Like many folks I have added a small security camera to the outside of the barn, and absolutely RIGHT NOW, 8:28 PM the mail truck is sitting at my mailbox. Not dropping off letters, or packages, just sitting there not even sorting for the next drop. [I know, decent cheap camera and I can see right into the little truck]
We can’t afford to keep our post office open 5 days a week and we have the delivery folks out at freaking 8 at night?!
And no, I am not actually going to walk outside in the dark, alone, at night with my husband at work. Slow I may be, stupid I am not.
And oddly enough, our normal delivery time is between noon and one. No idea WTF is going on.
The worker, who is bushed after working 12 hours for 8 hours pay, is taking a break. Not much more complicated than that.
And is fighting with the app on their phone that is used to track their progress along their route. Which they have to do twice, once to deliver Amazon’s priority packages then again to deliver the actual, you know, US mail.
Because they’re given way more deliveries than they can handle in their normal shift, so they have to finish them on their own time. That’s why we’re seeing some mail deliveries on Sunday.
Postal carriers being out late is becoming more common for whatever reason. My mail routinely gets delivered after 6:30PM but during busy times they have been out at 9:00 or 10:00 PM.
IIRC one of the issues that came out during the discussion about the US post office during the last election was about overtime. There was a suggestion that workers colluded (or did not) that one would call in sick, then another would work overtime to finish the extra route, then they would return the favour another day. (Although that sounds more like bashing post office employees). Perhaps, too, like everyone else, they are running overtime to handle the lack of staff since some retired during the pandemic and replacement workers are harder to find.
Another point during the discussion was that when mail arrived late at the depot, workers would wait to get it sorted and start their routes later (hence, costly overtime). The decree from the top was to no longer wait, handle it tomorrow. Not sure how that one got ironed out, whether they do wait now.
If they are like the Canadian post office, they may have a separate run (later?) for oversize packages so as to not delay the regular mail?
Also, while out delivering, I presume the standard break policy still applies if the worker chooses to take it. After X hours, you get 15 minutes. That probably involves sitting in the truck resting your eyes, or having a coffee if you drove near a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.
Fairly sure all the Sunday deliveries are for Amazon packages. At least that’s what one postal worker told me when I asked why they were working on Sunday.
My guess was the driver was not delivering, but was picking up from the sidewalk mailboxes and it was time for a break. What’s the possibility of that?
While it may have changed, they get a paid 15 minute break in the morning, and a paid 15 minute break in the afternoon. And then, wonder of wonders - yet another paid 15 minute break if they work over 8 hours. They do get overtime pay.
I’m guessing if they’re on a route a good distance from the Post Office, their 15 minutes does not also allow for returning to the Post Office before the 15 minutes begins and then driving back to the route afterwards?
Labour standards in most of Canada is 15 minutes after 2.5 hours, half an hour after 4.5 hours, and 15 mniutes again for 2.5 hours after that - i.e 8 hour day includes 2 breaks and a half-hour lunch. if you work overtime, then another 15 minutes after 2.5? hours? One place I worked at, the break after 8 hours was half hour for dinner (and the union negotiated having hot meals delivered). So your US Postal Workers are by no means exploiting the system, unless Scrooge dictates USA labour standards,
Since i live out in the ass end of nowhere [woods and farms] there are no drop boxes for miles [like 5 miles? I think that is about how far it is to the village center]