Limit on number of hours RCA can work in pay period?

[Blondie13]

Is there any official policy on working 7 days a week as an RCA? It hasn't been a problem in my office up until recently when they decided to not allow anyone to work over 6 days a week after some silly standup about mental exhausting. I'm scheduled for 6 in my office so I'm already getting upwards of 50 hrs/week but personally I prefer to work 7 days/week so I've been considering contacting other offices in the area. Would they be able to tell I've been scheming to get more OT "? Lol.
I know that they can't force me to work over 60 in a week, but I haven't been able to find any info on limits on voluntarily worked hours.
Thanks!

 

[gerl2]

Yes, they can tell what hours you are working, it seems to depend on what district you are working in. Our area they have limited 7 days to 6 a couple of months ago. About 2 weeks ago they have eliminated subs overtime to 0. Which sucks for regulars who are not on the overtime list. Once again seems like the PO wants to spend more money than common sense. One sub who goes to many stations that used to work 7 days is on you have to call management first before they will sub her out, she thought also that she was just going to also work the 7 days after she was told not too. She also got a PDI for not following orders. PDI was dropped though.

 

[Morty]

Had I stayed an RCA: I could have paid into the Rural health insurance, maxed out my own Roth IRA, and still make $20k+ more than im making now.

I understand your desire to work. Many RCAs make well north of $100k on 7 days a week.

 

[btdtret]

Blondie13 -- "Is there any official policy on working 7 days a week as an RCA?"

-- No official USPS policy - yet. But some have posted that a few state laws prohibit working 7 days in a row. No doubt manglement will say such laws do not apply to the USPS, being a semi-federal entity. ( wanted to say "organization". but it hardly seems organized at times )

-- Some folks can handle working 7 days a week for weeks at a time. If you can, more power to you to rack up the money now instead of later when bodies tend to start having trouble keeping up. ( and for Arbitrator Clarke's award making regular carriers wait until having 10 years of service before having the ability to take the High Option on a route )

"I know that they can't force me to work over 60 in a week."

-- Got a reference for that?

-- The NALC's Article 8, Section 5.G does limit ( full time ) city carriers to no more than 12 hours in a day and no more than 60 hours in a service week. ( excluding December ).

-- A NALC Step 4 ( C-06238 ) ruled that 12- and 60-hour limits are absolutes -- except for December. ( no such ruling for the NRLCA )

-- Step 4 ( R-96 ) -- "Prevents" manglement from scheduling an RCA for more than 12 hours of evaluated work a day ( although the RCA may take more than 12 hours to complete the assignment(s)).

-- ELM Section 432.32 -- in part: employees may not be required to work more than 12 hours in a one service day.

" I haven't been able to find any info on limits on voluntarily worked hours. "

-- Doubt if you will.

-- Article 9.2.A.1.i -- regular carriers get OT when actually working over 12 hours in one day and / or over 56 hours in any one work week.

-- Article 9.2.A.2.e. -- RCA's are paid hourly ( for the most part ). Some office bean counter will be tracking work hours.

-- As "gerl2" noted, offices are starting to limit RCA OT.

-- If you can farm yourself out to work 7 days a week. the local offices might not catch your total work hours, but Eagan will, based upon SSN.

 

[Morty]

Had I stayed an RCA: I could have paid into the Rural health insurance, maxed out my own Roth IRA, and still make $20k+ more than im making now.

I understand your desire to work. Many RCAs make well north of $100k on 7 days a week.

FYI: I won't make what i made as an RCA on the same route Im doing now, until I reach STEP 11 ON TABLE 2!!! 4.5 years on Table 1, 11 years on Table 2.

Maybe another reason the PO is cutting to 6 day?

 

[gotstamps]

The “6-day” rule for RCAs is not recognized by the Union. Mgmt can work an RCA every day of the year if they choose. There is also no maximum number of hours that can be worked in the Rural Craft, just a change in pay if it happens.

If Regular Carriers are being forced to work their Relief Day while an RCA is MANDATED off, then that Regular has a grievance as does the RCA. I’ve won a few grievances on this 7th Day BS but mgmt continues to violate because District says so.

