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mandatory hats!??

Lyra -- "Our postmaster is buying hats and saying we are required to wear them. I filed a grievance but when will this crap stop!? She is using the language ELM."

-- The BIG question is: What type of hat is your PM buying? If it is the run-of-the-mill baseball type hat, that could be a problem. Per Step 4 ( D-62 ), in part:

2. Postal management at the local level will be responsible for determining the appropriate standard of appearance. However, local postal management will be responsible and rational in the determining that appropriate standard of appearance.

-- Then there is Article 3 - Management's Rights:

- e. To prescribe a uniform dress to be worn by letter carriers and other designated employees. ( might need to have that section clarified as "letter carriers" is usually associated with city carriers, not rural carriers )

-- IF your PM is buying official USPS postal uniform hats, that could be a problem - for your PM! If she likes citing official language, show her any or all of the following:

- 18 U.S. Code [ strange symbol ] 1730 - Uniforms of carriers. Whoever, not being connected with the letter-carrier branch [ city carriers ] of the Postal Service , wears the uniform or badge which may be prescribed by the Postal Service to be worn by letter carriers [ city carriers ], shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. ( is your PM ready ( or able ) to carry rural routes for 6 months? )

- ELM Section 934 Wearing of Uniform Items / Section 934.6 Prohibitions: Wearing postal uniforms is prohibited under the following circumstances:

a. A person not connected with the letter carrier branch of the Postal Service who wears the uniform or badge worn by a city carrier is fined not more than $100, or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both.

- Step 4 ( U-25.600 ), in part: Brookfield Uniform and other postal uniform vendors are prohibited from selling certified postal uniform garments to employees who have been determined ineligible for a uniform allowance. [ such as rural carriers ]

- PO-603, Section 12 - Basic Carrier Responsibilities - Your responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following items:

b. Presenting a neat, clean, and professional appearance reflecting a positive postal image.

-- Yep - here it comes now: Back in the day ( mid-1990s ) uniform sellers would set up tables by the post office loading area and sell items like hats and shoes to rural carriers. Manglement had no qualms when a rural carrier would wear a retired city carrier's shirt. Things may have / probably have changed since then.

-- Keep filing grievances. Maybe someone at District will notice and eventually send your PM elsewhere. Of course, you never know what you will get as a replacement -- most likely someone who needs to be shuffled around, like your current PM!

-- Good luck.

-- PS -- WOW! Was able to beat "neciat" for a change.
 
subs are quitting because of the stress she doesn’t make it great at all
Been there.....trust me....what goes around comes around. It'll catch up to your pm sooner or later, and hopefully you can help her out by filing lots of grievances when she keeps doing STUPID stuff....give her some "RURAL TRAINING", by that, I mean a heaping big dose of what shes been handing out to you'all. Watch your back, and good luck.
Shannonboy🤠
 
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Been there.....trust me....what goes around around. It'll catch up to your pm sooner or later, and hopefully you can help her out by filing lots of grievances when she keeps doing STUPID stuff....give her some "RURAL TRAINING", by that, I mean a heaping big dose of what shes been handing out to you'all. Watch your back, and good luck.
Shannonboy🤠
Her next move after getting hats on all noggins will be the mandatory group photo with her centered and displaying the hands on hips leader pose. She'll need to find room on her "I love me" wall though.
 
Her next move after getting hats on all noggins will be the mandatory group photo with her centered and displaying the hands on hips leader pose. She'll need to find room on her "I love me" wall though.
As long as everyone gets a copy of the pic for the mandatory dartboard to be placed at each case for stress relief put pic on dartboard.....1 point, and pm buys you lunch for hitting postmaster, 50 for coworkers, a day off with pay for hitting yourself on the pic...🤣😂😆🤠
 
The way I am understanding that citation 934.12 , which is from the perspective of being FOR the carrier is this ; it states in "C" "all other employees who are authorized ONLY a cap as a means of identifying them with the Postal Service." I am seeing this as it is only the cap that would identify the carrier. What about our badge ? They must have forgot about that. Our badge identifies us with the Postal Service , therefor, no cap / hat necessary.
 
-- Yep - here it comes now: Back in the day ( mid-1990s ) uniform sellers would set up tables by the post office loading area and sell items like hats and shoes to rural carriers. Manglement had no qualms when a rural carrier would wear a retired city carrier's shirt. Things may have / probably have changed since then.
Not “back in the day”.
Selling shirts & caps is the current situation in my District & I would assume other districts, too. We can buy those when the Uniform guy is here.
Wearing ANY actual Uniform is prohibited except for the shoes.
Wearing a postal hat is voluntary. Mgmt can issue a hat but they cannot mandate us to wear it.
 
Do a grievance. Letter carriers are listed, NOT Rural Carriers.
We're not letter carriers? News to me. Regardless, that section of the ELM states uniform headgear is at the option of that list of employees.

However, the next section, ELM 934.12, states: Wearing of the cap is mandatory for (a) casual employees, (b) new employees who are not required to wear a uniform during the first 90 days of their employment, and (c) all other employees who are authorized only a cap as a means of identifying them with the Postal Service. No substitute headgear may be worn by these employees.
 
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