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

How late could I expect to possibly have my package arrive tonight?

Asked by Brian almost 11 years ago

I don't know if you will receive the package tonight. This time of year I'd say that most packages are delivered by 6PM, but each office probably has varying times due to mail volume and staffing levels. During the holiday season, we deliver some packages on Sunday as well. If you have a tracking number you can track the shipment at www.usps.com but I'm not sure how well it works with items that originated from another country.

Hello, I'm a CCA who is transferring to another state. Can my current Postmaster hold me since I'm not a career employee?

Asked by Diana Meaney over 11 years ago

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.

I am expecting an envelope that was shipped via First Class Mail with Delivery Confirmation. Will it be delivered to my mailbox or to my door? I am asking because I would like it to be delivered to the mailbox because I won't be home. Thanks!

Asked by TomT over 11 years ago

Generally if the item fits in your mailbox and doesn't require a signature it would be put in your mailbox. This includes First Class Mail with Delivery Confirmation (which rarely would require a signature unless the sender requests it). I hope that is what happens in your case. You may not have read my other replies on this forum but I do a lot of hedging in my answers due to the lack of consistency in delivery and procedures which I hear about both where I work and other places around the country. Also, I don't like to give misinformation or mislead anybody. As much as I know how things should be done with regards to mail delivery, the reality is it doesn't always work out that way. Thank you for writing.

If a CCA has a hold on a route and is told not to come into work (on a day they are supposed to), is that something the union will fight if you file a grievance? Can you get paid for that day?

Asked by question over 11 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question. I know as a PTF, if you had a hold on a route, it came with certain rights and you could only be "bumped" off that route in certain situations. I don't know if it is any different with City Carrier Assistants (CCA). I don't have a lot of familiarity with the details of the NALC contract and union/mgmt rules.

If I sent a letter, and only put my first name and the returning address on it, is that somewhat common to see on letters? or is it not right?

Asked by Adrian about 11 years ago

When mailing a letter it is always best to put a full return address on it if you want to get it back in the event the item is undeliverable for any reason. It is not wrong, however, to just put your first name and return address on the letter.  I can't tell you how common I see it since I don't often pay attention to the thoroughness of the return address. Most mail that is sent actually gets delivered as long as it has a proper destination address, including unit/apt. # (if any).  Thank you for the question. 

I live in a small ME town. For 13 years the postman would put any packages inside my front door. They called me a few months ago and said they can't do this anymore. I'm old so it's hard to go out in the snow/ice to get them. Is this a new policy?

Asked by Susan almost 12 years ago

I don't know the policy for whether or not to leave a package inside the door or not. I will leave a parcel inside a mailbox if it fits. If it doesn't fit, then I will bring the package to the front door of the house or put it inside a vestibule. I will leave the item if nobody is home and a signature isn't required because I deliver mail in a very safe,suburban NY community. The suggestion that I have in your situation is to call your PO and speak with the delivery supervisor or postmaster to see if an exception can be made for your situation. I dont know what the result will be or what the official policy is. 

I live in an apartment building ( in Canada ) with locked mailboxes for each apartment at the front.of.the building. My neighbor moved out and left a letter for the mail person to put her mail in my box... is this legal?

Asked by Pepper almost 11 years ago

I don't know anything about the rules/laws in Canada about redirecting mail to another address just with a note. Are you okay with this? If so, then if it happens, so be it. If you don't want this or the Canada Post doesn't operate that way, then I guess it's more of an issue. I know I wouldn't abide by a letter like this. In the United States for mail to be put in another addresses mailbox (legally), a forwarding order has to be submitted with the US postal service and then the mail will be properly redirected, even if it is just a next door neighbor. I have one customer on the route I deliver that owns 2 houses adjacent to each other. One of them is for sale. Once that house is sold, I will need to have a forwarding order submitted to have mail forwarded from the sold house to the unsold house (if that's what they want). Thanks for the question.