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.
First of all, I want to say that it's disgusting that a co-worker would do that. It could almost be taken as a threat from a co-worker and make for a hostile environment. I think you did the right thing by taking a photo of it and getting your shop steward involved. It wouldn't have hurt for you to notify the supervisor since they are next up the chain of command. It sounds like you feel that this is serious enough to go right to the postmaster and I understand that. I don't know if your office has internal video cameras which would cover the area by the time clock. That'd give you all of the evidence you need. Be careful not to just wildly point fingers as to who you think has done the defacing, but if you have had a noticeable conflict with one co-worker you could mention that in the meeting with the postmaster and your shop steward. Nobody at work should have to put up with that kind of defacement or intimidation and I really hope that the management and NALC doesn't take this lightly.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20recently%20finished%20my%20route%2C%20came%20back%20office%20and%20someone%20defaced%20my%20time%20card.%20I%20took%20a%20picture%2C%20notified%20my%20steward%20to%20meet%20with%20postmaster%20on%20Monday.%20No%20point%20in%20notifying%20supervisor%20it%20was%20Saturday%2C%20rather%20go%20to%20postmaster.%20Any%20thoughts%2C&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15409)
I don't know if they can do that, but I would do it if it weren't clearly posted on the house or on the mailbox. This is important so that the letter carrier can deliver the mail properly. I am very big on communication so that anybody can fill in on any route and deliver the mail properly. As far as marking the house number on the outside of the mailbox, I don't know that it is necessary. A sticker on the inside lid or inside the box that clearly states a house number should be fine.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20a%20mail%20carrier%20write%20my%20house%20number%20on%20the%20outside%20of%20my%20mailbox%20with%20a%20sharpie%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14979)
I don't know but my guess would be 6 months or less. I don't know if there is still a test that needs to be taken to be hired as a City Carrier Assistant and how frequently the test is given. Many years ago, this exam wasn't given too frequently. Now I hear nothing about it so maybe it's an ongoing hiring process, where they are continuously hiring and training. From what I hear anecdotally, and what I personally see in my workplace we defintitely could use some new hires. It seems the demand for letter carriers exists, but the hiring of qualified candidates who make it through probation isn't keeping pace with that demand. Good luck to you!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20typical%20time%20frame%20to%20get%20hired%20as%20a%20carrier%20from%20the%20first%20steps%20of%20applying%20until%20one%20lands%20a%20job%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15499)
As far as I know, the break rules for city carriers are similar nationwide. We are allowed 30 minutes for lunch, up to 2 10-minute breaks plus unlimited comfort breaks (to use a bathroom). It really wouldn't be odd if the carrier was home 2-3 times a day but only one time should be more than 10 minutes (lunch time). Some carriers may have a lot of downtime on their routes if they move quickly or the mail volume is light, but my experience is that it's not a huge amt of extra time. I'm sure others will disagree with me. To answer your second question, a child shouldn't be riding along in a USPS vehicle. If the carrier is using their own vehicle that may or may not be against the rules. Either way, nobody but authorized USPS employees should be touching the mail and putting it into a community box. I'm not sure how much would get done or how much this bothers you, but you could always call the Post Office and speak with a delivery supervisor, manager or Postmaster.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=We%20have%20a%20mailman%20that%20lives%20in%20our%20area%20that%20is%20home%20multiple%20times%20a%20day.%20What%20are%20the%20rules%20for%20breaks%3F%20The%20same%20mailman%20also%20delivers%20to%20our%20boxes%20and%20lets%20his%20kid%20ride%20in%20his%20truck%20and%20put%20mail%20in%20our%20community%20box.%20Is%20this%20against%20rules%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15517)
Parcel Delivery Mailman
Does labeling a package "fragile" actually lead to you handling it with more care?
Day Trader
What can a good day trader earn in a year?
Fashion Model
What's the most lucrative type of gig models can book?
Certainly. You may mail a letter from anywhere to anywhere as long as you apply the proper postage. You also can put your primary residence as your return address even if you mail the letter out from a different address.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20want%20to%20know%20if%20I%20have%20primary%20residence%20in%20one%20place%20and%20I%20realized%20that%20I%20need%20to%20send%20a%20piece%20of%20mail%20out%20but%20I%27m%20out%20of%20town%20and%20I%20need%20to%20send%20this%20mail%20immediately.%20%20Can%20I%20put%20my%20primary%20address%20but%20be%20able%20to%20send%20it%20out%20in%20a%20different%20city%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13222)
Two good questions that are easy to answer. 1) there is no radio in the LLV which I drive. It's possible some postal vehicles have radios but not the one I use. Some carriers bring a portable radio with them or listen on their mobile devices to music or podcasts. I listen to podcasts while delivering the mail. I have one ear with the earphone in it and the other left open so I can hear any traffic or people looking to get my attention. We are probably not supposed to work with both ears covered.
2) I get both a pension and a 401(K) type program since I'm employed by a quasi-governmental organization. The pension is called FERS (federal employees retirement system) and the 401(K)-type program is called the Thrift Savings Plan. Along with Social Security, they make up the 3 "legs" of the retirement system under which I'm covered. The TSP offers a lot of potential growth because you can contribute a lot of your earnings plus the USPS matches some of your contributions. You choose how aggressive of an investor you want to be with your TSP contributions. Thanks for your questions and asking something I actually know about. Many of the questions here I can only answer by my experience not necessarily what the rules may be or how different people would act in a situation.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Actually%20had%20two%20questions%20for%20you%3F%0A%0A1.%20Is%20there%20radio%20in%20the%20mail%20delivery%20truck%20that%20you%20can%20listen%20to%20when%20driving%3F%0A%0A2.%20Do%20you%20get%20a%20pension%20or%20a%20401k%20since%20you%20work%20for%20a%20company%20ran%20by%20the%20government%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16119)
I can't say for sure what happened to the letter, but if it were originally misdelivered it isn't likely to have taken more than a month and a half to get properly delivered to you. The delay could be explained if the original recipient held on to the letter for awhile without putting it back in the mail to be properly delivered. It certainly is possible that someone in your house took the mail and gave it to you later, but I don't know your household dynamics or relationships.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Did%20someone%20in%20my%20house%20take%20my%20mail%20after%20it%20was%20delivered%20and%20give%20it%20to%20me%20later%3F%20A%20letter%20was%20postmarked%202%2F11%2F15%2C%20I%20got%20it%203%2F28%2F15-%20the%20envelope%20didn%27t%20indicate%20it%20had%20been%20delivered%20to%20a%20wrong%20address%20first.%20So%20what%20else%20could%20explain%20the%20delay%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14862)
-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
