Canada Post, our brothers to the North have a new title for their carriers. Don't call them "letter carriers," call them, "delivery agents."
Canada Post has had three distincitive carrier groups -- Those that deliver flat and letter mail, those that collect mail, and those that deliver parcels.
Now, "delivery agents," will do all three.
But that leads us to another question. Is "Letter Carrier" an archaic term? With letter mail on the decline, should we think about changing the name of our carriers?
"Delivery agent" sounds more CIA than USPS, but what do you think? Got any suggestions?
18 comments:
I think they should do away with the term letter carrier, but also do away with clerk, mail handler, rural carreir ect. We should all be called postal employee.....and stop the craft designations. Employees are hired to work for the company...and not limited to their job desctiption. Any postal employee should be able to be a carrier, clerk, or mail handlier as needed! Instead of having 3 or 4 employees who are limited in what they can do, they would be used where ever needed to get the job done.
The airlines could do this too. Just call them airline employees. They can fly planes, work on them, clean them and fuel them. They would be used where ever needed to get the job done
Sure, why not? Our PMG is trying to posture the USPS so it can be easily converted to private industry anyway. Once Wal-Mart buys it, we'll all be "Postal Associates" working for peanuts and begging for decent wages and health care.
Hey, if it's not broke, don't fix it!!!!!
MY RURAL CARRIER SAYS: CHANGE...is NOT ALWAYS GOOD or FOR THE BETTER! (just sayin'....)
The only difference with the titles is pay and what the union can grieve because you did something for the company not the craft. I would love to see them make everyone a postal employee and do away with job segregation. If the work needs to get done, the people there (regardless of title) should do it. Get rid of the mentality of entitlement and lets all work together for the good of the company, not just how you can be paid for something you didn't do (are you listening unions?)
Not sure if the airline employees comparison is a zing or not? There is a huge difference between someone who flys the plan and someone who fixes them. When you look at the difference between a city carrier or a rural carrier...there really isn't a lot of difference. Just like there isn't a lot of difference between being a window cleck and a back office clerk, the postal exam is the same. It will take some cross training for sure to learn all the new things......but I would think that someone who is facing an excessing would rather learn to be a carrier then lose their job as a clerk. By removing titles, and we call them postal employees, we have the ability to maximize our staffing. Too many times I have seen clerks being sent home because there is no work while the mail handlers on the dock are at half staff and nearly killing themselves to make dispatch.
The letter carrier job is not an easy one nor is it for everyone. The "everyone do everything" business model is not a good one. Clerks learn to be sales associates - there is a lot to learn and experience makes for a better sales associate. Clerks also learn schemes - not something you can learn quickly. Carriers learn their routes and deliver them quickly and efficiently. Telling someone to deliver mail one day and work on the window the next just isn't practical or productive. The wealthy of this country are trying to make this a two class society: the workers who work all the time for little pay and no benefits and the owners/managers who don't work much but own and control everything. The middle class is doomed. And yes, the airlines comment is a zing.
I started in a Post Office as a clerk. But, crossing crafts was still allowed there. I had done a lot of retail before coming to to the Post Office but I had also work at a factory with a LOT of manual lifting and the sort. I had a lot of clothes in my locker because when I came in every morning to sort the incoming mail I never what I would be doing next. Some days I would go to the window to work, some mornings delivery the aux route, deliver parcels for the routes that had a lot of large parcels that would not fit in the mail boxes and for walk out routes. And then I also did whole walking routes. Some days I had to take 5 breaks to change clothes from working the window because I had to go out to carry on 100 degree days or 10 above zero. Snow past my knees. some days it was pouring down rain and I would have to deliver parcels then have to do lunch relief. Those days the Postmaster or supervisor would give me 15 minutes to change clothes, dry my hair and put some type of makeup back on and look decent for the front window. Sometimes this may be the 3rd time changing before noon. then after lunch relief I would be given a 2-3 hour lunch to come back to see if there was any one needing help to finish their route do collections and get the dispatch ready and help the window clerk if needed for her to close out. I can say not just anyone can be a window clerk, the same as not every window clerk can be a carrier. If you think so trying doing both jobs and see the what your results are.
Instead of Letter Carrier, which could be either a City Letter Carrier or Rural Letter Carrier, I think that the word Letter should be removed from their titles, and just be called a City Carrier or Rural Carrier, since both deliver more than just letters.
I thought they were called Mail Carriers now. At least it's better than when I was a city carrier and I'd bring something to the door and the kid would yell "Mom, there's a lady mailman here." Now that I'm a postmaster I still get people who insist I'm a postmistress which not only annoys me but which has never been an official postal title.
All of the want to be "universal postal employees" can be just that. Speaking for myself, I know that at 44 years old I can not just wake up tomorrow and start walking 8 hours carrying mail. I'm being realistic. Be careful what you wish for.
I'm a postmaster....so I have had to go out and deliver the mail when no back ups were found. I can't tell my MPOO that the carrier called in sick and the RCA isn't available...so no mail delivery today. Was it hard, sure it was...but the work had to get done. I praise those who have had to work several jobs, it shows your flexiblity. If I send a window clerk out to deliver mail and put a PTF or PSE in that slot, the unions will scream! The point I am making is.....union be darned...we have to do what we have to do to get the mail delivered. If upper management will not let me hire anyone, its not my fault, but the mail must still be delivered.
Think that's archaic?? The logo for the NRLCA (National Rural Letter Carriers' Association) has a horse and buggy in the center of its logo!
That logo hasn't changed because the
USPS is heading back to those days.
Letter Carrier is an archaic term; we use City and Rural Carrier now. However, not everyone can do everyone else's job, at least not well, so we do need various job titles. Otherwise, just make us all Postmasters General! :)
Most anyone can do a different job than what they do know if they have the knowledge, skills, and or ability. But do they want to is the real question to ask. Now to make the incentive even greater what if the job you have is being absorbed or abolished and you services were no longer required since you only were hired to do X? Now can you do or take the new job duties? I believe most of us employees don't get it yet and when we realized what life changing situations we will be in soon maybe then it will be too late to influence the outcome. Give 90-100% and make sure you are sending the message to Congress that we need some relief before it is too late and someone considers our destination for us. And Yes Management does make some bone-headed moves/decisions but that should never make you be less than what you should be. Unemployement is still high in this nation not only due to no one is spending money but those that were not laid off now have the incentive and motivation to pick up their production. Many companies have seen an increase in production with less employees. Sadly, I think we can all agree we will see the same when our work forced is reduced everyone left standing will do more so that they can stayed employed in a good job with great benefits. Not many quit working for the USPS even with all the negative comments we read in most of the blogs that have to do with this great company. I am proud to work for the USPS.
The term "Letter Carrier" is now and has been rather lame for quite a while. Just keep it simple and call them Carriers, city and rural.
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