‘Unscanned’ option, what constitutes a ‘parcel?’

[Chrissy]

We are not clear as to when we should be using the ‘Unscanned parcel’ option. When you have have photos with no scan that need to be taken to the door, it’s obvious you would select this option.

We have been defining a ‘parcel’ as it was defined in previous mail counts, and as such, have used this option for checks customers have ordered, for example, the ones that come in flat, blue packs with no barcode. Is this correct? They are scanned as being delivered ‘to the mailbox.’

But what about other small items that come pre-sort standard, like socks or flags from the VA that come in those semi-rigid envelopes that are sometimes awkward to handle. We were only given credit for a ‘flat’ for many of these items during previous counts.

Should we be recording these items by using the ‘unscanned parcel’ option, and then entering that we’ve delivered them ‘to the mailbox?’

 

[oi veh.]

moving to RRECS forum

 

[Worve]

Asked my management personally would recommend you doing the same. i was told anything in hamper that clerks Throw in is a parcel. case in point is those huge envelopes from non profit or standard mailings. Also asked about any address that receives more then 1 inch of mail. Was told it should be counted as a parcel. Personally I now love U-lines those alone pretty much are almost 1 inch. This is all based off what my management said and do not take it as law. Each office will be different and any questions ask your management. Always have someone else willing to sign a statement this is what they heard when having this conversation.

 

[Beanut]

We are not clear as to when we should be using the ‘Unscanned parcel’ option. When you have have photos with no scan that need to be taken to the door, it’s obvious you would select this option.

We have been defining a ‘parcel’ as it was defined in previous mail counts, and as such, have used this option for checks customers have ordered, for example, the ones that come in flat, blue packs with no barcode. Is this correct? They are scanned as being delivered ‘to the mailbox.’

But what about other small items that come pre-sort standard, like socks or flags from the VA that come in those semi-rigid envelopes that are sometimes awkward to handle. We were only given credit for a ‘flat’ for many of these items during previous counts.

Should we be recording these items by using the ‘unscanned parcel’ option, and then entering that we’ve delivered them ‘to the mailbox?’

In past mail counts a parcel was any small ridged package that couldn’t fit in case slot after mail was sorted and met other criteria. I have a little measuring tool for that at my case.

There was always the ones set aside by PM that were possible package / flat….
If it fits in those perimeters now, I’d consider them parcels and use the UNSCANPARCEL scan.

*personally, I immediately consider anything put in my parcel hamper a parcel. Other questionable items I do the case test.

 

[Still Learnin]

I’ve been told anything somewhat rigid that won’t fit in the customers mail box, is a parcel. If hold mail is over 1” thick, it’s an un scan parcel even if it fits in the mailbox. USPS/Union cubicle workers… thanks for the one sentence info description for the new scans. Also, if it says do not bend even if it’s standard mail and won’t fit w/o slightly bending it’s an unscan at the door. Every office is probably different I’m sure.

 

[FrozenToes]

Well, if it was placed in my parcel hamper, I would reason it must be a parcel.
I have not been instructed otherwise. Does RRECS pay us to make this determination?
Fletters/letters in tubs from plant are considered flats now. ECRWSS only has to be 90% coverage but still counts as full coverage in RRECS.
The old ways of count are obsolete now.

 

[stillfirstclass]

A parcel is any rigid article that exceeds any one of the following dimensions: (a) 5 inches in height. (b) 18 inches in length. (c) 1 9/16 inches in width.

 

[neciat]

A parcel is any rigid article that exceeds any one of the following dimensions: (a) 5 inches in height. (b) 18 inches in length. (c) 1 9/16 inches in width.

Well, while most of us know that, if the contract is ratified it will include the language that removes ALL, is this clear to everyone, ALL reference to mail count. So, that which is what we know or KNEW as a parcel will be moot along with REAMS of other reference , protection, bench mark , MOUs etc. language. Make absolutely NO MISTAKE about this. There will be union loyalists that "say" it only means Article 9 blah, blah, blah but that's NOT how the language reads. All reference to count will be gone and that is what the PO position will be on each and every category of our jobs , especially the actual time functions. And there will be very little if anything that we will be able to do or say because the language states this ;

• Article 9. Mail Counts
o Eliminate all reference to mail counts
o Not necessary with implementation of RRECS MOU

 

[mail1000]

Asked my management personally would recommend you doing the same. i was told anything in hamper that clerks Throw in is a parcel. case in point is those huge envelopes from non profit or standard mailings. Also asked about any address that receives more then 1 inch of mail. Was told it should be counted as a parcel. Personally I now love U-lines those alone pretty much are almost 1 inch. This is all based off what my management said and do not take it as law. Each office will be different and any questions ask your management. Always have someone else willing to sign a statement this is what they heard when having this conversation.

see this is why myself and so many others are so confused and nervous about this new rrecs scan...this is our pay...and every forum answer, office. etc is doing something different...mgmt ,po,pm etc...unscan parcels is just ONE example of sooooooo many unanswered or RIGHT way ...every office shouldnt be different when it comes to these types of things when our pay is in these scans.do you all agree?

