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Desdinova
Premium Member
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD

Desdinova

Premium Member

Why Doesn't The USPS Deliver On Sundays?

Other than the obvious holdover from the days of "you don't do business on a Sunday" is there any good reason why we can't get standard mail delivery on Sundays?

I suspect that since Sunday seems to be a Magic Day, the postal union would require higher pay for any workers who are working on a Sunday. Okay, would the pay increase be so extravagant as to offset any profits earned during the previous six days? Is there a reason that makes sense that I'm unaware of?

Overall, I'm pretty darn happy with postal service here in the U.S. with the exception of not getting Sunday delivery and the fact that I never get my mail delivered before 4:30 in the afternoon (which completely blows. I guess I'm on the ass-end of the route).

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew

Premium Member

The short answer: Yes.

mckenna797
Premium Member
join:2004-08-25
Astoria, NY

1 edit

mckenna797 to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
Yes, All federal employees that work on Sunday get premium pay at 25% of their Hourly Pay
davidcb13
join:2004-02-06
Branchville, NJ

davidcb13

Member

said by mckenna797:

Yes, All federal employees that work on Sunday get premium pay at 25% if their Hourly Pay
really? thats it.... I thought the standard was time and a half

Arelay
They call me Obi-Ron
Premium Member
join:2002-08-14

2 recommendations

Arelay to Desdinova

Premium Member

to Desdinova
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds except on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Sundays.*

*In most locations, when an additional surcharge is paid, Express Mail deliveries can be made even on Sundays and official U.S.P.S. holidays.

Ben
Premium Member
join:2007-06-17
Fort Worth, TX

1 edit

Ben to davidcb13

Premium Member

to davidcb13
said by davidcb13:

said by mckenna797:

Yes, All federal employees that work on Sunday get premium pay at 25% if their Hourly Pay
really? thats it.... I thought the standard was time and a half
It's not that simple. My understanding is that if even a single minute of a shift occurs on a Sunday, the entire shift gets 25% more for each hour worked. I have it on pretty good authority because my father works for the USPS.

So, if a shift runs 4PM Sat - 12:30AM Sun, the entire shift is Sunday pay. If a shift runs 11:30PM Sun - 8AM Mon, the entire shift is Sunday pay.

Assuming it's not Sunday, it's standard pay for the first 8 hours of actual work. A typical shift is 8.5 hours, since there's 1/2 an hour for breakfast/lunch/supper that isn't paid.

In cases for overtime (note that times are time on the clock, not what the clock reads on the wall)

Hours 8:01 - 10:00 = 1.5 * regular pay
Hours 10:01 - 11:30 = 2 * regular pay

No shift can extend over 12 hours. Because of the 1/2 hour unpaid meal break, that means a maximum of 11.5 work hours in a day.

There are also 15 minute paid breaks, but they only occur every couple hours, which I think is fair.

As for Sunday pay, the management has a serious incentive to avoid work on Sundays. Employees nearly always have Sunday (of course) and one other day off, while working the other five. A lucky few get Saturday off, though it's uncommon.

dosdoxies
Premium Member
join:2004-12-15
Wallingford, PA

dosdoxies to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
Was a while back there was talk of the post office doing away with Saturday delivery. Weekdays only.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua

Premium Member

Yeah, I heard about that. I wonder whatever happened with that.

MooJohn
join:2005-12-18
Milledgeville, GA

MooJohn to Desdinova

Member

to Desdinova
The biggest hurdle is probably all the extra carriers it would take. Why? Because most people would balk at working 7 days a week. You can't expect them to nearly double the staff for one extra delivery day. They're already rotating routes as it is to make sure people can work 5 day weeks while mail moves 6 days a week.

Besides, would it really make a difference in the end?

