Regrets? Got any?

[Skierstmoritz]

I hooked up with the USPS in early 2011. I adapted to the job like a fish to water. I loved the job, my customers, and my coworkers. Having said that I have 3 major regrets: 1) when the 2012 contract was ratified. And table 2 was established, I didn't heed the warning sign since I wasn't a regular the new pay structure for regulars didn't impact me at thetime and i had no interest in going regular. 2) in 2015 Amazon reared it ugly head and we started delivering it for free. However i believed my steward and the dr that a new compensation package (rrecs) would shortly be implemented and we would be paid for what we did. My bad. 3) my biggest regret was going regular in the midst of the Amazon Avalanche in October of 2017. It was a large pay cut going from $ 23/hr to a table 2 regular pay . Huge error! I was working 6-7 days a week and figured by going regular, i would, at leastget 2 days a week off plus the benefits. In reality i f#$ked myself. Shortly after going regular our subs quit, I had no days off, no vacation and my take home pay dropped. Silly me. So here I am , going into a real covid Xmas, still working 6 days /week and no end in sight. Btw, 5 years later, still delivering Amazon for free.
So all you subs, thinking about going regular, look long and hard at it and base your decision on your office, your situation and how much you believe what the nrlca and USPS tells you is true.

 

[ifitfitsitships]

Sounds like a country song.

 

[Itstillfun]

I regret that for along time I used to take the advice of Union saying keep your head down and just do the job. No I'm looking up . I see the abuse. I feel the pain. I understand I got to stand up and teach the machine about how to treat me..like the valuable employee that I am. I thought getting into this game late was my regret but I am happy enough to have been a part of my children's lives. I don't know how I'll feel when I am next in line to retire. I'm hoping I leave in one piece with my joy intact.

 

[eomr]

My wife left me for my best friend and I miss him. Now that's the title for a good country song.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Sounds like a country song.

No, it doesn't , because it didn't mention "Momas, Pickup trucks, and getting drunk".
But if he drives a pickup on the route, and maybe he has to wait for trains, and then he got home so late that "Moma" got drunk waiting for him, then that would be a "Qualified Country Song".

 

[K]

"Regrets? Got any?"

This job.

At this point, I'm torn between putting in my retirement paperwork at a 50% penalty(decade+ of part time yay) or just #$##ing quitting...

 

[callofthewild]

Regrets. Not really. I hired on with the Postal Service to pay for my Son's college and help my family, I have reached that goal. I was a $2.03 an hour wait person back 30 years ago and I make more now and don't work as hard. I don't know a job that hasn't got draw backs. Oh, I hate all the lying and cheating with fraudulent mail counts; but no one holds a gun to my head to come into work each day. Just about done with this part of my life and I hope I can look back and laugh and say I did some good, job well done.

I do think about the table 2 carriers and think what a punch in the gut, to work beside people, do the exact same job for less money, I don't know how I would feel about the Postal Service if I were Table 2. The Amazon Avalanche is ridiculous and the USPS and Union should be able to move more quickly to compensate the Rural Carriers for a drastic change in volume for those of us that are delivering Amazon for free. Due to a weather event earlier this week in our Area, the Amazon Fulfillment Center was down for 3 days, it was so nice. We had all forgotten what a world without Amazon looked like and I think that is what the MAN whats "what we tolerate today, we accept tomorrow", a quote by John Wesley.

 

[Surprise!]

Many regrets.

 

[Chivvy]

Not transferring stations when I was an RCA. I remember thinking about it, but deciding I had just learned enough to get with some undertime at the various routes in my base office and not didn't want to give up a few months of seniority. Now some 15 years later, commuting about 30 miles each way during which I pass directly past two post offices (and there are at least a dozen closer) with rural routes on my way to work I think it was a poor choice.

 

[Morty]

@Skierstmoritz yours read exactly as mine, almost same timeline as well.

