Blue Wheels by Jess Stoner
A writer becomes a carrier for the United States Postal Service out of a long-held love for the mail. What she discovers are screams, threats, lies, labor violations, and dog attacks.
After taking a personality test online and another exam consisting mostly of questions evaluating the sharpness of my memory, I was granted a five-minute interview and hired as a city carrier assistant (CCA) for the United States Postal Service.
The CCA position, akin to a contract letter-carrier, was created in 2013 to save the USPS money and shift higher-paid transitional employees (TEs) into lower-paying jobs. Or, as one district supervisor screamed at me: “YOU EXIST TO REDUCE OVERTIME.” TEs, who were making over $20 an hour—with no benefits, no retirement, and no path to becoming a “regular”—had a short window to either take a $5 per hour pay cut and become a CCA, with the promise of making regular in the vaguely defined near future, or quit.
I was hired at $15.30 an hour, a winning wage considering the president of a local branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers union revealed that without the collective bargaining process, the USPS would be paying us $10 an hour.
During our 40 hours of in-classroom training, which included a well-taught defensive driving course, we learned that leaves are as slick as ice, no one goes “postal” anymore (they go, as my trainer said, “‘high school,’ like Columbine” instead), and, although, this was Texas, we had to “leave the Glock at home.” We were also told that we should never ask for a day off. Our trainer bragged that he had shown up for work when he was sick as a dog, and it wasn’t until he had thrown up on his supervisor’s shoes that he was forcibly sent home. Another CCA-in-training, a veteran of Afghanistan I sat next to for a few days, would quit a few months in; his wife and young child had been in a car accident and were taken by ambulance to the hospital. His supervisor told him he could visit them, but he had to return to deliver the mail. He had already worked more than 14 days in a row.
But, you might say, those CCAs can make regular, become grossly overpaid (with a maximum base annual salary of less than $60,000) and retire to a life of leisure. Except there’s no guarantee that it won’t take years and years to become a regular. Another CCA told me that with new mandatory retirement deductions and the shift to force employees to take on a higher percentage of their healthcare costs, a CCA he knew “made regular and actually took home less money… Seven years as a TE and then CCA—he made regular and after a month, he quit.”
please…..$60K in New York City……dog food!
We’re still open, Only rivers left, Raging waters.
Drought conditions with plenty of sunshine, highs in the 100’s.
Say in the shade, drink plenty of water, Safety 1st.
Sourdough
Ooooo, look ma they’re calling me a hater. Oh…the outrage, the outrage. Ranks right up there with being called a scab. Bottom line? I still bring home more dough than all you lemmings who pay so that your stewards get to stay off the workroom floor. Just ask Industry PDC (if they’re still open). Their local union sold them down the river!
UPS drivers make some pretty dam good money delivering parcels, as a family member works as one. So all this crap about the private sector an what they and us get!
Pay our drivers and employees the same you USPS cheap a$$ Bass- Turds.
If all of you would simply look At the increases the union heads have gotten over the past 7 years you would see 7% increases in their salaries (YEARLY) !! And the cca the te the PTF and the full time carrier all are getting less money , a bogus contract and rising health care costs , while the union core works Monday – Friday and has weekends off and are paid by our sweat and labor !! Pretty ingenious that both sides sold the postal undoing as critical but rewarded themselves with bonuses and Annual salary increases !!
The reality is that any type of carrier , whether cca or regular Are moving more and more parcels , bulk mailings and sequenced mail then ever . Why not a 7.5 % increase for the true workers in this organization instead of the belt way bozos with deadend ideas and beauricratic signings to close plants that delay mail and cost much needed jobs
CCAs are dropping like flies due to a dead end future and dead job it seems now
I can probably get my majors degree before I become regular at the P.O.
What’s the union doing with that .66 cents they take out of my retirement every month?
Our prayers are with you all the same, private enufisenuf we can’t save you.
Unlike where the good Captain tells private Ryan, “Earn This” on the bridge?
“Your ******” and the Bridge blows up…
Quit?…..naw, management an haters like you make this job even more fun.
Here in Area 5 PO Dilbeck is the worst ever have fired numerous Vets without so much as a KMA. But his numbers are so good the PO thinks he’s the second coming. I would not recommend this job to a stray puppy. They deserve better
Oh…life is so tough for you, what with having a job and whatnot. Poor baby. What an outrage! You should quit. No, really! Quit! Let USPS suffer trying to fill your spot! I bet nobody will want to go thru what you are going thru!
I did my homework? Who you fooling?
