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

My mom is 82 and gets curbside delivery. she asked her letter carrier if he could bring her mail to the door. Thepostmaster said no way. Is there a way around this officious little twit?

Asked by Reggie about 12 years ago

I am not sure what can be done to change the situation re: curbside delivery for your Mom. The only thing I could think of is maybe a dr's note saying she is having trouble walking to the mailbox. I am not sure that it would have any effect on the PMs decision. The USPS is trying to encourage curbside delivery or cluster box units as a more efficient means of delivery.

hi. I myself am a part time mailmman. I was wondering if i ever wanted to go to school would i have to take night classes or could i ask my supervisor/postmaster to allow me 1 or 2 days out of the week to go to school?

Asked by F8 almost 12 years ago

I don't know the answer as to whether or not your supervisor will allow you the one or two days off to attend school instead of attending night school. Many POs are a little bit short-staffed so my guess is that they might be reluctant to allow you the time off each week but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm sorry I don't have any insight on your specific situation to give you any better advice. 

Can a rural letter carrier take mail out of a box after they already placed mail in the box? Today after mail was delivered, she came back and took my mail out of my mailbox and drove off.

Asked by L. Works about 11 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question. I also am not sure if they are allowed to take mail out of the box if it has been properly delivered, nor am I sure why. Is it possible that this rural carrier misdelivered a mailpiece and then went back to retrieve it? Do you know if it was actually your mail? Again, if the mail was properly delivered then there should be no reason that I can think of for the carrier to remove the mail. If it happens repeatedly or you think it is something vindictive, I'd recommend calling the PO and mentioning it to a delivery supervisor. If you just saw it once and are just curious about it, I'd just let it go. 

is it against protocall to get out out of truck and deliver mail if somebody parked and blocked the mail box

Asked by isaiah over 12 years ago

It isn't against protocol for a carrier to get out of their truck to deliver the mail If the mailbox is blocked by another vehicle.  It is a decision that the carrier can make. I think if it was an occasional event, the carrier may get out to deliver the mail, but if a box was blocked daily, he may leave a note saying that delivery won't be made until the situation is rectified. I think most carriers would rather deliver the mail than have to bring it back to the PO for delivery the next day. 

I have been called for an interview for a City Carrier Assistant I position. Do you have many CCA's at your post office? Do you have any idea about how many hours they average a week?

Asked by April over 12 years ago

Congratulations and I hope you are hired as a CCA. In my office we have zero, but we will be in desperate need of a couple once the summer vacation season starts. As far as hours, I can't say for sure how many you'd work, but when I was a Part time flex (PTF) which was the precursor to TEs or CCAs I consistently worked 40+ hours per week. We really didn't have much choice whether to work or not since we would fill in as needed to cover vacation, sick leave, or a route that was too large for one carrier to handle. I know CCAs start at approx $15/hr. I am glad the USPS realizes that they need to hire more people to staff the offices properly. 

I just got interviewed for CCA position. Just wondering, how many years does it take to make career and what to expect the hourly rate if starting in California is $15.68. Also I'm kind of nervous about getting lost. Do carrier use GPS for route?

Asked by Nat about 10 years ago

I'll answer your second question first Nat. The carriers I work with (as well as I myself) use GPS on their smartphones to find streets and neighborhoods they may not be familiar with. I've been working in the same area for many years but sometimes get sent to streets I haven't been to in awhile. I break out the maps App on the iPhone to get me there. Management used to give out route maps to assist carriers but I don't know if they still do since GPS is easily available to most. Please be careful using it when driving. I try to picture the directions ahead of time so I'm not fumbling with the phone while driving. With regards to how long it takes to make career employee from CCA, it really depends on the attrition/retirement rate in your office/area. CCAs are usually made into career employees when a somebody retires or leaves the office or area where you work which would create a vacant position. It could range from a few months to several years to be converted from a CCA to career employee. In my opinion it is generally worth the wait. Your wages don't go up significantly when you become a career employee but you are entitled to health and retirement benefits and paid annual leave. If you access the NALC website and search for pay chart you can see what the wage progression is. You have to make sure you look at the section for CCA or Career letter carriers hired after 2013 I think as the pay scale is different than those hired before then. Good luck and work safely. The NALC is the labor union that represents city letter carriers employed by the USPS. I recommend joining that organization.

I recently moved into my new home and my letter carrier has refused my mail delivery until I convert to a curbside mailbox, this also includes large packages. Is he allowed to make such request where I have to comply in order to receive my mail?

Asked by New experience! over 11 years ago

I don't know the USPS rules on a letter carrier requesting a mailbox be converted to curbside. I assume that you currently have a mailbox near a door to your house or affixed somewhere on your house which requires the letter carrier to leave their vehicle to affect delivery. I would think that large packages would need to be brought to the door regardless of where your mailbox is placed. Where are the mailboxes installed on the other addresses in your neighborhood? I'm sorry I don't really have any insight on your situation though I would think the request would have to come from a higher source than your own letter carrier and be made to a large area and not just you. One option would be to call your local post office and speak to a delivery supervisor about this request or even the postmaster or the district office which services your community.