In a small, brightly lit room in the basement of the Salus Center, Saint Louis University gets the mail. Early each morning, a crew of dedicated workers sorts through giant loads of letters and packages, which are distributed on the Frost campus and the Health Sciences campus.
The mail carriers arrive at 6 a.m. and work half days; most are retired U.S. Postal workers. There are two crews of carriers, and each crew works every other week. “We lend our expertise and experience in mail services to the University,” said Robert Wertz, a mail carrier who has worked at SLU since 1984. “This week’s crew has, all together, 187 years of postal experience,” Wertz said, adding that the other week’s crew has about the same background.
The workers sort the mail twice in the morning and go on two runs throughout the University, delivering regular and interoffice mail. The opportunities for employment in Mail Services are unique because they offer flexible hours for workers familiar with the postal service.
“When you’re retired, you think you’re going to have a lot of time on your hands, but you find a lot to do,” Wertz added.
He spends time with his grandchildren and has volunteered at Forest Park Hospital. Wertz said that he enjoys working at SLU, “The people are great–best people in the world to deliver mail to. ”
Wertz’s blue eyes sparkled under his SLU cap as he described the camaraderie among the retirees in the room.
As a U.S. Postal worker, he has been part of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ efforts to donate money each year to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He produced this year’s Christmas letter from the Mail Station, which thanks the people of SLU who have supported the MDA’s effort throughout the years.
The mail carriers meet people all throughout the University, and carry more and more mail each year. Chris Regan, director of Service Operations, said that the amount of mail the station handles continues to increase despite the proliferation of other types of communication like e-mail.
She explained that e-mail has absorbed some of the information with Web sites like Newslink.
She said it is estimated that the mail station touches between three and four million pieces of mail per year.
There are three full-time employees who keep track of the departments’ metered mail and run the office throughout the day. One of those workers is Ruby Gardener, who plans on retiring soon, after working full time at SLU for 28 years. She will switch to a part-time mail carrier position.
Standing next to the large cubby-holed shelves and filing cabinets that fill the small mail services office, Gardener smiled as she described her duties at the mail station.
She has also worked in food service and as a janitor at Parks College. “Mail services is the best job I’ve had at SLU. I got to meet a lot of students at Parks, but I didn’t like waxing floors; that’s a hard job.”
For more information visit www.slu.edu/services/mail.
