Postal worker

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, the National Association of Rural Letter Carriers 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.^[1] The bulk of these work as:

• Service Clerks - Sell stamps and postage, help people pick up 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 truck 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 incidents by postal workers in the late 1980s made headlines. The incidents also led to the coining of the phrase "going postal".

Notable postal workers

• Charles Bukowski, writer and poet

Postal workers in fiction

• The Postman
• Postman Pat
• Mr. McFeely
• Cliff Clavin
• Newman (Seinfeld character)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice

See also

• United States Postal Service creed

References

External links

• Alabama- NPMHU State Local 317
• American Postal Workers Union

Mail and postal systems
History	Timeline of postal history African countries Asian countries European countries Oceania countries American countries
Components	Advertising mail Bulk mail Envelope Indicia Information-Based Indicia Letter box Mail Mail bag Meter stamp Packstation Parcel Post box / Mailbox Post office Post-office box Postage meter Postage stamp Postal code Postmark
Delivery	Airmail Express Package delivery Registered Surface Surface Air Lifted (SAL)
Staff	Mail carrier Postal worker Postmaster Postmaster General
Processing	Intelligent Mail barcode Mail Isolation Control and Tracking Multiline Optical Character Reader Mail cover Mail sorter PLANET POSTNET
Institutions and systems	Postal entities Postal museums Postal services Postal systems by country Trade unions
Related	Courier Philately Stamp collecting
List of entities that have issued postage stamps	A-E F-L M-Z
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