Bloominite
Premium Member
join:2004-04-17

Bloominite to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
If it's that big a deal, you could move to Loma Linda, CA where the USPS delivers on Sunday. But you'd have to learn to do without Saturday delivery.
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un ··· delivery
wth
Premium Member
join:2002-02-20
Iowa City,IA

wth to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
Since the USPS is loosing money, I'd look for delivey on Mon-Wed-Fri for half the homes in an area/city and Tue-Thur-Sat for the other half of home delivery. Nobody really needs everyday delivery, since you have a couple of weeks to act on something you recieved in the mail. As for after 4 pm delivery, I know what you mean.

cocothebean8
You Are My Nightmare
Premium Member
join:2002-11-16
Carson City, NV

2 edits

cocothebean8 to davidcb13

Premium Member

to davidcb13
said by davidcb13:

said by mckenna797:

Yes, All federal employees that work on Sunday get premium pay at 25% if their Hourly Pay
really? thats it.... I thought the standard was time and a half
Time and a half kicks in after working 40 hours a week!!!
Unless your a salaried paid employee then your screwed all the way around!!!
And besides if they did do a Sunday shift guess who will pay for the increase in the payroll???

mckenna797
Premium Member
join:2004-08-25
Astoria, NY
Netgear CM700
Asus RT-AC68

mckenna797 to davidcb13

Premium Member

to davidcb13
said by davidcb13:

said by mckenna797:

Yes, All federal employees that work on Sunday get premium pay at 25% if their Hourly Pay
really? thats it.... I thought the standard was time and a half
Time and a half only applys for federal employees when the work is Overtime Lots of Federal Employees regular work schedules include sunday as part of their work week

Greg_Z
Premium Member
join:2001-08-08
Springfield, IL

Greg_Z to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
Why don't you work Sundays? And btw, there are still people that work on Sundays.
sailor
Premium Member
join:2003-10-21
Long Island

1 recommendation

sailor to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
said by Desdinova:

Other than the obvious holdover
Overall, I'm pretty darn happy with postal service here in the U.S. with the exception of not getting Sunday delivery and the fact that I never get my mail delivered before 4:30 in the afternoon (which completely blows. I guess I'm on the ass-end of the route).
Well somebody has to be at the end of the route. If it is really inconvenient for you to get your mail that late in the day you can always go down to your local post office and rent a Post Office Box....That mail is usually up in the AM.

And I agree about the Postal Service being good in the United States for regular mail delivery...Its one of the few things left in this country that is still personal..Like clock-work, the letter carrier comes 6 days a week, walks up to the front porch, opens the door to the mail box, puts in the mail, closes the door and is on his or her way to the next house.....

I appreciate my regular letter carrier...he is on the ball and comes within 15-20 minutes of his normal time day in, day out...I tip my letter carrier better than anyone else at Christmas time...They really deserve a good tip for all that they do....at least that is my experience.

hurfy
Premium Member
join:2002-08-06
Spokane, WA

hurfy to wth

Premium Member

to wth
said by wth:

Since the USPS is loosing money, I'd look for delivey on Mon-Wed-Fri for half the homes in an area/city and Tue-Thur-Sat for the other half of home delivery. Nobody really needs everyday delivery, since you have a couple of weeks to act on something you recieved in the mail. As for after 4 pm delivery, I know what you mean.
Ok, but that Netflix contract will be a bugger to renegotiate withthat schedule

As to the original question:

Why should they? All it would do at this point is increase cost for ZERO gain. Does anyone not mail something because it won't get there on Sunday? Instead they use.....ummm.....well.....ahhh....

HardwareGeek
join:2003-11-15
Brooklyn, NY

HardwareGeek

Member

I say they should stop Saturday Delivery too.
margaf
join:2000-12-22
Las Vegas, NV

margaf to Desdinova

Member

to Desdinova
I dont even get mail on Saturday and have yet to get an answer as to why. USPS employees suck.
OCP
Premium Member
join:2004-10-11
USA

OCP to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
Now that I pay most of my bills online, about 90% of my mail is junk mail. I signed up for »www.greendimes.com/ and that helped a little. Calling companies and asking to be removed is hit or miss. I'm on my third request with one now.

