Some 200,000 mail carriers have reached a tentative contract deal with the U.S. Postal Service that includes backdated pay raises and a promise to provide workers with air-conditioned trucks.

The new agreement, which still needs to be ratified by union members, runs through November 2026. Letter carriers have been working without a new contract since their old one expired in May 2023. Since then they have continued working under the terms of the old contract.

Both the union and the Postal Service welcomed the agreement, which was announced Friday.

  • @[email protected]
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    217 hours ago

    I’m assuming it’s partly because of how crazy inefficient A/C is if you’re opening your doors/windows every 30 seconds.

    • @cheese_greater
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      2217 hours ago

      Wrongful and workplace deaths are more crazily inefficient and also just morally bankrupt from the getgo. Nobody scrutinizes the defense budget anywhere near the fuckery Republicans have put postal workers thru

    • @Soup
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      016 hours ago

      Wow, rough! Anyway, you should probably go to therapy to figure out why the fuck you said that out loud, or least spend do some introspection.

      Besides, that’s not how it works. They are places of refuge for mail carriers as much as transportation. If they’re in the country they’ll be doing more driving and in the city they park and walk around with bags before returning to drive to the next area. A/C will help in both situations.

      • @[email protected]
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        16 hours ago

        A/C does not, and cannot, function without insulation.

        There is no insulation when the doors and windows are constantly open. You’re just burning energy for no impact.

        • @[email protected]
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          614 hours ago

          You’re not going to get the whole interior down to 75° but having cool dehumidified air blowing on you makes a huge difference.

          • @[email protected]
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            14 hours ago

            It doesn’t get to cool, for the exact same reason you don’t intake from outside to begin with.

            Cool can’t happen without gradual lowering of the input temperature by recirculating it. It takes many cycles to have any impact at all.

            • @SuperIce
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              23 hours ago

              You can definitely use outside air for the AC.

            • @[email protected]
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              311 hours ago

              cooling can absolutely happen with air from outside, it just takes a much more powerful ac unit. insulation only exists to make it efficient.

        • @Soup
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          215 hours ago

          I know that. I literally said that there are many times where the doors are closed for decent stretchs of time and last time I opened my car doors I don’t remember 100% of the cold air rushing out but maybe I forgetting something.

          Spend more time thinking and less time trying to justify why essential workers shouldn’t have basic comforts.

          • @[email protected]
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            -315 hours ago

            Because it’s bullshit. It’s a lie. The car is not running A/C with the doors closed for any meaningful length of time, and you don’t maintain temperatures without A/C actively running.

            • @Juvyn00b
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              515 hours ago

              There is a small relief provided by blowing the cooled dehumidified air over the warm sweating body using the dash vents. This would give the person a chance for their body to better perform the evaporative cooling process even if the cabin can’t stay at a constant lower temperature. I’d argue doing something to help with the comfort of the carrier is better than a vehicle without AC - and understandable it’s worse for the environment because of the waste heat generated in the process.

              • @[email protected]
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                -115 hours ago

                You get the same exact outcome with airflow period, without removing all of the range of the vehicle.

                • @Juvyn00b
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                  08 hours ago

                  As someone who owned a car without AC for several summers, I’d say you’re incorrect on that assumption. In fact, this is something you can try in the summer time with any car with AC. After a hot day in the sun, go drive around without the AC on and just the fans on and windows down. How do you feel? Then kick on the AC (leaving the driver’s window down, stimulating running a route delivering to mailboxes.). You’re telling me there is NO difference in feel without cool air blowing at your body?

                  I’m not putting the calculations of how many more dinosaurs will be used to in this, I’m merely focusing on the carrier being a little more comfortable during their drive.