For RCAs working Sundays, Sunday scheduling comes AFTER the weekly schedule is made. Mgmt cannot choose to not schedule an RCA due to their likelihood of working Sunday or due to Sunday hours will make it to 40. If an RCA is being removed from their Matrix routes, they should be filing; especially if it’s their Primary & they haven’t worked the Evaluated hours on THAT route that week.

 

[DB.Cooper]

Isn't it wild that RCAs can make more than Regs nowadays... how does that bode for a promising future for the new peeps... sorta like working your way DOWN the ladder of success...

And it just keeps on getting better and better... ?

 

[Rt2mailman]

If you have regulars not on the RDWL in your office, tell them to sign up in the next few weeks when they are allowed to. That way they Rca's will work before the regulars to avoid higher overtime (code 5 or 150% pay) and the regulars that don't sign up will have to work at code 3 (1/2 a day's pay and a day off scheduled by management).
I believe all regulars should sign up on the RDWL because many times management tries to avoid allowing them to work and they sit home, grieve that they weren't worked, and get paid anyway.

 

[btdtret]

DB.Cooper et al -- "Isn't it wild that RCAs can make more than Regs nowadays... how does that bode for a promising future for the new peeps... sorta like working your way DOWN the ladder of success... "

-- Along those lines, isn't it nice that thanks to Arbitrator Clarke that a 41:45-hour AUX carrier can be required to provide assistance to an 41 hour H route regular carrier.

 

[Achilles659]

Isn't it wild that RCAs can make more than Regs nowadays... how does that bode for a promising future for the new peeps... sorta like working your way DOWN the ladder of success...

And it just keeps on getting better and better... ?

Had I stayed an RCA: I could have paid into the Rural health insurance, maxed out my own Roth IRA, and still make $20k+ more than im making now.

I understand your desire to work. Many RCAs make well north of $100k on 7 days a week.

 

[Achilles659]

I was hired as an RCA for a po about 15 miles away from my house, the town I live in belongs to another po. The regular who delivers to me found out I was a sub and asked if I would be interested in subbing for them. I asked my current PM about it and she said I would not be able to because I was assigned to her. I would very much like to work as much as possible and the other PM said that as long as I'm not scheduled on my assigned po I'm free to seek work with other po's. Any truth to any of this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DB.Cooper]

As long as you're not working at your primary PO, then you can work at other PO's... did it when I was a sub, and I know of other RCAs that do it as well...

And... down the road... after you're off probation, you can likely transfer to another PO if your prospects are better there...

In the PO world often you have to look out for yourself, as likely nobody else is gonna...

 

[Achilles659]

Thank you much!!

 

[Shafted]

Achilles659, your PM is full of baloney. You do not belong to them exclusively. You can get extra days, BUT if your own office needs you then your obligation on that day is to your office. These PM’s know this.

 

[Achilles659]

Appreciate the guidance!!

 

[notdeadyet]

Had I stayed an RCA: I could have paid into the Rural health insurance, maxed out my own Roth IRA, and still make $20k+ more than im making now.

I understand your desire to work. Many RCAs make well north of $100k on 7 days a week.

as an RCA,I could make over 100,000?

 

[PlanoRobinson]

I worked an average of 75 hrs per week as an RCA working 6 days a week, before amazon sunday.

 

[egg250]

as an RCA,I could make over 100,000?

as an RCA,I could make over 100,000?

Someone said they worked an average of 75 hours a week. That's about $34K in overtime and about $36K in regular time. That's just north of $70K, taxable income.

Personally, I don't want to spend almost every waking moment at the post office.

 

[Morty]

Table 3 RCAs could potentially pull in $1,700+ a week, plus mileage.

 

[gerl2]

Not sure if this still holds, but when a PM ok's with another PM to borrow RCA for the day they are obligated to give RCA to that station no matter what happens at their assigned PO. If RCA OK's to work at another station then if someone at their station calls in sick or wants time off they are obligated to be at their assigned station and cancel out on the other station.