Christmas Casual Post Office Jobs – It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas……….

• Nancy Ledgerwood
• January 14, 2022

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the post office! It’s that time of year again. Time to start thinking of hiring temporary employees to help with the Christmas rush. The United States Postal Service will hire temporary clerks and mail handlers for a 21-day period to get them through the holiday season. These positions pay on average $11.00 per hour, no benefits; but can lead to a 360-day appointment.

Most of the employees that are hired for these positions will work in the Processing & Distribution Centers and Bulk Mail Centers, sorting the many, many packages that come in. The majority of the employees will work from the first week of December to around December 26. All three tours (shifts) will be available with most of the employees working Tour 1 (11:00 pm to 7:30 am). The majority of the mail comes in during the evening, so by working Tour 1, the mail can be sorted and distributed then delivered to the post offices around the country that same morning.

The job of a casual clerk and mail handler in the processing and distribution centers can be physically demanding. They will load and unload postal trucks and move mail around a mail-processing center with forklifts, small electric tractors and hand-pushed carts. These workers are usually on their feet, reaching for sacks and trays of mail or placing packages and bundles of mail into sacks and trays. The clerk and mail handler positions can be a very tedious, tiring and stressful job. The mail sacks can be very heavy, so you must be able to lift 70 pounds. You will have time restraints in getting the job done and you will be working in a fast pace environment.

Below are the duties and responsibilities of a clerk position listed on USPS.com:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Makes one or more sortations of outgoing and/or incoming mail using the appropriate sort program or manual distribution scheme.
2. On a rotation basis, performs all of the following duties: loads mail onto automated equipment, culling out non-processable items; enters sort plan and starts equipment; monitors flow of mail to ensure continuous feed; sweeps separated mail from bins/stackers; and stops equipment when distribution run or operations is completed. Runs machine reports, clear jam and contacts maintenance for assistance when required.
3. Prepares work area, ensuring all necessary support equipment and materials, including labels, trays, and other containers are in place.
4. Removes sorted mail from bins or separations and places into appropriate trays or containers for further processing or dispatch based on knowledge of operating plans and dispatch schedules, or at the instruction of supervisors or expediters; may riffle or verify mail to ensure sortation accuracy as needed.
5. Follows established safe work methods, procedures and safety precautions while performing all duties.

Now is the time to apply for one of the 21-day appointments. The Local postal service’s offices in every District will be posting the positions on USPS.com to get everyone hired for the busy holiday season. If interested visit our USPS Job Search Guide and follow the links to the official USPS jobs site to search current job openings for the Christmas Casual or Casual position. Good luck!