USPS vs Pat Salmon

Whether you work for USPS or Salmon, with the holiday season coming up, your gonna get some hours.

I think the guy that interviewed you for the seasonal position at USPS was probably exaggerating a little bit. A year ago, everybody started off as a PSE, which is, or should I say WAS, a non career position, meaning you had no benefits til after a year and was limited to less than 40 hours a week. A couple months ago the PSE position was eliminated and now EVERYBODY starts off career, meaning you will have benefits and a retirement plan from the get go. So the 5 guys that got hired after the holiday season probably started off as PSE's and got converted full-time when our new contract went into affect a couple months ago.

Seasonal drivers do not get benefits and you have to work ANY shift that you are needed. The only way you would get hired after PEAK season is over is if a career driver retires, and that would mean a new driver needs to be hired. If you did get hired after PEAK season, you would start off as a PTF ( Part Time Flexy), which is still a career position.

As far as Salmon is concerned, I don't know too much about them, but I do see a lot of their trucks in our facilities. The ones I've seen drive sleepers, so they may be an OTR job. I think they're similar to Eagle, or any of the other HCR OTR mail contractors.

 

My cousin works for mail hauler in PA. He makes like $22 strait time, Somehow they take $5 an hour for benefits do to some Obama Care scam, I don't know the specifics, they should be getting about $27.
All the runs are billed at xyz amount of time, and if run over, your running for free. No overtime over 40.
ProStars mostly.

 

The thing with the Postal Service is our turnover rate is practically ZERO when your at Career status. Our workforce is old, VERY OLD, I'm talking over 70 years old.

Usually when career drivers retire, it happens a group at a time. Don't ask me why, but it just happens that way. If you work seasonal, there's no guarantee that you'll be hired after Peak Season is over. No two Postal Facility runs the same way. The actual CBA (Collective Bargain Agreement) is universal, but there's another contract called the MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) that covers the gray areas that's not in the CBA. The MOU is the reason why one Postal Facility operates completely different from anouther and why some Hubs have an ALL Full-time Career workforce, while others don't (this is where PTF's come in).

At least with Salmon, you know it's not seasonal. Being on extra board can suck, but at least you'll have a job after the New Year.

Whatever your decision is, I wish the best of luck.

 

How often are postal runs for mail contractors evaluated for pay/rates? Seems like they've been in the $19-25 range for years, maybe it's just me.

 

Wage Determinations seem to happen every other year. The Dept of Labor won't say exactly how the decisions are made other than they say they compare to the truckload segment of the trucking industry. We've been arguing with them that an HCR driver is more comparable to an LTL carrier driver with the scheduled runs than a TL driver driver.

 

"They" don't take $5/hr. The $5/hr is mandated by the USPS for Health & Welfare benefits. It CAN be paid on a driver's paycheck at the discretion of the contractor but then payroll taxes need to be taken out as well. If that money is used for actual retirement or health insurance it's pre-tax money. So it does save the contractor money to mandate it can only be used for retirement and/or health ins accounts. It's not a scam. It's not due to Obamacare. It's been this way for many, many, years.

 

If you're willing to take a gamble with the seasonal job at USPS, talk to one of the drivers if you get a chance and ask how many are planning on retiring. There's also a seniority list that should be posted in the MVS Craft. Find out how many Full-time Career Drivers there are and I can tell you what your chances are.

If anything, you'll be on a waiting list after the Holiday Season is over, and depending what number you are on the seasonal list will determine how soon you will get hired once a Career Driver retires. But be forewarned, as a seasonal driver, you'll be working just like PSE's use to and you might have to come in the day shift one day and then come in at night the next day. There's no predictability in your schedule. Just letting you know ahead of time what to expect.