When she told us why, we wholeheartedly agreed.
Any of us who have ever worked in a plant know that being on any of the machines is no joke. When the machines are running, you’re trying to keep up with the constant flow of mail. There’s always lots of heavy pushing and lifting. And just because the machine stops doesn’t mean that you do: it’s now time to make a dispatch, gather equipment, and set up for the next run.
Birmingham Mail Processing Clerk Bill Michulek began his postal career rather late in life. Twenty years ago at age 60, to be exact. His wife (they will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary later this year) started working here first, and “I saw how much she was making,” he said.
Before coming to the Postal Service, Michulek had been an accountant. “I kept the books for some very small companies. I made very little money and had very little security.”
Having a steady job with a decent wage and benefits for the first time in his career was appealing, so even though his wife retired for health reasons, he stayed on.
His late-life income boost has allowed him and his wife the freedom to fulfill some of their dreams.
Almost a decade ago, he suffered from a serious heart attack. After his recovery, Bill told his wife, “If we’re going to travel, we better do it now.”
And travel they have: in recent years, they have visited China, Hawaii, Greece and other parts of Europe.
At 80, Mr. Michulek’s work ethic puts many younger employees to shame. “He is dependable; he always comes to work, “said Sharon Davis, his supervisor. “He will do anything I ask of him.”
Does he ever have any problem working on the fast-paced machines? “I keep up fairly well,” he said. “I’m a little slow, but I was always a little slow.”
“I always try to do the best that I can,” he said. “To me, just killing time is just killing myself.”
If it’s up to him, retirement won’t be coming soon. “I keep working because if you don’t keep working, pretty soon you don’t move.”
What’s his advice to younger employees?
“Do your job, and do it well."
