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.
In my experience it isn't too common for anyone to get terminated for anything. I mean people are given a letter of removal but the union often will appeal that and the carrier is reinstated. If it isn't the first time something happened that was the carrier's fault it may be more difficult to appeal successfully. If you are a CCA it is probably easier to fire you if you get in an at-fault accident. I don't recall any letter carriers at my office ever being terminated for an at-fault MVA. I can't speak for any of the other thousands of offices nationwide. Drive carefully, defensively and don't be distracted.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=In%20your%20experience%2C%20when%20a%20CCA%20or%20a%20Letter%20Carrier%20gets%20into%20an%20accident%20while%20on%20the%20job%20and%20it%20is%20his%20or%20her%20fault%2C%20would%20they%20still%20be%20kept%20on%20the%20job%20or%20terminated%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14801)
I looked on Google Maps how far apart those 2 areas were and it said about 17 miles. In most cases, that piece of mail would be delivered the next day as long as it was put in a mailbox before the daily collection.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=hi%2C%20I%20recently%20put%20something%20in%20the%20mailbox%20today%20going%20to%20Sharon%20hill%20pa%20%20%20from%20%20east%20falls%2019129.%20Wondering%20if%20it%20will%20get%20today%20or%20tomorrow%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11670)
Congratulations on being offered the CCA position in Melville. As far as how many hours you will be working per week, it depends on the needs of the office to which you are assigned and how well staffed they are. During the months of July and August, many offices are short-staffed due to letter carriers taking vacation. When I was a Part-Time Flexibe (similar to a CCA), I usually did work a full 40-hour week or at least in the mid-30s. Many offices often have carriers out on long-term injury/illness or on vacation. I think it took about 3 years for me to get a Full-Time Regular position, but I can't remember for sure. It was in the early 2000s. In our office, there were 3 CCAs who recently got a career regular position after less than 1 year so it is hard to say how long it will take. There were PTFs in my office where it took about 8 years to become regulars.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20recently%20offered%20a%20job%20as%20cca%20for%20Melville%20Long%20Island%20and%20start%20orientation%20soon%20I%20wanted%20to%20know%20how%20was%20the%20hours%20and%20how%20long%20did%20it%20take%20you%20to%20get%20a%20career%20position&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11710)
I am sorry but I don't know anything about the rules for transferring that apply to CCAs. I would recommend visiting the www.nalc.org website which may have information or contacting a union representative at your local NALC branch or your shop steward. Good luck in your USPS career.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello%2C%20I%27m%20a%20CCA%20who%20is%20transferring%20to%20another%20state.%20Can%20my%20current%20Postmaster%20hold%20me%20since%20I%27m%20not%20a%20career%20employee%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11542)
Private Detective
Has anyone ever caught you surveilling them, and what happened?
Professor
How do you prevent cheating and plagiarism these days?
Farmer
Do friends with office jobs look down on what you do?
I don't think there is any automation involved after 18 months from when a forwarding order started. At the sorting case, a carrier has pink cards with stickers on them which can say when a particular forwarding order started. I keep those cards for about 2-3 years and once the forwarding order has expired (18 months), I put a line through the sticker and maybe a little marker at the address in the carrier case indicating UTF. "Return service requested" AFAIK means that if the letter was going to be forwarded to a new addrees, the sender would like the letter returned to them with the new address info. The carriers handle them just as they would any forward and the CFS (Computerized Forwarding System) will know that the sender wanted the letter returned. The sender does pay an extra fee for this service.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi.%20When%20forwarding%20requests%20are%20no%20longer%20active%2C%20is%20there%20anything%20at%20the%20sorting%20case%2Ffacility%20that%20automatically%20designates%20the%20mail%20as%20UTF%3F%20Also%2C%20how%20are%20letters%20with%20%22return%20service%20requested%22%20endorsements%20handled%20by%20letter%20carriers%20or%20PO%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/9319)
I don't know that the mailbox is technically USPS property. It should only be used for US Mail as far as I know. The mailman probably shouldn't have taken the gift bags if they weren't properly addressed and contatined sufficient postage. Having the flag up does generally signal that somebody has outgoing mail so we know to stop there even if there is no "incoming" mail to that address. I would look at any item that is in a customers mailbox and it is usually quite apparent if it is meant as outgoing mail or not. That being said, I would never recommend that anybody leave anything in a mailbox that isn't associated with US Mail or the USPS. I think in most cases the gift bags would have been left alone in the mailbox, but we have employees among us who aren't that sharp or mayne they were just trying to prove a point that non-mail items should be in the mailbox. I can't comment on why the gift bags disappeared. It is just speculation on my part.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=A%20relative%20thought%20it%20was%20a%20good%20idea%20to%20place%20gift%20bags%20for%20my%20kids%20in%20our%20mailbox%20with%20the%20flag%20up%20figuring%20it%20would%20signal%20to%20us%20that%20there%20was%20something%20in%20there.%20Well%20apparently%20the%20mailman%20took%20them%21%20I%20was%20told%20the%20mailbox%20was%20USPS%20property%21..%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12169)
I can't remember a time that I came across any suspicious letters or packages, or at least not as of late. Not long after 9/11 I think there was anthrax sent through mail or something like that to Washington DC. It made me nervous and I think I had some type of reaction that I may have contracted it and had trouble breathing. It turned out to be all in my head and nothing ever came of it. There probably is drugs sent through the mail or maybe other illegal substances but I have no experience with it fortunately.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20often%20do%20you%20encounter%20%27suspicious%27%20letters%3F%20or%20letters%20that%20you%20think%20may%20contain%20illegal%20substances%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12474)
-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
