Anyone employed as package handler for Fedex or a CCA with the USPS?

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340doc

340doc

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I'm trying to gather info on real world experience to share with my son. He has both job offers presented to him. Thanks FABO!
 
Common carrier A......? Buddy is 30 year USPS dock worker. Handled 3-4 trucks in 8 hours on graveyard shift: Broke seal, hooked up 4-5 cars to tractor and pulled them out, pushed 3-4 in shut door and sealed.....could you do this 3 times in 8 hours and get paid 30/hr? Fedex package handlers are worked to the bone, I could not do it for a living.....

Dont think FedEx is union, usps is. Yake that for what its worth, but no layoff clause on a union contract is huge. I can only see deliveries going up in the future, amazon usps, FedEx, etc.
 
Now, the material handling eq. mechanics are golden, they dont work any ot, fixed hours and very specific job processes. Black and white what they do and dont do. Not sure what you need to get that job but the ones I hear about dont do **** above lubrication and roller change its and make $$. .
 
pishta said:
Now, the material handling eq. mechanics are golden, they dont work any ot, fixed hours and very specific job processes. Black and white what they do and dont do. Not sure what you need to get that job but the ones I hear about dont do **** above lubrication and roller change its and make $$. .
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Interesting. Thanks
 
hemi71x said:
What's a CCA?
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City Carrier Assistant. Basically helps out on busy routes or covers vacationing or sick employees routes. I'm sure I didn't cover all duties. You have to wait to get a permanent route until one is available.
 
Usps call it a casual, sort of a substitute carrier. Trouble is it's a probationary position here, weird hours. Shift changes. Working a route your not familiar with is not efficient so you could be delivering past da rk with a headlamp on (not uncommon around here) if your a helper consider it seasonal. Carriers have their own union apart from the sorters and handlers in usps. Got a degree? Look Into postal inspector. FBI training course and you deal with mail fraud, theft, lazy employees from 'spy blinds" in postal facilities....wild stuff.
 
My son has been a CCA for about 8 months. His "district" is short so he gets more than 40 hrs a week. Generally works 6 days a week.

He loves it and has already moved to the number two that will become "regular". A couple carriers are getting ready to retire so he's hoping in about 8 months he'll be "regular"!
 
If someone is interested, I'd say talk with someone at the local office who would know staffing levels.

I applied after retiring from the Air Force. They only garantee 1 day a week. My son got lucky that they need him in that region.
 
66fyssh said:
If someone is interested, I'd say talk with someone at the local office who would know staffing levels.

I applied after retiring from the Air Force. They only garantee 1 day a week. My son got lucky that they need him in that region.
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He's meeting with someone Thursday and will hopefully get all questions answered. Thanks.
 
I worked for the Post Office after I left the Army.
I was a city carrier and a regular.
A CCA is a City Carrier Assistant. We used to call them Casuals or PTF's (part time flexible) except a CCA is less than that. CCA's aren't office specific. They can be called to any post office and put on any route. Then told to finish in 8 hours or less.
Being a CCA is next to being a slave. You do a route, you come back in and think you're going home, Nope, they can dump another 2 hours on you for another strange route.
CCA's were never guaranteed any hours. They're told that they are on call. Basically, hope you get called in for work or told the night before that you work the next day. Don't try to plan anything. During Xmas and political season, they won't get a break. CCA's don't get vacation time like normal jobs. They get a week long break at week 52 of their employment. Which brings me to that little gem. If a post master or supervisor decides they don't like you, for any reason, they don't have to bring you back after your break. In your first 90 days, you can be fired for any reason at all. The union is powerless to do anything for CCA's. I've seen CCA's get fired for stupid ****. One kid had the gall to be a Steelers fan, he had a bumper sticker on the back of his car, so he was fired. The Supervisor laughed about it. Speaking of supervisors, postal supervisors are the worst humans on earth. Don't believe me, ask @inkjunkie . Ever wonder why postal shooting were always in house? There's a reason for it. Not saying its right, just saying I understand.
Working for the post office takes thick skin. If you can be made a regular, you're good to go. But the stories about being converted quick are just stories.
I still have friends who are carrying, they told me that CCA's were getting 60-70 hours a week during Xmas, but are lucky to get 30 hours right now.

I'm not telling anyone not to look for a Postal job, just that not to be surprised that it isn't a pleasant place to work.
 
I worked as a seasonal feeder driver (tractor trailer) for 5 years.

