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

On the topic of keeping dry, have you come across a good brand of gloves that keep your hands dry and warm during these colder months of rain and chills?

Asked by Kruesser over 10 years ago

Another good question that I'll fail miserably at. It's hard to find good gloves that will keep your ha ss warm and dry plus allow you to easily finger the mail. While I walk I wear a pretty regular glove on the hand where I hold the mail and then may leave the hand I use to finger the mail exposed but put it in my pocket between houses to keep it somewhat warm. You may also purchase single use hand warmers which you can keep in your pocket and they should last you the whole work day. Some carriers wear sealskin type gloves. I've never tried some so I can't comment on how good they are. Basically I own many pairs of gloves and just do a lot of experimenting to get it right. If it's raining try and bring multiple pair so you can exchange out wet gloves for dry gloves.

RECENTLY A CLOSING OF ALL OF NASSAU AND SUFFOLK WAS DUE TO BAD WEATHER! MY ? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED HERE IN LONGISLAND? AND OR WHERE CAN I FIND A HISTORY OF INCLEMENT WEATHER CLOSINGS FOR NASSAU AND SUFFOLK. THANKS DAVE!!

Asked by ROGER over 11 years ago

Yes, we were closed in Nassau and Suffolk for Tuesday Jan 27 due to a pending snowstorm. I believe NY city POs were closed as well. I think it was a good move based on what actually fell where I deliver the mail. The roads were at least passable and most customers had shoveled their walkways to their doors and driveways. Otherwise, delivery of mail may have been extremely difficult. Now to answer your question. I don't remember a time where we were fully closed due to a snow forecast. There have been times where we have come to work and found the road conditions too difficult or unsafe to deliver the mail. I know of no database that has information about the history of when we were closed for an entire day. On Monday, I delievered apprx 80% of my possible deliveries before we were told to return to the Post Office and not report back to work until the morning of today 01/28/15. I'm not a fan of delivering in snow and ice, but we make do the best we can.

How long does it take to get a first class letter from Wisconsin to California

Asked by Heemgame almost 11 years ago

I think it should be approximately 3 days for First Class Mail from Wisconsin to California. Our mail transportation is pretty reliable when it comes to meeting our delivery service goals as long as the mail isn't missorted or misdelivered.

How can I transfer as a mail carrier from L.I. to NC? I put in for the ereasign & mutual transfer & nothing...

Asked by Jerry about 11 years ago

I don't have any insight on how to transfer to other offices besides eReassign or asking for a mutual exchange transfer (which are advertised in The Postal Record). One suggestion I have is to call any office directly that you may be interested in to see if there are openings. I don't know how this would be any different from eReassign. Mutual transfers aren't so easy because you have to find someone from the area you want to transfer to who wants to go to your area. Also, there is an issue with the seniority dates that are assumed by the transferees which I don't know about. Good luck, be patient, and I predict you eventually get a transfer. What's wrong with Long Island? I love working here but know it's not for everyone partially due to the cost of living.

Do you guys deliver mail on christmas eve?

Asked by Mike over 10 years ago

Yes, we deliver on 12/24/15 Thursday. At the office where I work, we will try to be done by 1600. After that, we will next deliver mail on Saturday 12/26/15. Christmas Eve is a regular work day except that our retail window may close earlier than usual.

What percentage of mail carriers would you say, are female?

Asked by Rose almost 11 years ago

Based on the office where I work, there are about 25% female carriers. I can't say at all what it is at other locations. Lately, the CCAs who have been hired are more like 50% female. Some of them are quite petite so I don't know how they do the job lifting heavy parcels and walking with loaded mail satchels. I give them a lot of credit. I believe you should be able to lift up to 70 lbs, but I don't think that is tested and I see some carriers give their heavier parcels to a parcel post driver to deliver. I don't think that is necessarily fair that they don't have to carry the same load as I do, but I don't care enough to speak up or cause an unnecessary conflict.

are mail carriers required to deliver to separate boxes at a 2-family house, assuming the boxes specify 'apt. 1' and 'apt. 2' (particularly if the boxes are on different levels separated by stairs)?

Asked by Joe over 10 years ago

I don't know the procedures for determining whether a not a building is "officially" considered multi-unit for mail deliver purposes. I once had a person who was leasing part of a house of I could put his mail into a separate mailbox on the side of a house and I said no. The house is considered one address and all of the mail goes in a single box. The landlord can separate the mail. I would think if it's a 2-family house and the boxes are clearly marked as "apt 1" and "apt 2" or something similarly distinctive and the mail is addressed accordingly it may be okay. I truly don't know what constitutes multi-unit or not as far as mail delivery goes. I also don't know if the stairs have any effect to the answer. It's not uncommon to walk up stairs to deliver mail so I can't outright say no due to the stairs separating the mailboxes of the 2 units.