The USPS — great benefi ts, wages and job security

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Saturday, January 29, 2022 |

The Bennington Banner | The Brattleboro Reformer

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USPS: Great benefi ts, wages and job security

Knowing and helping your community

BY VERMONT NEWS & MEDIA

Mathew Norris became a postmaster in Vermont with the U.S. Postal Service — the second largest employer in the United States — 22 years ago. He’s never looked back.

Among the perks that have kept him on the job with the USPS: job security, benefi ts, wages and something less tangible.

“I’m a people person,” he says. Working for the post offi ce is all about helping people, through a variety of jobs the USPS offers — behind a desk, at the customer counter, sorting mail or heading out into the community delivering mail and getting to know and enjoy the customers.

“There’s some sort of a job within the post offi ce that’s going to appeal to everyone,” he says. He enjoyed doing a rural delivery route early in his career, adding, “I know somebody from every household by now.”

Norris says one of the strongest reasons to work for the USPS — besides the pay and benefi ts — is job security.

“I never wonder whether or not I’m going to get a paycheck. We’ve never had a layoff,” he says. “Any private company can layoff tomorrow, or close. Here, it’s job security.”

To work for the USPS, you must be 18 years old (or 16 with a high school diploma); pass a criminal background check, drug screening and medical assessment; and have a safe driving record, if applicable to the position.

Norris said salaries start at $17.32 to $19.06 per hour.

Benefi ts are another draw for prospective employees. Workers are immediately eligible for health insurance through the Care First Health Plan, as well as dental and

USPS PHOTO

One of the strongest reasons to work for the USPS — besides the pay and benefi ts — is job security. New Haven Postmaster Mathew Norris says: “I never wonder whether or not I’m going to get a paycheck. We’ve never had a layoff . Any private company can layoff tomorrow, or close. Here, it’s job security.”

vision coverage. In addition, USPS offers up to 13 days of vacation per year and six paid federal holidays for many positions.

Some positions have contracts that state after two continuous years on the job in the same location, staff are converted to “career” employees and eligible for even better benefi ts — up to 13 days of sick leave per year, increased vacation time of up to 26 days for employees who stay for 15 years or more, annuity retirement and life insurance.

The USPS offers a thrift savings plan to career employees, similar to a 401(k) with up to a 5 percent automatic match, as well as automatic pay increases for cost of living or based on length of service under the various union contracts.

All those perks, he says, “and we’re not asking for a college education.”

Norris points out that eligible military personnel and veterans

DANIEL AFZAL — USPS

City Carrier Sasa Maksimovic delivers mail in downtown Rutland.

receive additional benefi ts, including full credit for time spent in the armed forces. Eligible veterans and disabled veterans are given preference during the onboarding process by means of additional credits toward exam scores.

The USPS also focuses on training, stating on its website, usps. com, “Career development is not a one-time event; we offer development and training at every stage of the employee lifecycle. Programs offered include functional job-related training, technical hands-on learning, new supervisor training and management to executive development.”

“From distributing tax forms to taking passport photos and delivering ballots overseas, the U.S. Mail moves government services. USPS is the only delivery service that reaches every mailbox in the nation,” the organization says.

Norris is happy to help anyone interested in working for the USPS in Vermont.

“As postmaster, I’ve recruited more people and helped people get through the process than anyone in the district,” he says.

For more information about the USPS and employment at the postal service, visit usps.com/careers or email Vthiring@usps.gov.

Contact Postmaster Mathew Norris at 802-233-5790.

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www.usps.com/careers