I have a friend who is a letter carrier. (All of the following is stuff I learned from him - he may not be tellig the truth, but I’m relaying it as I heard it.) He is required to take out a certain number of yards of mail per day; they line it up and measure it. Mail that doesn’t get into that measurement CAN be left - even if it’s first class, priority or express mail. Third class mail - circulars, flyers, and that sort of thing - doesn’t have to be delivered at all. No law requires it to be. If snow OR FALLEN LEAVES are not removed from a sidewalk, the carrier is not obligated to deliver. If a carrier delivers to a building more than two stories high and there is not an elevator, or the elevator is out of service, the carrier is not required to climb more than two flights of stairs.
My friend says that most carriers, himself included, will carry whatever mail they’re given to deliver and do the best they can do. There are stinkers, though, who will cite the law chapter and verse and do the bare minimum required.
[Animal House] You fucked up. You trusted us. [/Animal House]
You have believed what the architect who built the building wanted you to believe. The Postal Service, as you note, never promised you a Rose Garden(or mail in ice and snow). Deal with it.
Here in Canada, letter carriers’ itineraries are carefully measured according to the LCRMS (Letter Carriers Route Measurement System). It’s very complex, taking into account too many factors to be explained here-- at the risk of boring everyone–, but they do have to deliver all the mail that’s is due to be delivered on their particular route, INCLUDING all flyers, circulars and such. Priority mail, express mail and first class mail must be delivered within the time posted by Canada Post.
Getting back to the OP, letter carriers must perform their job in safe conditions. This is written specifically in their collective agreement. Neither the employer nor the workers have any interest in workers getting injured. This job is hard physically at the best of times. So shovel your steps, driveway, whatever, and keep the dogs safely away from them.
I guess we’re lucky here. I live in East Bum Screw Nowhere (as opposed to West Bum Screw Nowhere, which I hear is a dive). Our carrier has to drive his route since the houses can be more than a mile away from one another. My house is at the end of a 1/4 mile long driveway that, when it snows and ices, becomes a bobsled run.
My mailbox is at the street. When there’s any kind of large envelope (which might fit in the box, but might bend) he drives up and gives it to us. Same with packages.
The other day, in the ice, he drove up to give us our mail.
He’s a great carrier and we show our appreciation by giving generously at the Holidays. Maybe that helps, but he deserves it.
I’m so with you, but I can no longer get worked up by this stuff since old age has sort of calmed me down.
Look, from the age of 12 to 17 I delivered newspapers both before school and after school. This in Ontario not far from Buffalo. Not once did I allow myself to shirk my responsibilities. I delivered my papers in downpours and hailstorms and driving snow biting my face (keeping the papers dry) . I delivered sick. I had to deal with dogs I feared, but they never stopped me. I’d yell real loud into the house for the owner to come get his dog. This is not a macho thing. This is taking satisfaction in not letting anything beat me and a job well done.
I’m older now. I’m proud of my career as a paperboy. I do realize however if I was still a paperboy, some people are not going to get their papers on time.
