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

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SO - I get a lot of mail addressed to previous tenants of my apartment (who I don't know at all). How can I stop this? If I put a note on my box "current residents only" then listing the current residents, can the mailman cooperate?

Asked by TiredOfTheGames about 13 years ago

I would think the mailman would cooperate if you left a note clearly statiNG who the current residents are. Please keep in mind that we would still deliver mail that says "or current resident" even if it still had a previous tenants name. If you get a regular piece of mail with the name of a previous tenant you can right on it "moved" or "doesnt live here" and leave it where the letter carrier can see it. I hope this helps. 

I have my mailman ask if he can use our bathroom everyday he delivers Mon-Fri. I do have a business but it is a private bathroom for employees only. You have to walk through the office to get it. Your thoughts?

Asked by Tom H. about 13 years ago

I would think its a nice courtesy that you extend to the letter carrier as we sometimes have limited options as to where we go to the bathroom. There is certainly no rule that says you have to let them use it, but its a nice courtesy. I am not sure how you would approach him to ask them not to use it. That may be a bit awkward. Does his/her use inconvenience your employees? Is the letter carrier respectful of the bathroom and doesn't mess it up? I've never had anyone decline me the use of a restroom, but if they did, I would hopefully just find another business/office to go to. 

An Express envelope came to my door which was supposed to go to my PO Box. The man who came to my door was not dressed in USPS attire. He asked me if there was anything hazardous in it and had me open the package in front of him. What's up with that?

Asked by David P almost 13 years ago

It does not sound legitimate for someone to ask you to open a package or Express envelope in front of them. The employee should have at least identified themselves as a supervisor or postal inspector. It is possible maybe thought there was something hazardous in there, but I don't know the procedure for what is to be done. There are legal rights that come with protecting the contents off Express Mail or First Class Mail.

I just shipped a package (USPS Priority w/tracking #) & realized (2 late 2 intercept @ my post office) that I wrote 1 digit in the house # incorrectly on address label.
How can I notify the receiving post office? Don't want wrong person to get it

Asked by Elizabeth almost 13 years ago

I would call 1800AskUSPS to see if you can get the phone # to the destination PO or at least get the message to them about the errant address. It is possible that the letter carrier who sees the package at the receiving PO knows where it's supposed to go and will deliver it accordingly. That depends on the carrier's familiarity with the names on their route and/or if they even receive the errantly addressed package at all. That would occur if one street is broken up into 2 or more carriers which is common based on the route layout and size of the street.  I hope it works out for you

How heavy a package can you pick up from my house? I heard no more than 14 oz. once; another time I heard no more than a pound (16 oz)?

Asked by Peg. almost 13 years ago

If the Package only has stamps, I believe 13 oz. is the maximum weight for pickup. If you use an electronic shipping label (eBay, Amazon) then the maximum is 70lbs. Also, people sometimes return merchandise with a pre-paid return shipping label. That, too, has no limit. the reason for this rule has to do with aviation security aNd being able to track down a sender should a package contain illegal or dangerous contents, including explosives. 

Mr. Mailman, what if you made a mistake and used a government issued bulk mail permit for personal use? I didn't use town funds to pay for the mailing, there was no monitory cost to the town but I am about to be questioned by a prosecutor

Asked by bulk bum almost 13 years ago

I don't believe it is legal to use a bulk mail permit for personal use, especially if it is a taxpayer-funded government account. I am not a lawyer so I can't give you any legal advice in this forum. If it were me in the situation, I'd own up to the mistake, show that you paid for the mailing with your own funds. Again , an atty may tell you something different So if this might result in a legal action against you,consulting an atty may be a good idea. 

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 about 13 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.