 

[Haygrrl]

Asked my management personally would recommend you doing the same. i was told anything in hamper that clerks Throw in is a parcel. case in point is those huge envelopes from non profit or standard mailings. Also asked about any address that receives more then 1 inch of mail. Was told it should be counted as a parcel. Personally I now love U-lines those alone pretty much are almost 1 inch. This is all based off what my management said and do not take it as law. Each office will be different and any questions ask your management. Always have someone else willing to sign a statement this is what they heard when having this conversation.

Yep .anything that isn't run in FSS or anything thrown in parcel hamper

 

[gotstamps]

Well, while most of us know that, if the contract is ratified it will include the language that removes ALL, is this clear to everyone, ALL reference to mail count. So, that which is what we know or KNEW as a parcel will be moot along with REAMS of other reference , protection, bench mark , MOUs etc. language. Make absolutely NO MISTAKE about this. There will be union loyalists that "say" it only means Article 9 blah, blah, blah but that's NOT how the language reads. All reference to count will be gone and that is what the PO position will be on each and every category of our jobs , especially the actual time functions. And there will be very little if anything that we will be able to do or say because the language states this ;

• Article 9. Mail Counts
o Eliminate all reference to mail counts
o Not necessary with implementation of RRECS MOU

As you have quoted the actual text in the Tentative, that is exactly how the language reads.
Regardless of All language under Article 9 being removed pertaining to Mail Counts, the qualifiers for a parcel are not in the Contract. The definition of parcel for Rural Craft have not been redefined other than a mail piece containing a Delivery Scan will be considered a Parcel. If it does not contain a Scanbar, the letter-flat-parcel measurements come into play for determining classification.

 

[neciat]

As you have quoted the actual text in the Tentative, that is exactly how the language reads.
Regardless of All language under Article 9 being removed pertaining to Mail Counts, the qualifiers for a parcel are not in the Contract. The definition of parcel for Rural Craft have not been redefined other than a mail piece containing a Delivery Scan will be considered a Parcel. If it does not contain a Scanbar, the letter-flat-parcel measurements come into play for determining classification.

I know. And while the specs for a given mail piece are not in the National Agreement, those specs are in count guides , step 4s, etc. THAT language is also considered as a "reference to mail count". In my office, we have had some EDDMs that we casually referred to letter size BUT after I checked them with the count gauge, they were taller than 6 1/8 " which would make them flats. This , among other things, got me to thinking about losing "all reference to mail count". It was at this time I realized we were only losing the references that could and / or would benefit the carriers.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Now the Usps designates a parcel as they sell it to any customers and that remains a parcel until delivered. Before many items changed to flats or letters as they reached the rural carrier due to counters “re-classifying” them as such, no more. If a piece is sold as a parcel it’s a parcel for us in Rrecs. I scanned all my U-lines as parcels in the box @ 22 seconds each. Anything that doesn’t fit in your cased mail or has a bar code, or Is called a parcel if you take it to the clerks to mail it, is now a parcel for us.

 

[neciat]

Now the Usps designates a parcel as they sell it to any customers and that remains a parcel until delivered. Before many items changed to flats or letters as they reached the rural carrier due to counters “re-classifying” them as such, no more. If a piece is sold as a parcel it’s a parcel for us in Rrecs. I scanned all my U-lines as parcels in the box @ 22 seconds each. Anything that doesn’t fit in your cased mail or has a bar code, or Is called a parcel if you take it to the clerks to mail it, is now a parcel for us.

I always argued how any mail piece morphed into a totally different classification , always to the detriment of the carrier, at mail count. Look at a license plate , for example. Tightly wrapped it's a parcel because it is rigid and taller than 5 inches. That same tag in a flat size envelope is a flat because it is not the 80%.

 

[Lemmoore]

A follow-up question:. If you have to type in the barcode numbers, do you use "unscan parcel"? Or is there another activity scan for this situation?

 

[mail1000]

I know. And while the specs for a given mail piece are not in the National Agreement, those specs are in count guides , step 4s, etc. THAT language is also considered as a "reference to mail count". In my office, we have had some EDDMs that we casually referred to letter size BUT after I checked them with the count gauge, they were taller than 6 1/8 " which would make them flats. This , among other things, got me to thinking about losing "all reference to mail count". It was at this time I realized we were only losing the references that could and / or would benefit the carriers.

and by the time you do all the measuring you probably spend more time figuring and measuring then if it were to be an unscanned parcel(the scan time we actually get for it)

 

[Beanut]

I

A follow-up question:. If you have to type in the barcode numbers, do you use "unscan parcel"? Or is there another activity scan for this situation?

According toQ&A:

99. If a parcel has a "partial barcode" and cannot be scanned or have the numbers manually input, how does that get the appropriate credit?

A. See the answer to number 33. Partial or no bar-code parcels are credited in the same manner.

33. Under RRECS, how are parcels with no delivery confirmation barcode credited to the route?

A. Please see page 77 in the document “Determining Rural Route Evaluations Under RRECS” which is linked at the top of this page.
page 77 attached file

is it just me….or do they really never actually answer the question here? partial or no barcode yes….but not manually input!

