Seymour Saferstein has worked at USPS longer than most of his colleagues have been alive.
The 94-year-old mail processing clerk was looking for steady work after leaving the military and started his career as a temporary holiday hire in 1960.
The Detroit Processing and Distribution Center employee has operated letter and barcode sorting machines over the years, but his current position involves sorting letters manually.
“People still make mistakes when addressing their mail that can’t be caught in automation. I believe I have an edge in sorting mail because I still know all the 481-482 schemes,” he said, referring to Detroit-area ZIP Codes. “Unlike today, employees don’t need to know the schemes because of automation.”
That knowledge has paid off. “Seymour is the ideal employee,” Distribution Operations Supervisor Shanta Agee said. “He is a great example for today’s employees.”
The postal veteran still looks forward to coming to work every day.
“I’ve enjoyed working for the Postal Service because of the atmosphere to stay busy, to learn new things and all the wonderful people I have met,” he said.
He’s not done yet.
“As long as I stay healthy and there is still a manual operation, I have no plan to retire,” he said.
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