Mail carrier
From Free net encyclopedia
- For the electronic mail software, see GNU Mailman.
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A mail carrier, post carrier, or postman (sometimes known as a mailman or letter carrier in North America and a postie in Australia and the UK) is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcels (post) to residences and businesses. The term “mail carrier” came to be used as a gender-neutral substitute for “mailman” soon after women began performing the job.
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United States
In the United States, the official label for a mail carrier is “letter carrier”. There are two types of letter carriers, who are represented by different labor unions: city letter carriers, who are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, and rural letter carriers, who are represented by the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association. While union membership is voluntary, city carriers are organized near 90% nationally. City carriers are paid hourly with the potential for overtime. Rural carriers are under a form of salary called “evaluated routes”. They effectively agree to deliver a route for a set dollar amount annually.
City letter carriers typically work urban routes that are high density and low mileage. These routes are classified as either “mounted” routes (for those that require a vehicle) or “walking” routes (for those that are done on foot). When working a mounted route, city letter carriers usually drive distinctive white vans with the logo of the United States Postal Service on the side and deliver to curbside mailboxes. Carriers who walk generally also drive postal vehicles to their routes, park at a specified location, and carry one “loop” of mail, up one side of the street and back down the other side, until they are back to their vehicle. This method of delivery is referred to as “park and loop”.
Rural letter carriers typically work routes that have a lower density and higher mileage than those of city letter carriers. They only work mounted routes. They often use their own vehicles and are not required to wear a uniform. The vehicles can sometimes be boats and horses, in addition to the normal car.
Famous carriers
Famous letter carriers include:
- Il Postino, the Italian postman in the movie of the same name
- Postman Pat (children's TV character)
- Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
- Cliff Clavin, trivia obsessive in the TV series Cheers
- Terry Griffiths (snooker player, ex-postman)
- Stan, the postman in Wizadora
- Ferdinand Cheval who spent 33 years building an “ideal castle”
- David Harvey (goalkeeper, became a postman after leaving football)
- Neil Webb (footballer, became a postman after leaving football)
- Mr. Zip (cartoon character used by the United States Postal Service)
- Manic Mailman (cartoon mailman on Itchy & Scratchy, Bart Simpson's favourite show)
- Mailman Pechkin, in Russian cartoon Three from Buttermilk Village
- Newman, from TV series Seinfeld
- Mr. Wilson, retired mail carrier, from Dennis the Menace
- Tarja "Postman" Halonen is the famousiest finland mail carrier, now days Finland's president
See also: category: fictional postal workers, List of fictional postal employees