By Anonymous
I am a paper carrier (maybe yours). I am part of a movement to get a union in for the paper carriers and bundle haulers here in Madison county. Currently, an in town carrier makes .076 cents per daily paper that they deliver (yes, less than eight cents each). On a Sunday we make .32 cent per paper. This adds up to a little over $41.00 a year for each 7 day a week customer.
We also have to pay a $5.00 complaint fee for missed deliveries (even when they are stolen), wet papers and placement complaints. This means that if I get one complaint, the next 65 papers that I deliver are being delivered for free.
We also have to pay for the bags that we deliver these in (we use to get them for free). We are now required to deliver the Indianapolis star and the Muncie Star Press, Investors business daily, Wall street Journal and many other publications. We make much less on these, as little as .04 cents on some of them.
It appears that it does not make any difference to the Herald Bulletin if the gas prices have doubled - our pay does not go up. The bundle haulers do not get any extra money for many of the papers that they have to deliver to us from the printers and local dock. Even though it costs them more time to do all of the extra paper work and extra gas for the added weight.
We are struggling to make ends meet so that we can deliver your papers to you in a timely manner. The attitude that we have been given is if you can't do this just find another job. Many make less than minimum wage during the week as it is.
I enjoy serving my customers and occasionally meeting them. This job also leaves me time during the day to do other things. I am asking all that take the Herald to call 640-4848 (circulation) and ask for your carriers name and number. Then call your carrier and urge them to call 610-1919 to find out more about the union that we are working to get here. This is a confidential call. Please help us so that we can help each other.