My opinion of my mail carrier/post office is very low. I've lost TWO BILLS since I moved here. Never before in my whole life has that happened. Oh, and I have to go to the next street over to get my mail from a community mailbox (no outgoing mail). My post office is in a slummy part of town in the opposite direction of work. They close about the same time I get off of work. These are specific to my "neighborhood" though.

A lot of postal employees make decent money. They don't need to be tipped. Lots of people would jump at the chance to replace some of them.

I would think the reason Sunday is less common of a working day has to do with church/religion. The separation of church and state continues to narrow...

I just had to counter the happiness with my version of reality.

Epikos
Surpass the Usual or Ordinary
Premium Member
join:2003-07-27
Vancouver, WA

Epikos to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
said by Wikipedia :

Sunday mail delivery
Until 1912, mail was delivered 7 days a week. As the postal service grew in popularity and usage in the 1800s, local religious leaders were noticing a decline in Sunday morning church attendance due to local post offices doubling as gathering places. These leaders appealed to the government to intervene and close post offices on Sundays.


HardwareGeek
join:2003-11-15
Brooklyn, NY

HardwareGeek

Member

I call BS on that
»www.usps.com/postalhisto ··· antdates

That in my opinion would be a significant date in Postal History yet it isn't listed.
Desdinova
Premium Member
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD

Desdinova to Greg_Z

Premium Member

to Greg_Z
"Why don't you work Sundays?"

I DO work Sundays! I'm a freelancer by nature and my clients often book time on Sundays (I work around their schedule). And to pick up some Happy Meal money in between, I'm head projectionist at a local theatre so I occasionally work entire weekends (and most major holidays for the past thirty years). I guess that's why I grumble about other businesses that can't be as on-call as I am!

i1me2ao
Premium Member
join:2001-03-03
TEXAS

i1me2ao to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
i prefer not get junk mail on sunday..

jaa
Premium Member
join:2000-06-13

jaa to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
The question is why don't they deliver just 3 days per week instead of 6? With phone, fax, email, and overnight delivery services, is there anything in the mail that is so time sensitive a day would make that much difference?

I would like to see that change - it would greatly reduce the cost of delivery, particularly in rural areas. It would save gas too.

No need to fire anyone - just offer early retirement and stop hiring letter carriers until we have the right number.
jaa

1 edit

jaa to sailor

Premium Member

to sailor
said by sailor:

I appreciate my regular letter carrier...he is on the ball and comes within 15-20 minutes of his normal time day in, day out...I tip my letter carrier better than anyone else at Christmas time...They really deserve a good tip for all that they do....at least that is my experience.
My carrier should pay me for all the times I deliver mail to my neighbors that he puts in my box. It would be nice if there was a mandatory retirement age - like 80 - so I would not have to wait for the guy to die to get a new carrier.

The best days are when there is a sub on the route. My magazines are delivered without being read, and I get my mail an hour earlier.

sdgthy
@optonline.net

sdgthy to Epikos

Anon

to Epikos
In 1912 delivery to the home was rare, most people had to pickup their mail at the post office. Hence why they tended to be "gathering places".

skinsfanusa
join:2001-03-09
San Marcos, CA

skinsfanusa to Desdinova

Member

to Desdinova
I'm sure religion has a role in the decision not to deliver mail on Sundays.

Andrew J
Premium Member
join:2001-11-09
Lancaster, PA

Andrew J to dosdoxies

Premium Member

to dosdoxies
said by dosdoxies:

Was a while back there was talk of the post office doing away with Saturday delivery. Weekdays only.
I don't get a real Saturday delivery. Maybe a flier or two.
I had 3-4 packages due on a Saturday, a few weeks back.
All of them were delivered Monday.

tao
Frazzlebats
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Lansing, MI

tao to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
The post office does deliver on Sunday, but Express Mail packages only, and then only the ones that were late for Saturday delivery. My MIL not only works at the USPS, but she works Sunday delivering these packages.

But don't expect regular mail, it won't be coming.

joako
Premium Member
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null

joako to Desdinova

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to Desdinova
I've gotten packages delivered to my PO box on Sundays.... they put it in a parcel locker big enough to insert from the back but it was too big to remove out the front!