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 have an route that is entirely walking and the DPS is not allowed to be cased in the office. We take it out to the street and hold it in our hands and "finger" through it as we approach a house and then merge it together with the flats that have been cased and then sometimes a "3rd bundle" which is usually an advertisment that each delivery address receives. It is important though to be careful of the terrain on which you are walking while merging the DPS and flats together, especially when crossing lawns or going up and down steps. The first time I see the DPS letters is just before I get to a house to deliver it. They have been sequenced by a machine to save me the time of having to sort it earlier in the day. For the most part, they are accurately sorted with an error rate which I would say is less than 2% (just a guess). Good luck with your position change and I hope it will lead you to a full time regular city carrier position.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20am%20an%20RCA%20about%20to%20change%20to%20a%20CCA.%20%20When%20casing%20your%20mail%2C%20do%20most%20city%20carriers%20case%20their%20DPS%20for%20the%20walking%20portions%20of%20their%20route%3F%20%20If%20not%2C%20what%20is%20the%20best%20way%20to%20merge%20the%20DPS%20with%20flats%20while%20walking%20the%20route%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12047)
I am not sure what that means when the postman says that he wil report you to the USPS. Did you have some type of conflict with him? Do you have a dog that bit him or is loose when the letter carrier comes to make his delivery? Depending on what he is reporting you for, you may get a letter or phone call from a supervisor or postmaster to discuss or rectify a situation (though you didn't mention what the situation is or you may not even know). It could also result in suspension of mail delivery for a period of time.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20does%20it%20mean%20when%20my%20postman%20says%20he%20is%20going%20to%20report%20me%20to%20USPS.%20What%20does%20this%20mean%2C%20and%20what%20will%20happen%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13079)
I am not sure exactly what you mean regarding taking an envelope with an old date. If you mean a postage meter date, I imagine most letter carriers don't look at the date and if the envelope doesn't appear to have been used before, they would take it. I believe that a postage meter date should reflect the date of mailing. If an envelope has a postage meter with an old date and looks to have been reused, I would refuse to take it and possibly write on it "invalid meter date or reuse of postage." I don't think I've ever encountered that situation. If an evnvelope has postage stamps and has been postmarked already, that would mean that the stamps are used and can't be used for mailing. Again, most letter carriers don't look at the date of an envelope when accepting it for mailing. Thanks for writing in with your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Does%20the%20mail%20man%20take%20a%20envelope%20with%20a%20old%20date&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12881)
It is very kind of you to want to tip your letter carrier for his service while you were away. We aren't supposed to accept tips, but I can't say I know of anybody ever being disciplined for it. I gladly accept them but it won't affect the quality of my service either way. I would recommend putting the tip in an envelope and on the outside write "Letter Carrier (insert name here if you know it)" and put it in the mailbox. Maybe tape it to the inside of the mailbox where it would be visible but not necessarily thought of as outgoing mail. If you aren't sure if he is working on a particular day I'm not sure how you could make sure they receive it unless you happen to be home when they are delivering the mail and you hand it directly to the carrier. I will say that you have one observant letter carrier. I would usually let the mail pile up in the mailbox hoping they come home soon to retrieve it.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20went%20away%20for%2010%20days%20and%20forgot%20to%20hold%20my%20mail.%20My%20mailman%20realized%20this%20and%20held%20it%20for%20me.%20Can%20I%20tiphim%3F%20How%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13473)
CPR Trainer
Just how effective is the Heimlich, really?
Air Traffic Controller
When would you order fighter jets to be scrambled?
Fashion Forecaster
What country is the most fashion-forward?
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.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=When%20I%20buy%20something%20on%20eBay%2C%20how%20do%20I%20know%20which%20post%20office%20it%20is%20deliver%20to%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/10282)
I am sure This happens a lot. While it is a very secure job to have, it's not what everyone wants as a career. Some of my co-workers have left for jobs with other govt agencies, to become police officers. I don't know of anyone who started a business once they got a breakthrough. But we are a huge company so it has likely happened. Not too many people resign after being on the job more than 5 years.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Do%20you%20know%20people%20who%20work%20at%20the%20post%20office%20yet%20have%20a%20dream%20of%20doing%20their%20own%20business%3F%20Do%20some%20people%20work%20at%20the%20post%20office%20and%20work%20on%20their%20dream%20at%20night%20until%20they%20get%20a%20breakthrough%20in%20the%20area%20of%20the%20dreams%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/8764)
Bryan, congratulations on being promoted to a "regular" carrier. It is much better than being a CCA, but 10 months sounds like a pretty short amount of time to be promoted. That is a good thing. With regards to your vacation I don't know the legalities of them mandating you to work when you have reserved a vacation. If you put in a request for annual leave and it was given back to you within a certain amt. of time (marked denied I mean), then I believe it is approved and generally can't be revoked. If you chose at as a full vacation block (usually in 1-week segments), that also is non-revocable by management as far as I know. I would recommend asking your shop steward for advice in this situation as I don't know in the NALC/USPS National Agreement where this is discussed, or possibly in the ELM (Employee/Labor Manual). One other suggestion is to ask on a FB message board that I belong to which you may find helpful. The group is called USPS Postal Maniacs. I've seen other USPS employees post questions and problems there and receive some advice. I will warn you that much of the talk on there is negative towards management, but there are many good people on there who can often steer you in the right direction. Good luck and thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20recently%20been%20promoted%20to%20a%20career%20carrier%20position%20after%20working%20as%20a%20CCA%20for%2010%20months.%20I%20reserved%20a%20vacation%20for%20the%20weekend%20and%20now%20have%20been%20mandated%20to%20work.%20They%20are%20threatening%20to%20write%20me%20up%20for%20taking%20my%20days%20off.%20Is%20this%20legal%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12624)
-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
