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Another one bites the dust...

But in reality it's still working off the clock.

The idiots will spend $30,000 hiring 3 employees yet they whine about spending $300 to train them.

When they couldn't retain CCAs what did they do? They gave them benefits like holidays, leave, and career status to some.

This is part of what I thought our NRLCA negotiators were supposed to be striving to accomplish on our new contract! What happened with that!
 
All -- Regarding "flash's" working off the clock to help a new sub, Of course working off the clock has hurt the carriers at the negotiation and arbitration tables, but don't forget -- there is no extra pay for training a sub. ( just the satisfaction that comes with having a sub stay the course and become a useful member of the post office )

-- Which is worse: Training a sub for no money or working off the clock for no money?

-- And wasn't the purpose of RRECS is to get paid for everything a carrier does during the workday? ( Although it is beginning to look like that won't be the answer either )?
Reply to your first statement. When I now train a sub, they either take 1/2 of the route over 2 days or 1/3 of the route over 3 days. I deliver the rest of the route and check with them ( finding them on route and observe for awhile too) before returning to the office.
I go home early. That's my payback for training.
I will not come in on my relief day to help. Either I get paid the DACA 5 or another RCA gets paid to assist. Again, make management do their job. Don't do it for them.
A lot of our problems are caused by short term actions. We fail to look at the long term.
 
Frozen Toes et al -- "When I now train a sub, they either take 1/2 of the route over 2 days or 1/3 of the route over 3 days. I deliver the rest of the route and check with them ( finding them on route and observe for awhile too) before returning to the office.
I go home early. That's my payback for training. "

-- You have a good plan for training subs. It works for you.

"A lot of our problems are caused by short term actions. We fail to look at the long term. "

-- As one looking in from the outside, I'd have to say the "long term" has arrived, both for the rural craft and the USPS.

- The "water well" known as the rural carriers is drying up for the USPS and like trying to recapture the "parcel business", the USPS seems to have done little to prepare for it, aside for changing standards and lowering wages -- thanks in part to accommodating arbitrators.
- The "revamped" academy training and Standard Training program seem to have done little in really preparing folks fresh off the street to what lies ahead in preforming as a rural carrier.
- As it is, apparently not that many lining up to apply for the RCA or ARC positions.
- Those that do apply are now met with an "assessment" test that if they fail, have to come back for another try in a year. Nothing like reducing the RCA "pipeline."
- Subs that survive the training are bailing because some are working 6 and 7 days a week.
- And without a supply of subs, regulars are bailing as they work 5 and 6 days a week - and still get hassled by manglement over the accumulating work hours.

And no, I don't have a magic cure-all for the USPS, aside from a dose of increased wages and benefits for all rural craft personnel and telling Congress to stop meddling in postal affairs.
 
Reply to your first statement. When I now train a sub, they either take 1/2 of the route over 2 days or 1/3 of the route over 3 days. I deliver the rest of the route and check with them ( finding them on route and observe for awhile too) before returning to the office.
I go home early. That's my payback for training.
I will not come in on my relief day to help. Either I get paid the DACA 5 or another RCA gets paid to assist. Again, make management do their job. Don't do it for them.
A lot of our problems are caused by short term actions. We fail to look at the long term.

My training routine is similar to yours! My route is a 46k so nobody trains on my route initially; they are shown the basics on a smaller route. This gives them practice and allows them to develop their own delivery routine that works for them.

When they do start carrying my route, to ease into learning my case and line of travel, I'll spend three days with them!
Day one (LLV), They case & deliver 1st half only, I organize packages and we work on marking packages together this helps them learn the case, because I will read them off in delivery sequence for them to mark, I give them guidance as well assistance loading the vehicle in delivery order sequence. I case & deliver 2nd half. This will allow us to finish at or below evaluation!

Day two (LLV), same as Day one only they deal with 2nd half only! I case & deliver 1st half. Once again this will allow us to finish at or below evaluation!

Day three (LLV), they deliver whole route, I work on organizing packages, we mark them together, and I’m there to answer questions if needed. While they are pulling down I load LLV in delivery order sequence. When I’m done loading I will make one final check for final questions then I go home, my day is done. Handling day three this way will usually get them on the street earlier and allow them to make dispatch.

Day four (LLV) they are totally on their own I take the day off! We have an on duty RCA covering another route supply support if needed when they have completed their assignment.

During the next two weeks I’ll take a day of leave next to my relief day so that the new trainee will have the opportunity to carry consecutive days.

This has worked well for me in the past as it allows a new RCA in training the opportunity to learn the route in sections. (As the old question asks, “How do you eat an Elephant?”)

Answer (“One bite at a time!”)

An additional note I won’t work any additional hours during this training period, in fact I will work a half day or less on day three!
 
Frozen Toes et al -- "When I now train a sub, they either take 1/2 of the route over 2 days or 1/3 of the route over 3 days. I deliver the rest of the route and check with them ( finding them on route and observe for awhile too) before returning to the office.
I go home early. That's my payback for training. "

-- You have a good plan for training subs. It works for you.

"A lot of our problems are caused by short term actions. We fail to look at the long term. "

-- As one looking in from the outside, I'd have to say the "long term" has arrived, both for the rural craft and the USPS.

- The "water well" known as the rural carriers is drying up for the USPS and like trying to recapture the "parcel business", the USPS seems to have done little to prepare for it, aside for changing standards and lowering wages -- thanks in part to accommodating arbitrators.
- The "revamped" academy training and Standard Training program seem to have done little in really preparing folks fresh off the street to what lies ahead in preforming as a rural carrier.
- As it is, apparently not that many lining up to apply for the RCA or ARC positions.
- Those that do apply are now met with an "assessment" test that if they fail, have to come back for another try in a year. Nothing like reducing the RCA "pipeline."
- Subs that survive the training are bailing because some are working 6 and 7 days a week.
- And without a supply of subs, regulars are bailing as they work 5 and 6 days a week - and still get hassled by manglement over the accumulating work hours.

