Postal worker
Encyclopedia
A postal worker is one who works for a post office
, such as a mail
carrier. In the U.S.
, postal workers are represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union - NPMHU and the American Postal Workers Union
, part of the AFL-CIO
. In Canada
, they are represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers
and in the United Kingdom
by the Communication Workers Union
.
The US Postal Service employs around 584,000 people. The bulk of these work as:
Most postal workers in the US make between $36,000 and $43,000 per year.
The phrase was not very often used until a spate of workplace violence
incidents by postal workers in the late 1980s made headlines. The incidents also led to the coining of the phrase "going postal
".
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, such as a mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
carrier. In the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, postal workers are represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union - NPMHU and the American Postal Workers Union
American Postal Workers Union
The American Postal Workers Union is a labor union in the United States. It represents employees of the United States Postal Service who are clerks, maintenance employees, and motor vehicle service workers...
, part of the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, they are represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers or CUPW is a public sector trade union representing postal workers employed at Canada Post as well as private sector workers outside Canada Post.-Activities:...
and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the Communication Workers Union
Communication Workers Union (UK)
The Communication Workers Union is the main trade union in the United Kingdom for people working for telephone, cable, DSL and postal delivery companies, with 215,000 members....
.
The US Postal Service employs around 584,000 people. The bulk of these work as:
- Service Clerks - Sell stamps and postage, help people pickup packages and assist with other services such as passports.
- Mail Sorters - Physically sort the mail to go to the correct place. As automation has become more common, some of these people now operate the sorting machines.
- Mail Carriers - Deliver the mail. In densely populated areas this is done on foot. In urban areas the carriers often use a mail truckMail truckA mail van or mail truck is a delivery vehicle that is used to distribute mail.- Evolution :...
and in rural areas carriers drive their own vehicles.
Most postal workers in the US make between $36,000 and $43,000 per year.
The phrase was not very often used until a spate of workplace violence
Workplace violence
Workplace violence refers to violence that originates from employees or employers and threatens employers and/or other employees.-Definition:The definition of work related violence that has received pan-European acceptance is as follows:...
incidents by postal workers in the late 1980s made headlines. The incidents also led to the coining of the phrase "going postal
Going postal
Going postal, in American English slang, means becoming extremely and uncontrollably angry, often to the point of violence, and usually in a workplace environment....
".
Postal workers in fiction
- The PostmanThe PostmanThe Postman , is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by David Brin. A drifter stumbles across the uniform of an old United States Postal Service letter carrier and with empty promises of aid from the "Restored United States of America", gives hope to a community threatened by local warlords...
- Postman PatPostman PatPostman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. It is aimed at pre-school children, and concerns the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman in the fictional village of Greendale .Postman Pat's first 13-episode season was screened on...
- Mr. McFeely
- Cliff ClavinCliff ClavinClifford C. Clavin, Jr. is a character on the American television show Cheers, co-created and portrayed by John Ratzenberger.- Character history :...
- NewmanNewman (Seinfeld)Newman is a recurring character on the television show Seinfeld, played by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.-Background:...
(SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
character)