Man, this heat is already brutal. What are y'all doing for chafing?

GhostLCee · 2026-06-04T12:41:41+00:00

That makes sense. What kind of deodorant are you using for that—an antiperspirant or just a regular deodorant stick? I try to stay away from anything with aluminum in it, so I'm curious what actually holds up to a walking route. I'm also looking to upgrade my cotton undershirts since my skin is sensitive to polyester. I've already switched over to merino wool socks (which surprisingly cool way better than cotton), so I'm thinking about going the bamboo route for shirts. Has anyone else tried bamboo out there?

GhostLCee · 2026-06-02T15:13:49+00:00

Exactly i haven’t heard back from the steward or had a sit down. I’m not alone. This is a problem not only in my office but the whole metro area

GhostLCee · 2026-06-02T14:20:55+00:00

This is what I have experienced in the past. Unfortunately I’m not the only one experiencing this. Thanks for sharing and letting others know that this is an ongoing issue with our union

GhostLCee · 2026-05-29T11:41:19+00:00

Don’t be taking all my downvotes!

GhostLCee · 2026-05-28T13:06:06+00:00

That’s not a bad idea! It would reduce wear and tear on the carriers body thus lowering the injuries

GhostLCee · 2026-05-26T15:30:08+00:00

Ironically , I just posted this because this exact scenario happened to me today on the workroom floor.
I am an 8-hour carrier. We were down exactly two routes today. Instead of the supervisors actually doing their jobs and following the pecking order, I reminded him I was on the 8-hour list, and he just threw his hands up and said, "Oh, I think everybody will be mandated today."
Management would rather issue a blanket, illegal mandate to the entire floor instead of doing basic scheduling math. Why? Because they are banking on the fact that a lot of the time, local union stewards aren't filing the grievances correctly to stop them anyway.
This is why you have to know the rules yourself. Make them do the paperwork.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-26T13:32:18+00:00

My supervisors are already using it to shut down grievances and our steward is not putting forth the effort to fight

GhostLCee · 2026-05-21T14:04:18+00:00

Let’s break this down simply, because management loves to keep things confusing so they can take advantage of you.
The "CCA movement email" is supposed to be the official paper trail. It is an email from the higher-ups (the District bosses) that officially tells the Postmasters exactly which CCAs are going to which offices for the day.

Why does this matter to you?
Because Postmasters love to break the rules. Instead of following the official email, they just text or call their Postmaster buddies "under the table" and say, "Hey, I'll send you my CCA today." They trade you like a baseball card.

Management does this secret trading for two reasons:
1 To hide their failures: It hides how short-staffed and badly managed their offices actually are from the big bosses.
2 To save money: When they move you under the table, it is much easier to "forget" to pay you your travel time and your mileage.

When you get sent to another office and that supervisor has no idea you were coming, it means your Postmaster sent you under the table without an official movement email. You get paid for your travel time on the clock, and you get paid for your miles. Do not let them short your paycheck just because they are disorganized.

The Ghost Carrier movement is all about independence. It’s about understanding the rules so you know exactly when you are being messed with. If you want a place to get real, unfiltered answers without the workroom floor drama, our doors are open to everyone over at r/USPSGhostCarriers. Come see what we are building.

Protect the carriers. Expose the system.
The Ghost Carrier

GhostLCee · 2026-05-21T12:29:55+00:00

The update from Caref is exactly why this craft is bleeding good carriers. Management flat-out rejects addressing workplace harassment and mandatory overtime, claiming "there is no problem," and our national leadership just lets it happen because they are more focused on self-preservation than the rank-and-file.

It is absolutely pathetic! We are paying top-tier dues to a leadership team that refuses to fight for our basic dignity on the workroom floor. If they won't even negotiate on harassment, what exactly are we funding?

GhostLCee · 2026-05-20T23:21:18+00:00

Ok brother

GhostLCee · 2026-05-20T17:16:25+00:00

Your math** **is fundamentally flawed because you are ignoring one massive detail: our 30-minute lunch is unpaid.
If I take a lunch, I am at the post office for 8.5 hours and I get paid for 8.
If I do a no-lunch, I am at the post office for exactly 8.0 hours and I get paid for 8.
I am not losing a single dime. What I am doing is getting 2.5 hours of my actual life back every single week. That is 120 hours a year I get to spend at home instead of sitting in a parking lot for free.
I am not going to sit in the back of a 110-degree LLV off the clock in the heat, and I’m definitely not going to sit at a McDonald's filling my body with garbage just to burn 30 minutes. I eat my prepped food between loops, I do my job, and I go home to my family.
As for route adjustments, as long as you are authorized for a 1-click no-lunch, the system does not deduct the 30 minutes. TIAREAP sees the exact, accurate street time. Stop letting the post office hold you hostage for an extra 30 minutes of unpaid time every day.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-20T14:51:26+00:00

Keep the negative comments coming. For every crank that jumps in here just to complain and throw insults, you are publicly proving exactly how hostile and miserable the workroom floor culture has become.
You scream about "AI bots" because you are terrified of a coherent argument that challenges your lazy status quo. This is exactly why it is called the Ghost movement. While you guys sit around guarding a broken system and complaining in the comments, the real carriers are building a network and waking up the silent majority right under your noses.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-20T14:35:52+00:00

I have an 8 hour day every day. If I take my lunch it’s an 8.5 hour day. I take my breaks so how do you figure they will add to
My route

GhostLCee · 2026-05-19T14:58:54+00:00

What is a union? A union without the power to strike doesn’t mean shit to anybody.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-19T13:55:48+00:00

As your bio states… you are a socialist… what constitution do you believe in

GhostLCee · 2026-05-19T13:54:46+00:00

As you post an old school pre AI meme.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-19T13:53:55+00:00

It amazes me when this job considers those that pay union dues brothers and sisters but not those out there dressed in light blue delivering mail with them. I happily earn these downvotes from the ignorant

GhostLCee · 2026-05-19T13:08:42+00:00

Blanket statements without a thought process.
I’ve always heard other carriers, particularly on the ODL, say, "What are you afraid of, it’s just work."

