Mrs. Mailman

Mrs. Mailman. Joyce May Firman (1921-2015). Joyce May Firman became the first female letter carrier in Ontario and the first long-term female letter carrier in Canada at age 44. In 1965 and 1966 she was a 'helper at Christmastime, and by October 1967 she was on staff full-time., Joyce overcame controversy and barriers in the workplace, due to her gender. The other, all male, letter carriers thought she would not last two weeks. When she did, they went so far as to hold a local union meeting, then the Letters Carriers' Union of Canada, to complain about having "a woman in the office." A few months later, they elected her as the first woman secretary of their local union. By the end of her 18-year career, she had covered nearly every route in Port Credit., Joyce not only opened the door to Canada Post for other women letter carriers, she also influenced positive change in the working conditions of all letter carriers. When she joined the Post Office, there were strict rules about uniforms. The men had to wear long pants, even in the summer. Joyce, however, could wear a skirt! After the men complained about this, the process to improve summer uniforms began - including shorts for the men. Joyce contributed to those first committee discussions and even managed to get the Post Office to design a different hat for women, because she didn't like the ones that were designed for the men. , In addition to her work as a letter carrier, Joyce also volunteered at the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Port Credit Legion (Royal Canadian Legion Branch 82) for many years, including in a number of leadership roles. For her contributions, Joyce was awarded the Palm Leaf for meritorious service and a Life Membership., Joyce May Firman was born in 1921 in Redhill, Surrey, England. Along with being a trailblazer, she was devoted to her children, raising them while working and volunteering in her community. Her first husband was a Canadian soldier, George (Joe) Shorter. Widowed in her early twenties, Joyce left England in 1944 with her two-year-old son George. As a war bride, she originally settled with her in-laws in Mimico before she married Charles Heath and they had two children, Robert and Bonnie. When she divorced, Joyce returned to her maiden name. Joyce passed away on July 30, 2015 in Mississauga at the age of 94.