Do letter carriers still wear uniforms?

[Bill Dufour]

If Proposition 22 passes in california it is going to claim uber, lyft, doordash drivers are independent contractors. It was sponsored by those companies who have been claiming all along that they have no employees so they do not have to provide, insurance, retirement or back ground checks.
If that law passes it would be easy to claim all drivers in california are independent contractors who can drive and wear whatever they feel like. This would include USPS, UPS, bus drivers? etc.
It is a obvious special interest law but it will have far reaching unforeseen consequences. Any job that is dispatched by phone app would be exempt. I suppose any job that you call in to get your weekly schedule(fast food) would also be classified as independent contracting.
Bill D

[Rod Sheridan]

My carrier (Canada Post) does, I live in a city.........Rod.

[mike stenson]

Interesting bit about the Surgeon General's office. They do appear to hold legitimate military rank.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeo..._United_States

They also are routinely assigned to armed services, and wear that services uniform (with the USPHS rank and insignia) while doing so. Also, the youngest millennial is ~25 now.

[Jim Becker]

If Proposition 22 passes in california it is going to claim uber, lyft, doordash drivers are independent contractors. It was sponsored by those companies who have been claiming all along that they have no employees so they do not have to provide, insurance, retirement or back ground checks.
If that law passes it would be easy to claim all drivers in california are independent contractors who can drive and wear whatever they feel like. This would include USPS, UPS, bus drivers? etc.
It is a obvious special interest law but it will have far reaching unforeseen consequences. Any job that is dispatched by phone app would be exempt. I suppose any job that you call in to get your weekly schedule(fast food) would also be classified as independent contracting.
Bill D

The examples you use at first are folks who drive their own vehicles to deliver the services off the organizations' platforms they participate in. USPS, UPS, etc., are not like that outside of some contractors they use in rural areas or for temporary contractors used for holiday overflow deliveries. USPS, UPS, etc., drivers use company vehicles and are employees. I do not believe there is risk if your proposition passes for being an "independent contractor" becoming universal across the board. I'm also not going to express support or non-support of this because I haven't really studied it at all. There are clearly good arguments for both positions.

[Bill McNiel]

Here in the Burbs our guy is in full uniform and USPS small truck. His name is Ceasar and he is totally old school / fantastic, he constantly goes off the street route to hand deliver packages, etc that don't fit in the mailbox.

[Jason Roehl]

What I think I’ve observed here is that the regular USPS route employees wear the uniforms, be it a walking route in the older parts of the city, or on the non-rural driven routes. However, they seem to also have extra drivers for delivering packages who drive the USPS trucks, but they don’t wear the uniforms. We’ve often been visited more than once on the same day—once for the mail that goes in our box, and another time for delivery of a package. Rural route drivers still drive their own vehicles and wear whatever, as far as I know.

[John K Jordan]

Rural carriers are contractors, not employees, so they don't wear uniforms.

I'll ask my neighbor. She was a rural carrier for years until she retired and wore no uniform. But she has a pension - do contractors receive postal service pensions?

[Stan Calow]

We're having a lot of mailbox thievery here in my suburban area. So someone opening a mailbox not in a USPS uniform is going to find trouble sooner or later.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have lived here 19 years and none of the rural carriers we've had has worn a uniform, or driven a USPS vehicle, they just get a flashing light for the roof and a sign in the back window that says US Mail Carrier or something to that effect. I don't recall what they wore when I used to live in Maine, my mind is not what it used to be, nor has it ever really been.

[Bill Dufour]

There is a joke in there somewhere about memory being you live in Orwell. Something about a memory hole?
Bill D.

[mike stenson]

I have lived here 19 years and none of the rural carriers we've had has worn a uniform, or driven a USPS vehicle, they just get a flashing light for the roof and a sign in the back window that says US Mail Carrier or something to that effect. I don't recall what they wore when I used to live in Maine, my mind is not what it used to be, nor has it ever really been.

That's how it was in N Wi in the 70s and 80s too.. and they were certainly postal employees...

[Brian Elfert]

We're having a lot of mailbox thievery here in my suburban area. So someone opening a mailbox not in a USPS uniform is going to find trouble sooner or later.

My letter carrier drives an official USPS vehicle so I can't imagine something thinking he isn't a legitimate carrier even without a uniform. He only gets out of the truck if a package won't fit in the mailbox. I find it hard to imagine a thief would go to the trouble of stealing a postal vehicle in order to steal mail.

[Jim Becker]

Where I grew up in NE PA, the carriers were contractors in their own vehicles...many of them sourced right-drive Jeeps if they could get them or used a bench seat, sat in the middle and drive with their left hand and left foot.

[John K Jordan]

Where I grew up in NE PA, the carriers were contractors in their own vehicles...many of them sourced right-drive Jeeps if they could get them or used a bench seat, sat in the middle and drive with their left hand and left foot.

A neighbor here modified a car for his wife, a rural carrier, to have duplicate steering wheel and foot pedals on the right side. Then he started modifying cars for other carriers - I think he did about a dozen!

JKJ

[Bill Dufour]

The examples you use at first are folks who drive their own vehicles to deliver the services off the organizations' platforms they participate in. USPS, UPS, etc., are not like that outside of some contractors they use in rural areas or for temporary contractors used for holiday overflow deliveries. USPS, UPS, etc., drivers use company vehicles and are employees. I do not believe there is risk if your proposition passes for being an "independent contractor" becoming universal across the board. I'm also not going to express support or non-support of this because I haven't really studied it at all. There are clearly good arguments for both positions.

This defenatly one of those propositions that will end up in court for years. Unintended consequences and all that. One big kicker seldom mentioned is if it passes it will take a 7/8 vote to remove it. Good luck getting 7/8 of people to agree on anything.
Bil lD