Pros
Yes, they’re are great benefits, but some like a 401K & a pension plan only comes when you become a regular carrier. Your fellow carriers will be your Lifeline. They’ve kept me from giving up & believe me it’ll happen.
Cons
Where do I begin? First know when you start you are a CCA & will basically be on call 7 days a week. When you do get a day off you generally won’t know until THAT morning, so it’s pretty hard to plan appointments, etc. If you get hired after the holidays things slow down, so there is less hours to get therefore you maybe sent to another office for work. For the first 120 days you are on probation & have no uniform & the scare tactic of losing your job is prevalent. Unbelievable There is a lot of “mind games” that some supervisors play & remember they lie on a regular basis. (That’s why you should keep the union’s number in your cell) Also the Only way of moving up is by seniority, so when someone retires you move up the list. Depending on the office you’re in, it will take a few years before you become a regular & have a schedule. Don’t plan anything after you think you’ll get off work, b/c as soon as you get back to the office, they can send you back out if they need to. The job is very physical & they don’t go easy on either sex. Then there’s the weather conditions which can be tuff as well. Document Everything (ie. take a picture etc) b/c if not, it’s your word against there’s, in which case, you could get written up & possibly fired. Lastly, it seems minor, but as for a Christmas party, management doesn’t supply for it. They will ask you to pitch in $$ or bring a food item for the party which is on you’re 10 minute break!!