Then there is this answer:
203. Do we use UNSCANPARCEL for packages with no barcode or just for packages that barcode is not working.

A. It is used for both to ensure you are credited with delivering the parcel.

Then there is this on page 11 of the NRLCA COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE RURAL ROUTE EVALUATED COMPENSATION SYSTEM manual (the 99 page document)
Still….no mention of Manually input barcodes: I made bold the mention of unscannable barcodes.
*Procuct Tracking and Reporting (PTR) is the repository of scan data. RRECS discovered that some item scans used for product tracking were already available in PTR for parcels, accountable mail- signature items, collect on delivery (COD)mail and carrier pickup events and items. The accountable mail-signature items and COD scans were usable, as is, in RRECS and needed only to be extracted from PTR and transferred to Solver.
Parcel scans required two modifications: 1) introduction of a new scan to capture the small percent of parcels that lacked a readable barcode (some international parcels, damaged and missing barcodes); and 2) modification of the scan procedure to capture the delivery location (door, mailbox, parcel locker). Carrier pickup also required modification to get complete and accurate counts. A new replacement scan that records each carrier pickup event and the number of items retrieved is required. RRECS data capture requirements also specify about 17 entirely new “RRECS scans” designed to count activities not previously counted, perform time-keeping functions, and capture actual time for three data elements: load vehicle, end-of-shift activities and deviation for express mail delivery.
A total of 31 RRECS data elements are captured by scans in a semi-automated process. Rural carriers are responsible for making the scans at the proper times and locations. The remainder of the process of capturing, identifying, transferring, ingesting and analyzing the scans is fully automated.

 

[Worve]

A follow-up question:. If you have to type in the barcode numbers, do you use "unscan parcel"? Or is there another activity scan for this situation?

If I can’t scan it I use unscannable parcel with where I put it. At end of shift if it’s not cleared thats When I manually input it. I usually only have a few like it so isn’t hard to remember. I still require management to pull up picture of it to verify it was that parcel I remembered. If not it’s simple I don’t remember it.

 

[mariomail]

Now the Usps designates a parcel as they sell it to any customers and that remains a parcel until delivered. Before many items changed to flats or letters as they reached the rural carrier due to counters “re-classifying” them as such, no more. If a piece is sold as a parcel it’s a parcel for us in Rrecs. I scanned all my U-lines as parcels in the box @ 22 seconds each. Anything that doesn’t fit in your cased mail or has a bar code, or Is called a parcel if you take it to the clerks to mail it, is now a parcel for us.

I did the same ... had many oversized nonprofit mailings today in my parcel hamper so I scanned them all as unscanparcel. In the old mail count this would be counted by my PM as a parcel so I figure in this new way of counting this is how we get them to count. Until I am told otherwise I will continue to do this.

 

[gotstamps]

I

According toQ&A:

99. If a parcel has a "partial barcode" and cannot be scanned or have the numbers manually input, how does that get the appropriate credit?

A. See the answer to number 33. Partial or no bar-code parcels are credited in the same manner.

33. Under RRECS, how are parcels with no delivery confirmation barcode credited to the route?

A. Please see page 77 in the document “Determining Rural Route Evaluations Under RRECS” which is linked at the top of this page.
page 77 attached file

is it just me….or do they really never actually answer the question here? partial or no barcode yes….but not manually input!

Then there is this answer:
203. Do we use UNSCANPARCEL for packages with no barcode or just for packages that barcode is not working.

A. It is used for both to ensure you are credited with delivering the parcel.

Then there is this on page 11 of the NRLCA COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE RURAL ROUTE EVALUATED COMPENSATION SYSTEM manual (the 99 page document)
Still….no mention of Manually input barcodes: I made bold the mention of unscannable barcodes.
*Procuct Tracking and Reporting (PTR) is the repository of scan data. RRECS discovered that some item scans used for product tracking were already available in PTR for parcels, accountable mail- signature items, collect on delivery (COD)mail and carrier pickup events and items. The accountable mail-signature items and COD scans were usable, as is, in RRECS and needed only to be extracted from PTR and transferred to Solver.
Parcel scans required two modifications: 1) introduction of a new scan to capture the small percent of parcels that lacked a readable barcode (some international parcels, damaged and missing barcodes); and 2) modification of the scan procedure to capture the delivery location (door, mailbox, parcel locker). Carrier pickup also required modification to get complete and accurate counts. A new replacement scan that records each carrier pickup event and the number of items retrieved is required. RRECS data capture requirements also specify about 17 entirely new “RRECS scans” designed to count activities not previously counted, perform time-keeping functions, and capture actual time for three data elements: load vehicle, end-of-shift activities and deviation for express mail delivery.
A total of 31 RRECS data elements are captured by scans in a semi-automated process. Rural carriers are responsible for making the scans at the proper times and locations. The remainder of the process of capturing, identifying, transferring, ingesting and analyzing the scans is fully automated.

Manual Input Barcodes are done in the SCAN entries as they have been done before. Credit is addressed here in Q & A # 65:

65. Will we receive additional credit for barcodes that won’t scan and require manual entry of the numbers?
A. No. The standard established by the Engineering Panel includes time for manually entering the occasional barcode