I was stuck, i got a family to support. Regrets? I could list all the missed opportunities...or maybe they would've been the grass that supposedly is greener on the other side?

 

[Surf]

I'm going to be one of the few who will say I have no regrets. I, like you, had no initial intentions of going regular. I liked my couple days a week, and was fine with it. Decided I would go regular when a slot opened up due to the benefits. I have had the good fortune of having all great PM's in my 17 years at the PO. We are a 3 route POV office with 2 subs. I actually had a fair count last time. We lost AMZN last year (I still get 5 or so packages from them a day). I consistently finish my route WAY under evaluation (am home by noon most days, 46K)......tho with this crush of political mail, am not making eval. So no, at this point I have no regrets. But I think the key factor of my happiness is the PM factor. Good PM=happy employees. Bad PM=unhappy employees.

 

[jdog]

I'm going to be one of the few who will say I have no regrets. I, like you, had no initial intentions of going regular. I liked my couple days a week, and was fine with it. Decided I would go regular when a slot opened up due to the benefits. I have had the good fortune of having all great PM's in my 17 years at the PO. We are a 3 route POV office with 2 subs. I actually had a fair count last time. We lost AMZN last year (I still get 5 or so packages from them a day). I consistently finish my route WAY under evaluation (am home by noon most days, 46K)......tho with this crush of political mail, am not making eval. So no, at this point I have no regrets. But I think the key factor of my happiness is the PM factor. Good PM=happy employees. Bad PM=unhappy employees.

I guess you did get a fair count last time, did you have Amazon then lose them otherwise how in the world can you get done at noon with a 46K even without Amazon.

 

[FrozenToes]

I'm going to be one of the few who will say I have no regrets. I, like you, had no initial intentions of going regular. I liked my couple days a week, and was fine with it. Decided I would go regular when a slot opened up due to the benefits. I have had the good fortune of having all great PM's in my 17 years at the PO. We are a 3 route POV office with 2 subs. I actually had a fair count last time. We lost AMZN last year (I still get 5 or so packages from them a day). I consistently finish my route WAY under evaluation (am home by noon most days, 46K)......tho with this crush of political mail, am not making eval. So no, at this point I have no regrets. But I think the key factor of my happiness is the PM factor. Good PM=happy employees. Bad PM=unhappy employees.

CBUs too?

 

[Dumbassclerksyndrome]

"Regrets? Got any?"

This job.

At this point, I'm torn between putting in my retirement paperwork at a 50% penalty(decade+ of part time yay) or just #$##ing quitting...

Man... it there was an emoji to express this is my exact same sentiment....

 

[Gotrope]

Unfortunately, I believe this is the future of the craft. With a large migration of people currently taking place away from cities and expensive resort areas, lower cost of living areas are undergoing significant costs increases.

 

[Surf]

CBUs too?

Half my route is CBU's. THAT makes it really fast!

 

[Surf]

I guess you did get a fair count last time, did you have Amazon then lose them otherwise how in the world can you get done at noon with a 46K even without Amazon.

Yes. Exactly! And we had a VERY fair PM. Half my route is CBU's, which makes it very quick. I go to very few doors for packages. Imagine how much time that saves!

 

[LostinDakota]

My regret? That CBU's were forced on new developments. I spend a lot of extra time hauling huge packages to the doors of people who receive mail in a CBU. The people in new developments here LOVE their Amazon. And shop at Amazon every day of the week.

 

[Voglio-il mio]

My wife left me for my best friend and I miss him. Now that's the title for a good country song.

You forgot to say they drove off together in your brand new pickup truck with your dog in the back!

 

[Gotrope]

My biggest regret is the wear and tear this job does to your body. I've had very physical jobs all my life. This one is tops for feeling seriously old after a shift. Usually after several weeks in rough terrain, in my old job, I just needed a good night's sleep to recover my aches and pains. This job seems to wear me down faster. Or maybe it's the lack of positive vibes there.