Some 200,000 mail carriers have reached a tentative contract deal with the U.S. Postal Service that includes backdated pay raises and a promise to provide workers with air-conditioned trucks.
The new agreement, which still needs to be ratified by union members, runs through November 2026. Letter carriers have been working without a new contract since their old one expired in May 2023. Since then they have continued working under the terms of the old contract.
Both the union and the Postal Service welcomed the agreement, which was announced Friday.
It’s insane they’ve had to go this long without air conditioned trucks. For an operation that needs to be functional for our society to operate, they really should receive much better pay and conditions.
I was a mail carrier briefly in 2023. It gets three degrees below Hell in the summer here. It was 110 outside and 125 inside my truck with broken AC that they wouldn’t fix despite the union contract stating the trucks have to be kept in good repair.
I now work an office job again because I was probably going to drop dead working in those conditions for 10-11 days straight with no day off. Carrying mail - especially on foot like I did - is a brutal job you guys. They deserve this agreement.
And this doesn’t apply to a lot of contracted-out rural route carriers, although they often have to provide their own vehicles.
That’s correct, which is how I ended up on foot. In fact, all new carriers are contracted. They then dump on the contractors because they’re not federal employees.
At the time I had a 16-year old vehicle, so using that for work wasn’t really an option. Since my only way to avoid using that clunker was to apply for a city carrier position, I did. I figured that still meant I’d be driving a white mail truck (for which I did still have to pass driving certification). Instead I got sent to a downtown office where I was given a big van that we parked and left while delivering on foot.
Last summer (if I’m not mistaken) was the hottest on record. There was hardly ever a clear weather day that I didn’t end up literally soaked in sweat. Oh, in my own clothes too because they don’t give you any uniforms until you’re past your 90 day mark. They actually don’t issue uniforms either. You get an allowance so you can order your own through one of several contracted companies (of varying quality).
Like I said my van had broken AC, so it was a big metal oven all day long. High humidity too. Because I was a contractor, days off were rare and never more than one at a time. They can work you up to 11 days in a row. I did also have a large dog try to attack me. Many do hate mail carriers and will attack on sight. We had to carry mace.
They don’t really tell anyone this stuff up front because it doesn’t pay well enough to nearly kill yourself over. I really did almost pass out a couple of times despite never having done that before and despite drinking at least a gallon of water every day.
And that is the story of how I discovered I was born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Wow I’m so glad that DeJoy still has his job since he’s clearly running things so well.
I’m no fan of his, so this isn’t a defense. Until Congress changed the way the USPS is funded in 2022, they’ve been absolutely screwed and kneecapped on purpose so that private carriers aren’t outcompeted. They now no longer have to reserve retirement money for their employees decades out from that employee’s hiring date, but it’s such a massive ship to turn around that it hasn’t happened yet.
I do not understand why Biden would have kept DeJoy in his position.
You may already know this by now, but simply drinking water won’t replenish you because of the lost salts in your sweat. You have to get some electrolytes in there to recuperate properly.
It’s even more insane that they had to negotiate to get them.
I’m assuming it’s partly because of how crazy inefficient A/C is if you’re opening your doors/windows every 30 seconds.
Wrongful and workplace deaths are more crazily inefficient and also just morally bankrupt from the getgo. Nobody scrutinizes the defense budget anywhere near the fuckery Republicans have put postal workers thru
Wow, rough! Anyway, you should probably go to therapy to figure out why the fuck you said that out loud, or least spend do some introspection.
Besides, that’s not how it works. They are places of refuge for mail carriers as much as transportation. If they’re in the country they’ll be doing more driving and in the city they park and walk around with bags before returning to drive to the next area. A/C will help in both situations.
A/C does not, and cannot, function without insulation.
There is no insulation when the doors and windows are constantly open. You’re just burning energy for no impact.
I know that. I literally said that there are many times where the doors are closed for decent stretchs of time and last time I opened my car doors I don’t remember 100% of the cold air rushing out but maybe I forgetting something.
Spend more time thinking and less time trying to justify why essential workers shouldn’t have basic comforts.
Because it’s bullshit. It’s a lie. The car is not running A/C with the doors closed for any meaningful length of time, and you don’t maintain temperatures without A/C actively running.
There is a small relief provided by blowing the cooled dehumidified air over the warm sweating body using the dash vents. This would give the person a chance for their body to better perform the evaporative cooling process even if the cabin can’t stay at a constant lower temperature. I’d argue doing something to help with the comfort of the carrier is better than a vehicle without AC - and understandable it’s worse for the environment because of the waste heat generated in the process.
You get the same exact outcome with airflow period, without removing all of the range of the vehicle.
Yeah but 1.3% raises? In this economy? Actual joke. They spent 20 months on this contract negotiation and that’s all they give us. The AC in the trucks was already in the works with the rollout of the NGDVs and the Metris vans they’re using as holdovers so that’s almost pointless.
My coworkers have already stated their displeasure with this contract so the members might vote against it.
Yeah, they have a weak union. Or one that is a little too cozy with USPS management. Also, air conditioning has been standard equipment in cars for at least 30 years and they had to fight for THAT?
Well we almost voted Renfoe out as president during the last convention for getting a DUI while in a postal vehicle so that tells a lot
Some states don’t require observation of heat stroke risk mitigation for their workers. Getting it into their federal labor contract ensures a) the feature will be required as a functional feature in all their vehicles, and 2. they can’t be told not to turn the feature on.
Do the cost of living adjustment mentioned mean inflation + 1.3%? Or is it different?
It’s the same thing, cost of living is the inflation raise. We get regular raises every 42 weeks as regular carriers but even those are menial
Thanks for answering. That clears it up.
The deal gives them 1.3% raises in 2023 (retroactive), 2024, and 2025. That’s all this article says
That’s why they asked someone who apparently works for USPS and has direct knowledge.
I don’t know if anyone can day for sure unless they are part of the contract negotiations, but they already received COLAs during this time frame, so it must be an increase on top.
Yup
Sure, the new trucks look like a Dollar Store version of the Beluga cargo plane but I don’t care. They don’t require 57 mirrors, have backup cameras, are much more fuel efficient, have A/C, the list goes on! Even the new Metris is a million times better than any LLV or FFV simply for the lack of exhaust you end up breathing.
The requirements shaped the design. They wanted mail carriers to be able to stand up in the cargo area without having to bend over → tall cargo area and tall doors. High visibility → a large windshield. Along with the options of a BEV or ICE powertrain → duckbill front.
Personally, I think it’s iconic and obviously less of a deathtrap vs the current vehicles.
I really like the look of them. Quirky but functional. I’d love to have one to turn into a camper, since I don’t think the ID.Buzz is getting the Westfalia treatment.
Not going to happen in your lifetime… they are already trying to figure out how to get rid of the LLV during the phase out stage where people won’t be able to reuse them on the secondary market and impersonate postal workers.
1.3% is a pay cut
As part of the agreement, all city carriers will get three annual pay increases of 1.3% each by 2025, some of which will be paid retroactively from Nov. 2023. Workers will also receive retroactive and future cost-of-living adjustments.
Oh boy, don’t spend that 7 dollars all in one place.
That is one of the silliest looking vehicles I have seen in my entire life, it’s fantastic
That Oshkosh jeep design is so fucking ugly. At least it has air conditioning.
the left one? Quite ugly yes but seems like really good visibility on the road