If your son is patient, and has a good attitude, he will be able to retire after 20 making $3000 per month rocking chair money. When I left retirement pay was $100/month for every year of service. It's higher now. Up to six weeks vacation.

You won't get that at FedEx...
 
Go work for the phone company. Do sub par work and have the union bail you out every time. Pisses me to high heaven that turds get to slide while some bust their ***. And you know what, its usually the older guys that totally game the system. Its easy work once you learn it, dont get real dirty and the hours are pretty regular unless it F'n rains, then all bets are off. Usuall the senior guys get put out to pasture in the CO's. No more outside work, and no more OT. And they turn into total dicks once they are inside (present company excluded).. Why's that happen? They were out in the trenches just like us and now their **** dont stink? Every trade has its pitfalls, but post office carrier was very low on my list, anything else in USPS would be better.
 
gunbunny said:
I worked for the Post Office after I left the Army.
I was a city carrier and a regular.
A CCA is a City Carrier Assistant. We used to call them Casuals or PTF's (part time flexible) except a CCA is less than that. CCA's aren't office specific. They can be called to any post office and put on any route. Then told to finish in 8 hours or less.
Being a CCA is next to being a slave. You do a route, you come back in and think you're going home, Nope, they can dump another 2 hours on you for another strange route.
CCA's were never guaranteed any hours. They're told that they are on call. Basically, hope you get called in for work or told the night before that you work the next day. Don't try to plan anything. During Xmas and political season, they won't get a break. CCA's don't get vacation time like normal jobs. They get a week long break at week 52 of their employment. Which brings me to that little gem. If a post master or supervisor decides they don't like you, for any reason, they don't have to bring you back after your break. In your first 90 days, you can be fired for any reason at all. The union is powerless to do anything for CCA's. I've seen CCA's get fired for stupid ****. One kid had the gall to be a Steelers fan, he had a bumper sticker on the back of his car, so he was fired. The Supervisor laughed about it. Speaking of supervisors, postal supervisors are the worst humans on earth. Don't believe me, ask @inkjunkie . Ever wonder why postal shooting were always in house? There's a reason for it. Not saying its right, just saying I understand.
Working for the post office takes thick skin. If you can be made a regular, you're good to go. But the stories about being converted quick are just stories.
I still have friends who are carrying, they told me that CCA's were getting 60-70 hours a week during Xmas, but are lucky to get 30 hours right now.

I'm not telling anyone not to look for a Postal job, just that not to be surprised that it isn't a pleasant place to work.
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Thank you for the deep insight gunbunny and Krooser. I feel it helped. I'm suggesting more questions for him to ask based on your comments. It seems like location is very important in peoples experience with this job. No doubt its a good job once you wade through the ****!
 
340doc said:
Thank you for the deep insight gunbunny and Krooser. I feel it helped. I'm suggesting more questions for him to ask based on your comments. It seems like location is very important in peoples experience with this job. No doubt its a good job once you wade through the ****!
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It can be a great job, but it's the time you're dealing with the BS that's horrible.
Pishta made the comment that the old guys are dicks to the newer ones coming in. They had been in the trench's and knew what it was like.
They're dicks because they're shell shocked.
But, if your son is in FL, things are probably going to be better. No bad weather to deal with. The heat will be, but it's better than carrying a 1 hour park and loop in the snow. The downside to being in FL is that when routes open, and there is a carrier getting within that 5 year window of retirement, they see that open route and can bid on it. A CCA has no chance against a 20 year regular when it comes to a bid.
Hopefully, with a new contract, the union can get more protection for the CCA's. I don't think they (NALC) realized how bad management was going to treat them when they agreed to the position.
 
gunbunny said:
It can be a great job, but it's the time you're dealing with the BS that's horrible.
Pishta made the comment that the old guys are dicks to the newer ones coming in. They had been in the trench's and knew what it was like.
They're dicks because they're shell shocked.
But, if your son is in FL, things are probably going to be better. No bad weather to deal with. The heat will be, but it's better than carrying a 1 hour park and loop in the snow. The downside to being in FL is that when routes open, and there is a carrier getting within that 5 year window of retirement, they see that open route and can bid on it. A CCA has no chance against a 20 year regular when it comes to a bid.
Hopefully, with a new contract, the union can get more protection for the CCA's. I don't think they (NALC) realized how bad management was going to treat them when they agreed to the position.
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I spoke with my regular carrier and he did say the union was working to get CCA's up the ladder quicker.
 
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