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

What are the nationwide regulations for resIdential mailboxes?

Asked by chertz almost 13 years ago

I don't know what the regulations are for attaching a mailbox to your house. Does your letter carrier walk to your door to deliver the mail? If that is the case, the mailbox must be accessible in a safe area for the carrier to reach the mailbox. If you live in an area where the delivery is made to a curbside mailbox there are regulations for how tall the mailbox must be from the ground plus there must be clearance on either side of the box so that the postal vehicle can get in and out of the area without having to put the vehicle in reverse too much. 

1176 Votes

Is it true that if I live on the second floor of an apartment building that my postal worker is not required to bring me my packages?--btw my building only has ten out door units and I am the ONLY one who gets packages on a regular basis

Asked by missydlove almost 13 years ago

I don't know the requirements for delivering mail above the 1st Floor. In my opinion, the packages should be left by your apt. Door if the letter carrier deems it a safe area. I have worked only in a building with 2 stories and would always leave a package no matter which floor it was. 

1176 Votes

Is it possible to tell the location of the mailbox where a letter was mailed from?

Asked by pookiebear about 13 years ago

Your q came in twice so I deleted the second one. I don't know that you can tell which mailbox a letter was sent from. When a carrier picks up letters from the blue collection boxes or from a residence, they commingle those letters with all of the others thatb have been picked up and generally get sent to a mail processing for sorting.

1175 Votes

If my friend sent me a letter from Arkansas, with correct address and zip code, why has it not come in the mail after 2 weeks? Could I call my local post office if they have received anything?

Asked by bryana almost 13 years ago

See below.

1174 Votes

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Why would a mail carrier avoid delivering male to the whole street on a non holiday?

Asked by Heather about 13 years ago

I have no idea why a carrier would avoid an entire street. Did you see them do it and inquire why? Unless there was a serious safety hazard that precluded the carrier safely getting to the street I don't know why there was no delivery. There are times wheN we are severely short staffed but I think we still make an effort to get to each house each delivery day. 

1173 Votes

Can a mailman place a stamp on a letter and mark a big "x" across the stamp and deliver the letter himself or have a Co - worker deliver the letter without it going through the USPS mail system?

Asked by Just asking about 11 years ago

I am sure this is done sometimes and possibly even without a stamp (which I think is very wrong to do). I sometimes see a card or letter being mailed from one customer on the route to another. I guess I could just cancel the stamp with a pen and deliver the letter directly, but I put the mail into the regular outgoing mail dispatch and have it run through the system. Delivery time is usually 2 days later. I have never heard either way if there is a proper procedure to be followed. If a co-worker gave me a letter to be delivered, I'd likely deliver it without it going through the mail processing system. It rarely comes up though.

1173 Votes

hey there i will be starting the cca postion soon. any advice?
- how long can it take to become "career" in queens?
- the allowance dose not cover much .
-must i wear strictly uniform or may i buy simular items

Asked by morgan almost 12 years ago

Congratulations on being hired as a CCA. First I will answer your questions and then I may give you some advice.

1) I don't know how long it will take to become a career employee in Queens. I've heard that the mobility and promotions are quicker in urban environments due to turnover and the number of positions, but I have no way of verifying that. The suburban office where I work has 6 CCAs and I think they have all been here for less than 1 year.

2) The uniform allowance isn't too much, but it should cover your basics. After a couple of years, I have had more than enough to wear and use the uniform allowance mostly on footwear (expensive..$100/pair) and warm weather clothing.

3) Technically, you should always be wearing all USPS regulation clothing/uniform once you have passed probation and are given a uniform allowance. Whether or not you actually have to do this will likely depend on your supervisor or postmaster. They seem fairly lax in my office in enforcing the uniform regulations which I think is wrong. I wear regulation clothing head to toe including footwear. The proper footwear is very important because it has to be approved to be slip-resistant. This job may require a lot of walking and you don't want a slip, trip or fall to injure yourself. Having the proper footwear and paying attention to where you are walking is very important.

My advice to you would be as professional as possible in performing your assigned job. Don't get involved in any office politics. Join the NALC. Bring any questions to your shop steward that you may have re: rights as a CCA. Work safely. As a CCA, you may be assigned to different stations on different days, have very few days off, and have an ever-changing work schedule. It's possible you will have a huge amt of hours per week or not many.  If a manager/supervisor gives you vague or unreasonable instructions, it's important to speak up to get clarification and/or tell them you won't be able to finish an assignment in the allotted time. Do not let yourself be bullied by management. They may try to intimidate you, but as long as you show up for work on time, work safely and professionally, things should work out fine. If you like the work and think that making a "career" employee would be good, don't give up on your CCA position no matter how stressful it could be at times. Being a career employee allows you to work a much more consistent schedule and receive paid sick leave, subsidized health insurance, and many other benefits.

 

Good luck!

1170 Votes

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