And no, I don't have a magic cure-all for the USPS, aside from a dose of increased wages and benefits for all rural craft personnel and telling Congress to stop meddling in postal affairs.
I'm sorry that I wasn't specific. When I say "our", I'm referring to rural carriers.
ex. We have a regular who will check on new RCAs, on any route in the office. ( Fine) But then this regular will help case mail, put spurs in order and/or mark parcels. Not once, but multiple times with these RCAs. Guess who's sitting at home the last 6 weeks of the guarantee period because of 2240/2080 problems ?
This regular looked short term- get the RCA out the door.
Again, that's management's job. Have regular work DACA 5 or provide help from another RCA. Heck, if management had to deal with these subs, maybe they would provide more training.
 
Like some of you "woke" :LOL: regulars above, my reg helped me case, mark and sort out half the route a couple times, then would come in and help me get it all sorted, loaded, and on the road 2-3 more Sat's. Thankfully, this was pre-Amazon, and I was able to get thru without a whole bunch of trouble.

Plus, I was studying a set of casing stickers at home.
I remember the first time I ran the half route. At about noon-12:30, I stopped for a few minutes in a nice shady place to eat some lunch. I now pass that spot about 0930.

Surely, the PO thinks this is serious business. They should get serious about training.
 
My training routine is similar to yours! My route is a 46k so nobody trains on my route initially; they are shown the basics on a smaller route. This gives them practice and allows them to develop their own delivery routine that works for them.

When they do start carrying my route, to ease into learning my case and line of travel, I'll spend three days with them!
Day one (LLV), They case & deliver 1st half only, I organize packages and we work on marking packages together this helps them learn the case, because I will read them off in delivery sequence for them to mark, I give them guidance as well assistance loading the vehicle in delivery order sequence. I case & deliver 2nd half. This will allow us to finish at or below evaluation!

Day two (LLV), same as Day one only they deal with 2nd half only! I case & deliver 1st half. Once again this will allow us to finish at or below evaluation!

Day three (LLV), they deliver whole route, I work on organizing packages, we mark them together, and I’m there to answer questions if needed. While they are pulling down I load LLV in delivery order sequence. When I’m done loading I will make one final check for final questions then I go home, my day is done. Handling day three this way will usually get them on the street earlier and allow them to make dispatch.

Day four (LLV) they are totally on their own I take the day off! We have an on duty RCA covering another route supply support if needed when they have completed their assignment.

During the next two weeks I’ll take a day of leave next to my relief day so that the new trainee will have the opportunity to carry consecutive days.

This has worked well for me in the past as it allows a new RCA in training the opportunity to learn the route in sections. (As the old question asks, “How do you eat an Elephant?”)

Answer (“One bite at a time!”)

An additional note I won’t work any additional hours during this training period, in fact I will work a half day or less on day three!
This is exactly how we do it in my small office. Most RCA's and Managers want to stay at our office.....
 
I so wish we could come in and get the RCA's out of the office the first few weeks of being on a new Route. This is almost 2020 and they still train new hires like it is the early 1900's. They hauled mail using horse and wagons and personally knew everyone they delivered to. The address format was a name, town and state. We now have zipcodes, 911 addresses and scanners, the training hasn't kept up with what a new hire needs to know and then you get some smarta$$ Supervisor or PM who has never hauled mail want to know why a newly hired person can't learn it after 3 days of training. It is Mission Impossible. Then it is the blame game, why can't a new person drive sitting in the middle of a car (no where on the Planet is there any real life experiences to prepare a person to work out of a vehicle like this) make evaluation? Why didn't the Regular train them right....NO. Management is shifting the blame, the truth is Management doesn't want to invest their money into training. Management is hoping you work off the clock to help train, not only do we get no extra money to train (clerks do) we get blamed for the training we get no money to perform and all in a vehicle crammed full of Parcels we don't get paid to deliver. I so love this job, but quit blaming me for thing out of my control.
 
Good to hear everyone’s opinion, I’ve successfully trained dozens of newbies and up till this Amazon mess they all stuck. We have a great PM that gives them as much time as they need, how they are trained is not the issue, but this volume of pkgs is too overwhelming. We all know learning a case is a bit*# but doable, add 180-200 scans and 2 trips?! Like drinking out of a fire hose! I can only do it because I’m half nuts and have been here for 17yrs. Plus it’s only getting worse from here on out due to Christmas ramping up. Point being, (deep breath ) I don’t feel like rurals are being heard. More and more is getting stacked on us, no help on days that we are way overburdened and no subs can do our jobs. But yet all these deals are being made to get more revenue in. Great! If we have the bodies but WE DONT! And the ones we have cant keep up this pace. I wish someone could just flip the light on this big mess. Alas we all need our jobs don’t we...
 
It’s hard to put yourself into the training when no one you’ve trained in last 6 years has stuck. We have regulars and good long-time rcas who can barely handle the load day in and out. I make more mistakes than I used to, heaven knows what we expect of new hires. 800 boxes, multiple buggies of parcels each day in our “slow” season, census and election this next year...not looking good in the hiring and retention arena.
I offer my advice and hard won knowledge to new hires, but am usually ignored. Most have never worked for an outfit like ours and they just don’t believe it’s like I tell them. I’ve decided most won’t make it, but maybe one or two will. I damn sure wouldn’t purchase stock in the Postal Service if we had any! I see no good end in sight.
 
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