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.
Bradan, I feel your pain. It is a horrible feeling to be out in the elements, being cold and uncomfortable with hours to go in your deliveries. I haven't by any means mastered this problem. The uniform vendors that sell for the USPS offer fingerless gloves (the upper 1/3 or 1/2 of your fingers are exposed) but they aren't terribly useful. Some gloves offered have raised dots that can help you finger the mail. I use them sometimes. Try and keep the rest of your body as warm as possible with layering including thermal underwear. Definitely wear a hat, two if necessary. Even if your fingertips are exposed, you may want to invest in a box of single-use handwarmers (sometimes called hot hands) which are little packets that you shake to activate and then can put inside your gloves or in your pants pockets or glove pockets which you will keep you warm. My girlfriend just bought a box of 40 hand warmers for $12.99 at Costco.
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I don't think you should be doomed if you were unable to complete such a large route. Usually the management would request that you call the post office if you require any extra time or assistance in completing a route that you are unfamiliar with. I would hope there would be no discipline in the situation that you just described.
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I don't know that I completely understand your question, but I'll give it a try. Most houses have an official mailing address which should often correspond with the physical location of the house. I can see if it is a corner house it may be a bit confusing. You may want to contact the PO to tell them that this may be happening, and, for further reference, please advise those who mail you items of your correct mailing address and clarify with your PO as to what address should be used. This is a very important subject matter to make sure items get to where they are intended to go, especially with a lot more automated processing of the mail and substitute letter carriers who may not be familiar with all of the names are on a certain route.
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When you purchase an item on eBay, it is similar to purchasing any other product online. You advise the seller of the address to ship the item to. The shipper will then mail the item via USPS and it will end up going to the PO that serves the destination address. Most often that is the PO that matches the city in the destination address.
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I am not familiar with the RCA (Rural Carrier Associate) position and the requirements of when you have to work. I do know that it is similar to the CCA position for city letter carriers which don't get any benefits as far as I know, except a uniform allowance. The CCAs in the office where I work sometimes have to work Sundays to deliver Amazon parcels. I would recommend contacting the NRLCA (National Rural Letter Carriers Association) at Phone: 703-684-5545. Their website is www.nrlca.org and they are the union which represents Rural Letter Carriers nationwide. I copied the following from a USPS brochure on RCA hiring: Rural Carrier Associate Facts Variable Work Hours As an RCA, you will replace a regular rural carrier on his or her scheduled day off (primarily Saturday), on vacation, or on other leave. Work hours will vary depending on the office and route to which you are assigned. You must be willing to work weekends and some holidays and be available for on-call employment. You may be assigned to other carriers’ routes, increasing the number of hours you work.
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I am sorry that you are having this issue with the parcel locker key not working and your request being ignored re: using another parcel locker. I am not sure what the best solution is. Is the note you left very visible? If that doesn't work, maybe leave a post-it note on the parcel locker near the keyhole explaining the problem. Another option is to try to call the local post office and speak with a delivery supervisor or the national USPS Customer Support Center at:
1-800-ASK-USPS® (1-800-275-8777)
Thank you for your question and I hope you get your situation resolved shortly.
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It is very kind of the customers to give you tips and or boxed presents for the holiday season. I believe we aren't supposed to accept any gift valued at more than $20 at any one time and it's supposed to be non-cash. I would venture to say that most employees don't follow this rule and it is rare that you'd get in trouble for accepting it. For those that give you gifts, I'd recommend replying with a thank you note or card that you can deliver with the mail the next time you are at their office or residence. I do realize you are a CCA and may be doing different assignments daily unless you have a hold down. Another recommendation is to not discuss any amounts or gifts you receive with your fellow co-workers. It's better to just be modest and quiet about it IMO. I hope this helped you. Please also remember that we are paid to do our job and nobody should expect a tip for doing their job at the USPS. It is unethical to expect any gratuity, but I, like most, will gladly accept it when offered.
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