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

Is it up to the mailman to decide whose mail needs to be forwarded back to the sender or is it the post office's duty? Recently my mail hasn't been delivered to me because my mailman thought we moved, for no reason.

Asked by Erica over 12 years ago

Thy mailman has instructions (called forwarding orders) on what mail to send to the central forwarding system. If your mail is being sent to another address for no reason, you may want to tell your letter carrier or delivery supervisor that you haven't moved and that your mail should be delivered as addressed. 

can you go to your local post office to see if something you were waiting for showed up after the mailman left to deliver your mail that day?

Asked by anagain almost 13 years ago

Generally, no. The reason is that if an item shows up after the mailman has left for their route, the new incoming mail may not even have been sorted yet. Furthermore, most POs have policy against giving out mail over the counter that is intended to be delivered by a letter carrier. I can't speak as to what your specific PO would do, but generally the answer would be no as stated above.

If a CCA has a hold on a route and is told not to come into work (on a day they are supposed to), is that something the union will fight if you file a grievance? Can you get paid for that day?

Asked by question over 12 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question. I know as a PTF, if you had a hold on a route, it came with certain rights and you could only be "bumped" off that route in certain situations. I don't know if it is any different with City Carrier Assistants (CCA). I don't have a lot of familiarity with the details of the NALC contract and union/mgmt rules.

How many times is mail picked up at the post office and also does mail being sent off in the morning get to its destination sooner

Asked by kay almost 12 years ago

I'm sure each Post Office has a slightly different dispatch schedule for mail being sent off to a P&DC (Processing and Distribution Center). I think that our Post Office dispatches the mail 2-3 times per day. I don't think that something mailed in the morning gets to its destination sooner than a letter which is collected prior to our final dispatch which is usually around 6PM. We have service levels which basically say if a letter or parcel is mailed on a certain date (before a final dispatch) that it should reach its destination by a certain date. This is usually 1-3 days depending on the distance between the origination and destination Post Office and the class of mail that is being sent (1st Class, Priority, Express, Parcel Post, etc).

I was just wondering. If the mail carrier delivers a package to your door, is there a reason why he chooses to leave the rest of the mail in the mailbox? I have a long driveway atop a hill, so why not bring it all up?

Asked by CJB over 12 years ago

I am not sure why they would leave the mail in the mailbox at the bottom of the hill. One reason is that if there is nowhere to securely put the mail at the top of the hill outside of the elements the carrier wouldn't want to leave the mail outside.

In your experience, when a CCA or a Letter Carrier gets into an accident while on the job and it is his or her fault, would they still be kept on the job or terminated?

Asked by Larry about 11 years ago

In my experience it isn't too common for anyone to get terminated for anything. I mean people are given a letter of removal but the union often will appeal that and the carrier is reinstated. If it isn't the first time something happened that was the carrier's fault it may be more difficult to appeal successfully. If you are a CCA it is probably easier to fire you if you get in an at-fault accident. I don't recall any letter carriers at my office ever being terminated for an at-fault MVA. I can't speak for any of the other thousands of offices nationwide. Drive carefully, defensively and don't be distracted.

Hey question i am going to start soon as a cca and i was wondering will i at leasy work 40 hours a week?

Asked by joao almost 12 years ago

Congratulations on getting hired as a CCA. Even though you may not get benefits and pay like a career employee, I recommend sticking with it because it is a decent job in the long run. To answer your question I really don't know. It likely depends on the needs of the office to which you are assigned. There is no minimum amt of hours per week for a CCA as far as I know and be prepared to work every day including Sundays. Some offices deliver Amazon parcels on Sunday and assign a CCA to work. Once you pass probation (90 days) you can ask to "hold down" assignments for carriers who are either sick long term or on vacation. If you get to have a "hold down" you will then be guaranteed 40 hrs per week (8 hrs per day) for the period that the "hold down" is in effect. Good luck and remember to be professional and organized.