Started out as a PTF carrier back in the early 80’s and switched to maintance.
LOL I’m getting straight A’s
the union sold us all out on the last contract…. rolondo and co. were seeing $ signs with the promise of 30,000 CCA’s and “potential” union members. contract did go to arbitration but that part of it was agreed upon long before it ever got there…. if you think otherwise then you are drinking the union koolaid. the only reason Das awared a higher $/hr is because he knew no one would work for $11/hr in extreme weather conditions with no benefits…. Yet he pats himself on the back because we “won”…. yeah- thanks Fred. if this next contract is anything like the last then I think if will save myself several hundred dollars/year by telling the union to get screwed
Hey golfgod, Old Goat and Reality…do your home work and READ about the contract…Actual Story is right on…this all came out of arbitration…the NALC tried ,but was ruled over concerning the CCA’s…DannyNJ is also right…you new CCA’s, if you feel overwhelmed, let them know..everybody has there own pace, an honest days work is all you can do..you take your 10 min break in the morning 30 min for lunch, and your 10 min break in the afternoon..that’s YOUR TIME…can’t get the job done in 8 hrs, make the phone call and cover your butt!!…
The cca’s won’t get 30 years in to retire because all the years of working as a te or cca, prior to making regular don’t count toward retirement. They will be lucky to retire after 40 years delivering the mail with a 20 years service at age 60. No 401k contribution allowed, no tsp contribution match by usps, no medical(fehbp). Rolando sold out the cca’s, te’s not Das. Rolando said who cares about the future workers, I’ll(Rolando) be gone by the next contract and then its someone else’s problem, just like the politicians.
Yes. DAS arbitration is the one who screwed the CCAs. But it also the unions fault for becoming as weak as they are. This is not the union from the 70’s,80’s,90’s anymore. They have gone soft. When your local union executive leadership hangs out with managment more and just turns a blind eye to the carriers. You know there is a problem.
Golfgod. I guess you didn’t know the last contract was arbitrated, which means the Union didn’t sell out the CCAs. After the APWU agreed to pay their non-career workforce less, anyone could see what the arbitrators would do. If the CCAs are being treated poorly, stand up for them. Better yet, become a steward and do something about it. We delay the Union membership by 90 days to get them through their probation. 30 years ago PTF newly hired were in the same boat.
Who/whatever ever gets thrown under the bus in the APWU contracts I’d be willing to bet that will influence how Das will rule for the other unions.
The Postal Gods want more sacrifices….That’s how that works.
The APWU and their rank and file… IMO sucks.
Old Goat, and Reality;
Truth be told, the NALC did NOT sell anyone out. Remember? The contract went to arbitration!! The decision to have CCA’s, and TE’s converted to CCA’s was done by Arbitrator Das. The union had nothing to do with the decision. Read the Das award. The NALC lobbied for higher wages for CCA’s, but Das ruled otherwise. That’s the way the process works. Unfortunately, the TE’s took a huge paycut. The job sucks enough at $22 an hour let alone $16, and I’ll be willing to bet, most will not get their 30 years in to retire.
You are only a “slave” if you let yourself be. Working through lunches, working through breaks. “Rushing back from the hospital after your boss says you have to come back and deliver mail.” If you want to do any of those things, your supervisor certainly isn’t going to talk you out of it……………… At some point you have to stand up for yourself and NOT be a slave……………
I agree that the union sold out on the TE program. The union can’t do anything for the CCA’s when they are being yelled at. The constant harassment from management. It’s a shame for CCA’s. That is why I am not voting for Fredric Rolando or Tim O’Malley for NO back bone to take on management. The local unions leadership should be ashame that management can shit on good people who are giving 100 percent. All the union leaders say they have there probation period. But all the local union leaders are looking for the CCA’s to sign up for the union right away even NO protection what so ever. The whole dollar is what the union is about. You are on your own but give me your money so I can go on trips and do nothing.
Issa loves you
Well just wait for this next contract!
Thanks loads, NALC, for the worst sellout you ever did, allowing management to treat carriers just like they would all of us if they could get away with it. Add to that another joint route adjustment process where we’ll get royally screwed with nowhere to turn because you won’t admit the adjustments would be unfair and deny grievances just like you did with Jrap.
Oh yeah! Ive been a T.E. since 2008 then in 2013 they made a cheap switch to a (Cheap Carrier assistance) -7 pay cut from $22hr well deserved I did a lot and knew a lot ! Now doing More for less and something has to give! Slave of a P.O. while regulars get pay more and do less.
None of this surprises me one bit!! I worked there 35 years