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.
You're welcome. I just always like to state here that I have never read the National Agreement between the USPS and the National Association of Letter Carriers so a lot of what I say is based on what I've seen at my particular PO as well and by attending some local union meetings. I do a little research online but I'm not lawyer and am not dedicated enough to research deeply to see if there are rules on certain issue mentioned in the National Agreement. Congratulations on getting a route assignment.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Makes%20sense%20to%20start%20on%20a%20Saturday%2C%20but%20bid%20states%2002%2F19.%20Thanks%20for%20the%20insight&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16391)
Not often. I deliver the same route each day, so I pretty much know when residents move in or out. I deliver mail in an upper middle class community and there aren't many rentals and most houses are occupied. If mail begins to accumulate for awhile and I don't see any activity at the house and the grounds start to look more unkempt I may suspect a house is vacant. When most people move, they submit a change of address/forwarding order. This also gives me an indication that if I don't see a new residents name that the house could be vacant. At present, about 1% of the houses on my route are considered vacant and don't receive mail delivery. I'm sure in many other communities that aren't as well off economically there could be more vacant homes.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=do%20you%20always%20have%20the%20same%20route%3F%20are%20vacant%20houses%20common%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17162)
Hello CP2015, I'm not sure what POCs are but I'll guess and say those are the amt of possible deliveries you have each day which sounds like a lot to me. It isn't easy to work outside in the summer when the sun is pounding down on you. While I prefer the heat vs the extreme cold, the summer can be taxing on your body. I'd recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your eyes, face, and neck. I also recommend drinking as much water as you can even before you get thirsty. It sweats off of you pretty quickly so the more you stay hydrated the better you should feel. In terms of actually burning, I suppose you could apply sunscreen liberally with an SPF of 40+. Stay safe and thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=i%20have%20661%20POC%27s%20in%20my%20route%20and%20I%20AM%20BURNING%20unde%20the%20scorching%20sun.%20do%20you%20have%20any%20tips%20to%20avoid%20getting%20burned%20and%20stay%20cool%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17174)
I don't know where you can find this information as to if it's in our ELM or JCAM since I'm not involved in contract administration whatsoever. Your shop steward might have an answer plus I think some offices operate differently even if it's in violation of a nationally agreed upon procedure. It also depends on whether or not you are a CCA or if you're a Regular. If you're a Regular carrier, it also depends on whether or not you are on the ODL. That will determine if they can mandate you in on your SDO (also known as your NS day). In the office where I work, CCAs don't technically have a scheduled day off and should be checking the schedule daily to confirm when/if they need to report for work the next day. As far as regular carriers go, it seems that our management makes the schedule up on a daily basis but probably does a rough draft in the later part of the previous week. The schedule is on a clipboard on the supervisors desk. I've heard in other offices the management will usually post the following weeks schedule by Wed. of the previous week. I don't know the real rules probably because it doesn't seem to be much of an issue in my office (except maybe when we are very short-handed) and I like to work a lot of OT if it's available. I'm not willing to do the research to give you a more definitive answer which is why I've referred you to other sources that maybe could assist you.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20is%20the%20time%20frame%20that%20management%20have%20to%20inform%20you%20that%20you%20have%20to%20work%20in%20your%20schedule%20%20day%20off%3F%20And%20were%20I%20can%20find%20the%20info.%20Thx%21%21%21&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16689)
Meter Maid
What's the meanest thing anyone's ever said to you?
Audiologist
Can just one loud concert do serious damage to your ears?
Certified Nurse Aide
What's it like going into a room in the morning to find someone dead?
You can certainly do as you feel is correct. The unpaid bill collector would probably appreciate that. It's hard to know who is connected to who espcially if fake/similar names and different addresses are used. One thing I can suggest is for your Mom and Dad to keep an eye on their own credit report to make sure any debt or credit card accts on there are correct. Most people probably wouldn't get too involved in someone else's business, but I commend you for trying to help someone root out possible fraud.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Yes%2Cand%20there%27s%20also%20a%20lady%20in%20the%20neighborhood%20with%20same%20name%20as%20my%20mother%2Ceven%20middle%20initial%2Cwho%27s%20mail%20we%20received%20a%20couple%20times.%20With%20same%20last%20name%20maybe%20these%20two%20people%20are%20connected%3FMaybe%20I%27ll%20contact%20the%20man%27s%20unpaid%20bill%20collector.Thanks-&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16593)
I'm not sure why you have recently started getting standard mail addressed to a tenant from 5 years ago. It's possible that name and address was on somebody's mailing list which was then sold to other companies/organizations. One option is to put the mail back in the mailstream or mailbox and write "person doesn't live here" on the envelope. A conscientious letter carrier would make note of it and only deliver mail addressed to you (the current tenant). Another option is to just discard/recycle the unwanted mail. Most standard mail doesn't get returned to the sender if unwanted by the recipient. We put it into a big recycle bin at work and I think it gets shipped off to a processing or recycling facility. The rate a mailer pays for standard mail usually doesn't include any type of address or return service to notify them of outdated names on their mailing lists.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27ve%20lived%20in%20my%20apartment%20for%20five%20years.%20Suddenly%20I%27m%20getting%20standard%20%28advertising%29%20mail%20addressed%20to%20the%20previous%20tenant.%20This%20made%20sense%20when%20I%20first%20moved%20in%2C%20but%20why%20now%20all%20of%20a%20sudden%20and%20is%20there%20anything%20I%20can%20do%20about%20it%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17264)
I don't know how long 15 loops should take you. It depends on the amount of houses per loop, the terrain, the spacing of the residences, and the volume of mail. Each letter carrier also works at a different pace. In the office where I work, in one hour we can usually get 4 loops done in one hour if they average 17-22 stops per loop. This is by no means standard and just what I've experienced. I can see it being different where you work. Continue to work safely and accurately. It seems odd that the same amt of loops started out as 4 hrs and decreased to 2 hours. If you feel the time allowed is unreasonable, please speak up if questioned why it took so long. In the example/pace I gave you, 15 loops would take approximately 3.75 hrs. Your mileage may vary.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%2C%20I%20deliver%20a%20route%20and%20a%20half%20all%20walking%20consisting%20of%2015%20Loops.%20First%20time%20I%20was%20told%20it%20is%20a%204%20hours%20work%20load%20then%202%20weeks%20later%20it%20became%203%20and%20now%20it%20is%202%20hours%20work%20load%20all%20the%20same%20walking%20route.%20How%20many%20hours%20should%20it%20take%20me%20%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16561)
-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
