasons I can think of. I guess another reason is if there were many packages to be delivered a helper could ride along but I’ve yet to ever see that in my office with a regular LLV (long life vehicle). That is usually done with a larger delivery vehicle or our new Dodge Promasters. Thank you for writing in with a question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Why%20would%20my%20mailman%20have%20a%20rider%20with%20him%20today.%20Sitting%20in%20a%20short%20seat%20right%20in%20the%20middle%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19078)
-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
