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.
If it was a blank envelope with cash in it, I have no idea how it can be retrieved. I know this doesn't help you, but I'd have just left the item in the box if I saw no postage and no address on it. The letter carrier probably put it in the outgoing mail which is usually sent to a processing facility. There'd be no way to trace it back to your mother's address. To answer your question, I'd surmise that the envelope containing the cash is gone forever.
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I don't think there's any benefit for the USPS at all. I just think he's benefiting himself and it does seem unethical to me. It doesn't sound legal to take home any mail even though it's nondeliverable, nonreturnable, or excess advertisements. I just am not familiar with anybody enforcing it if it is illegal. On a similar note, there is a promotional pen company that sends out sample pens to potential customers. Sometimes the company has moved and the mail isn't forwardable. I'll take the pen out of the envelope and put the envelope into the NOVM (no obvious value mail) receptacle which each PO has. Again, it may not be legal, but I don't see the issue in taking it for personal use.
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I don't think you will be in trouble. Lisa, in my experience your mail should be processed normally so you need not worry. I don't often collect mail from the blue boxes as part of my assignment but if I saw regular mail in the Express Priority Blue Box I'd just put it with other outgoing mail in my postal vehicle and it'd be treated normally. I've never heard of outgoing mail being delayed by this. Thank you for your question.
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If I were in motion, I'd safely pull over, put on my four-way flashers, and then get out to investigate. It's possible that my gas cap is hanging out the side of the LLV, the back gate isn't secure, or maybe I'm dragging something. It could also be something that I haven't thought of. If the motorist is still around I'd ask them what they are pointing out.
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I doubt that mail is picked up from the blue outside mailboxes on a federal holiday (02/15/16 Washington's Birthday, for example). I can only speak for where I work but I think there are no trucks with collection box mail going from most POs to a mail processing facility. At the PO where I work in Long Island, NY the building is shut on Sundays and Holidays (except for most of December when we deliver parcels from our PO) and nobody is emptying the blue outside collection boxes. In summary, whether you mail the letter this Monday (02/15/16) or Tuesday, (02/17/16) it shouldn't make a difference on the speed of processing it.
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I didn't know that an assignment can officially start on a non-Saturday. Saturday begins a pay week and from then until the following Friday a regular city letter carrier (like yourself) is guaranteed 40 hours of pay which could include a holiday (like 2/15) or paid sick or annual leave. In your situation I would think that you'd have to work on either Thursday or Friday to make up the 40 hours. It's a bit confusing as to know what assignment you would do considering I don't know the size of your office and how easily they could put you somewhere else for either Thursday or Friday. I don't know the contract well enough to even know if this issue is addressed. I'd recommend talking to your shop steward or supervisor to see what they think. Is it possible that the start of your bid could be delayed until Saturday 02/20/16 in which case you'd be on your comp tour on 2/19 and would be working to get 40 hours for the week ending Friday 02/19/16.
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I am not familiar with this situation on what the mailman is allowed to do or not with respect to spraying an area for bees and killing flowers and demanding weeds can be cut. I can tell you that the mailman does need to have unobstructed access to your mailbox with low/no risk of being stung by a bee that could affect his health. I'd say that he could suspend delivery to your house until the situation is fixed to his satisfaction. I just hope both parties will be reasonable and you won't worry about him being vindictive if you call the PO to discuss this issue with a delivery supervisor/manager/postmaster. I'm not sure what you mean by "he can spray". If you are asking, "can be spray?" I don't know this answer.
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