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 wear uniform issue letter carrier shoes. The brand I usually wear is New Balance and have a special non-slip surface. The USPS provides us with a yearly allowance to put towards uniforms and footwear.
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There is often, but not always a pattern to how house #'s run. It isn't too smart for a resident not To have a # on their mailbox or house Or curb unless they don't care about getting deliveries or having an ambulance/police find them easily. when we deliver mail it is usually put in order of delivery so you can usually just "follow the mail". If you see a house with no # on it but the one before and after it have a #, you can often assume the house # is between those two. Believe me, you will be trained and I have rarely heard of this being a problem where I work, though It doesn't mean it's not a problem elsewhere. My advice is To be as careful as you can to deliver the mail accurately. Good luck to you!
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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!
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Nizu, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by your question, but I will take a guess. I believe you are a letter carrier who doesnt yet have a uniform or uniform allowance. I'm pretty sure that not long after you pass the 90-day probationary period the USPS should be sending you information on how to purchase uniforms plus a spending card which can be used at authorized vendors to make purchases of authorized uniform components. This is for city letter carriers and CCAs. I don't know anything about rural carriers and a uniform allowance. Have you asked your supervisor if they know anything about the process?
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Dan, I don't know the answer to your question. You likely live on a RR (Rural Route) or HCR (Highway Contract Route) given the fact that the mailbox is so far from your lake home. This has no bearing on what ZIP code you use as far as I know. I could see either ZIP code working based on what you told me, but I'm sure only one ZIP is actually correct. My suggestion is to stop in at a local post office during their business hours and ask a clerk or supervisor what ZIP you shoud be using or possibly call them if you can find their phone # or possibly 1-800-ASK-USPS. Thanks for writing and congratulations on your new home purchase.
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I don't understand the question. I don't know about the different forms which are required for shipments which come from other countries. Do you know if the item was coming from an international source? I don't know why the item in US Customs would be labeled as to be sent to sender. That wouldn't be good as you are the addressee and not the sender. If the sender is just giving you a bunch of excuses and not offering any refund, it could be a scam. I'm sorry that I have no knowledge about the ins and outs of US Customs and shipping of items.
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If the item weighs 13oz. or less, your letter carrier should pick this up if you have put the proper postage on it and used stamps only. You can determine the proper postage by using the postage calculator at www.usps.com. If you use electronic postage such as click 'n ship or postage via eBay, PayPal, or amazon (for example) the 13 oz. rule doesn't apply and your letter carrier should take it regardless of weight. If the item weighs more than 13 oz. and contains only stamps it would have to be brought to a PO and presented directly to a postal worker to be mailed.
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