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.
It is very kind of the customers to give you tips and or boxed presents for the holiday season. I believe we aren't supposed to accept any gift valued at more than $20 at any one time and it's supposed to be non-cash. I would venture to say that most employees don't follow this rule and it is rare that you'd get in trouble for accepting it. For those that give you gifts, I'd recommend replying with a thank you note or card that you can deliver with the mail the next time you are at their office or residence. I do realize you are a CCA and may be doing different assignments daily unless you have a hold down. Another recommendation is to not discuss any amounts or gifts you receive with your fellow co-workers. It's better to just be modest and quiet about it IMO. I hope this helped you. Please also remember that we are paid to do our job and nobody should expect a tip for doing their job at the USPS. It is unethical to expect any gratuity, but I, like most, will gladly accept it when offered.
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Congratulations on being offered the CCA position in Melville. As far as how many hours you will be working per week, it depends on the needs of the office to which you are assigned and how well staffed they are. During the months of July and August, many offices are short-staffed due to letter carriers taking vacation. When I was a Part-Time Flexibe (similar to a CCA), I usually did work a full 40-hour week or at least in the mid-30s. Many offices often have carriers out on long-term injury/illness or on vacation. I think it took about 3 years for me to get a Full-Time Regular position, but I can't remember for sure. It was in the early 2000s. In our office, there were 3 CCAs who recently got a career regular position after less than 1 year so it is hard to say how long it will take. There were PTFs in my office where it took about 8 years to become regulars.
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I can't speak for all POs, but from what I have experienced, most full-time assignments start between 7-8 AM and end 3:30-4:30PM. For a newly hired carriers, they might start later in the day as there may not be enough work for them to work a full day or the operations require that they work much later. I've seen a 10-11AM start time for the CCAs (city carrier assistants) when they aren't needed to cover a whole assignment . During peak vacation time (usually summer months), many offices are shorthanded due to carriers being on vacation, so CCAs possibly start their workday the same time as other regular carriers. There are some assignments (like a parcel post or collection route) which usually start a bit later in the AM. In our office that is a 10AM-6:30PM assignment. Thanks for writing and good luck.
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I don't know that I completely understand your question, but I'll give it a try. Most houses have an official mailing address which should often correspond with the physical location of the house. I can see if it is a corner house it may be a bit confusing. You may want to contact the PO to tell them that this may be happening, and, for further reference, please advise those who mail you items of your correct mailing address and clarify with your PO as to what address should be used. This is a very important subject matter to make sure items get to where they are intended to go, especially with a lot more automated processing of the mail and substitute letter carriers who may not be familiar with all of the names are on a certain route.
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I am not familiar with the RCA (Rural Carrier Associate) position and the requirements of when you have to work. I do know that it is similar to the CCA position for city letter carriers which don't get any benefits as far as I know, except a uniform allowance. The CCAs in the office where I work sometimes have to work Sundays to deliver Amazon parcels. I would recommend contacting the NRLCA (National Rural Letter Carriers Association) at Phone: 703-684-5545. Their website is www.nrlca.org and they are the union which represents Rural Letter Carriers nationwide. I copied the following from a USPS brochure on RCA hiring: Rural Carrier Associate Facts Variable Work Hours As an RCA, you will replace a regular rural carrier on his or her scheduled day off (primarily Saturday), on vacation, or on other leave. Work hours will vary depending on the office and route to which you are assigned. You must be willing to work weekends and some holidays and be available for on-call employment. You may be assigned to other carriers’ routes, increasing the number of hours you work.
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Bradan, I feel your pain. It is a horrible feeling to be out in the elements, being cold and uncomfortable with hours to go in your deliveries. I haven't by any means mastered this problem. The uniform vendors that sell for the USPS offer fingerless gloves (the upper 1/3 or 1/2 of your fingers are exposed) but they aren't terribly useful. Some gloves offered have raised dots that can help you finger the mail. I use them sometimes. Try and keep the rest of your body as warm as possible with layering including thermal underwear. Definitely wear a hat, two if necessary. Even if your fingertips are exposed, you may want to invest in a box of single-use handwarmers (sometimes called hot hands) which are little packets that you shake to activate and then can put inside your gloves or in your pants pockets or glove pockets which you will keep you warm. My girlfriend just bought a box of 40 hand warmers for $12.99 at Costco.
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Hello Joy. The area where you took the photo is probably serviced by a rural carrier or HCR (highway contract routr). These positions are different than the one I am employed as even though we all serve the same function. It makes sense to me that the barrel would be used for packages because I don't think carriers are required to deliver mail to a house that is more than a certain amt of feet from the road. The barrel is a convenient way for the customer to receive packages without having to drive to a post office which is many mlies away and has limited hours. It would also protect the package from damage in inclement weather. I can't confirm this is what the barrel is for.
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