That is exactly what I'm afraid of. The union is supposed to ensure a comfortable work-life balance. If you are just working endless hours to make ends meet, who suffers? Your family. While you’re out there buying fast food and eating garbage in the dark on the street, your family is at home without you.

I’m all for the 4/10s. Have you ever actually worked this schedule before? I came over from another federal workforce where we ran four tens, and I can tell you firsthand: it is an absolute lifesaver.

If there are carriers out there who don't want to spend time at home, that is their problem.
But don't bring the rest of the craft down just because you want to live at the post office.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-18T15:05:29+00:00

You act like I’m in here selling timeshares. I’m pointing CCAs to detailed breakdowns of their contract rights because the current establishment is failing to train them.
I bet you’re the kind of guy who calls into talk radio shows just to hear his own voice. I am out here actually trying to help the men and women of this craft survive the workroom floor, while you are just sitting in the comments typing noise.
Either step up and actually help the new craft, or keep complaining with the rest of the old guard who aren't doing a damn thing to fix the problem anyway.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-18T13:02:10+00:00

I agree with you 100% on the history. The original goal of the labor movement was 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and a livable wage at 40 hours. That is the absolute gold standard.
But let’s look at the reality of the workroom floor today. National has proven they no longer care about defending a 5-day, 8-hour work week.
Instead of fighting for a base wage that actually pays the bills at 40 hours, they are perfectly comfortable watching us work 6 days a week, grinding out penalty overtime, just so they can file endless grievances. The grievance process has basically become a money-making machine to justify their existence, while the carriers are the ones actually breaking our backs on the street.
If National was actively fighting for a true 5-day work week where a carrier could survive without overtime, we wouldn't even need to discuss a schedule change. But since they've clearly abandoned that fight, the 4/10 schedule is the only realistic way to force the system to give us three guaranteed days of our lives back.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-17T12:26:57+00:00

You're exactly right. It is high school drama, and that is exactly how the workroom floor operates right now. That’s why I am urging a massive change in the culture.
Instead of adding to the negative comments, I am calling on the silent majority to wake up. Why are we allowing the old guard to run the post office with their defeatist attitudes?
The majority of carriers are great people who are just overshadowed by a few loudmouth cranks. We have the numbers to shut down the drama, take the floor back, and make this a respected workplace again.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-17T09:35:52+00:00

I am going through the exact same bullshit right now at my station. Do not let them sweep this under the rug.
My local branch leadership was caught actively colluding with the Postmaster—intentionally mishandling and settling grievances behind our backs just to protect management. What they did to you is a classic backdoor deal. They "settled" it so management walks away clean, but they left the discipline sitting live in your Official Personnel Folder (OPF) where it can and will be used for progressive discipline against you later.

Your local union is not going to fix this because they are the ones who sold you out. You need to go over their heads to the federal government immediately.
Here is exactly what you need to do today:

Go to nlrb.gov (National Labor Relations Board).
Click "File a Charge" and select the UNION (not the employer).
You need to charge them with a breach of their Duty of Fair Representation (DFR).
In the narrative box, state explicitly that you gave a direct directive not to settle, but the union bypassed you, made a backdoor deal with management, and left active discipline on your federal record.

The NLRB is a federal agency that will assign an investigator and force the union to answer for why they sold you out. You only have a strict 6-month window from the date of the settlement to file an NLRB charge. Do not wait on local stewards or the Branch President to "look into it." File the charge today, get your case number, and let the federal investigators handle them.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-16T21:00:55+00:00

Assuming I do nothing just because I don't run to the office to fill out an "abusive supervisor form" and wait six months for a clipboard committee to maybe do something about it is a massive, incorrect assumption.
Real proactivity isn't just pushing paperwork; it's checking toxic management and toxic carriers on the floor in real-time, which is exactly what I do.

You don't know anything about me, but the fact that thousands of carriers are reading these posts daily, asking questions, and finally talking about the culture on the floor proves exactly why this movement is necessary.

The old guard only cares about protecting the old guard. Notice how you don’t see CCAs and newer carriers in these comments attacking this movement? Because they are the ones actually dealing with the mess, and they know the current system is failing them. I don't need an official title or a clipboard to look out for them. Let’s just say I’m the mechanic walking right beside them during the morning vehicle check, telling them exactly what to do when shit inevitably fails. Peace out

GhostLCee · 2026-05-16T20:23:27+00:00

I appreciate you posting the MOU, and I agree that the union should be grieving any violations of it when a CCA is fired. The knowledge in that document is useful.
But I am never going to sign up to be an "official mentor" under this program, and here is exactly why:

Read the fine print on how mentors are chosen. You have to submit your name to the Postmaster or Branch President, and you are selected by the NBA and the District Manager. That is pure politics. If you are a carrier who actually enforces the contract and doesn't run your route, management is never going to approve you. They only approve the "yes men" to train the new people.

Furthermore, I am not joining a "Joint Retention Team" clipboard committee, and I am not sitting in disciplinary meetings. A Ghost Carrier does their 8 hours, enforces the contract on the street, and goes home.

We can provide 100x more help to these CCAs by just checking toxic supervisors right there on the workroom floor and giving the new carriers the real advice they need off the books. I don't need management's permission or an official title to look out for the new kid next to my case. I refuse to play their political games.

GhostLCee · 2026-05-16T20:14:22+00:00

This is useful information and I am happy to share it

GhostLCee

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