8 days of joy?

[Windindaface]

Arrived at office this morning and spotted some special license plates and a group of people I did not know except for official office PM who has been out on detail for the past 6+ months. As far as I can gather from gossip, this is a CITY and CLERK relief issue. They split daily 6 city of 12 routes in the past 2 weeks.

Around 830 this morning a voice over the loud speaker states all carriers are to stop work and gather for a stand up. The stand up was an intro to our POOM and 3 others from HR who will be in my office for the next 8 working days. After intros... POOM chatters we are here to investigate the hiring problem, call ins, retention rates in this office along with other issues such as arrival of mail in a timely manner and office layout. There will be PDI interviews and you have the rite to a REP for these. There will also be non PDI's asked from other carriers who also have the rite to a REP in this instance.

The other 3 introduced themselves and blah blah blah about what their alleged experiences are as former OICS, PM from various sized offices. Like I care. My PM and I sat in a corner and chatted it up. They told me the swapping of case labels is common on their detail. Start times are changed on city side as 1 cases and pulls down 2 routes off the same case. Load zone anothers problem.

Office REP for our craft in house and I asked can I remain silent? YES but you might want to talk to them if non PDI while I sit in because we are about to go formula.

 

[blamethesub]

Sounds like they're going to shake up your office in every possible stupid way they can think of. I agree with your idea of remaining silent. I think I would too. Please give us ringside seats to this circus with some updates.

 

[callofthewild]

Silence is golden.

 

[Morty]

I had one of those in my office. They tore the place apart. They are there to show your PM how to put y'all in your place.

 

[btdtret]

Windindaface -- " POOM chatters we are here to investigate the hiring problem, call ins, retention rates in this office along with other issues such as arrival of mail in a timely manner and office layout. "

-- On the plus side you can safely bet the mail trucks won't be late for the next 8 days. In fact they probably will be early!

"As far as I can gather from gossip, this is a CITY and CLERK relief issue."

-- Anyone going to be brave and ask when rural carriers will be getting some relief from the Amazon parcels?

"There will be PDI interviews and you have the rite to a REP for these."

-- Usually for a PDI, someone had to have broken some postal rule or done something wrong.

" There will also be non PDI's asked from other carriers who also have the rite to a REP in this instance."

-- Just a nice open buddy to buddy chat? ( unlikely! Still ask "Could this lead to discipline!?"

"They split daily 6 city of 12 routes in the past 2 weeks."

-- Hopefully there are city routes in your office and they are not planning on trying 2 routes in 1 case on the rural side.

-- Happening in VA for one place and it is not being well received - especially when the casing equipment is sent to the back dock ( and oblivian! )

-- Other long time city carriers posted it was tried a long time ago and apparently abandoned -- until now.

-- "Casers" sometime sent out to help deliver.

-- "Delievers" out of the streets for hours and hours - just in time for the summer heat and humidity. Anyone bother to check the calendar?

"The other 3 introduced themselves and blah blah blah about what their alleged experiences are as former OICS, PM from various sized offices."

-- Two choices here:

- Either the "visiting" brass has done such a great job in training their underlings that the office can effectively run without them being there, or

- They are such ( fill in the blank ) that they HAVE to be out of the office for it to function!

-- Be quiet and observe before making any comments would be my advice.

 

[Wilco183]

A visit from the Guesstapo. Hide those UBBM pens.

 

[Rt2mailman]

It would be good for you to read up on implementation of the formula for rural routes. There are several hoops they must jump through before it can be done.
I let them do what ever they want. When they leave I file a grievance for each item that is "new work" and not discussed at your last pre-count conference. Nothing can be changed from your last count unless they plan on paying for any extra walking, or any difference that takes you more time. They can not change your cases unless you're on an aux route or the route you run is currently vacant.
In any meeting (they all can give discipline any time) with management you ask if any part if this meeting conversation can lead to discipline, if so get representation. No rep., no meeting.

 

[btdtret]

Faceindawind et al -- per "Rt2mailman's" "It would be good for you to read up on implementation of the formula for rural routes. There are several hoops they must jump through before it can be done."

-- That would be Step 4 ( F-57 ( 07/16/2003 )):

- there must be a shortage of leave replacements
- regular carriers are working relief days on more that an infrequent [ also unspecificed ] basis
- the office has been unsuccessful in its hiring efforts. Offices MUST have made reasonable effort to obtain RCA's or TRC's [ TRC's went away with the Clarke "award" in the 2010-2015 contract ] to fill leave replacement vacancies.

F-57 provides 10 examples ( ads, hiring fairs, PSA's, etc ) for use in an office's hiring efforts. A minimum of 3 have to be shown to have been utilized.

 

[Oi veh.]

So, you didn't answer the biggest question, Face.

Did you file for 8127 time? I'm sure the meet and greet exceeded your weekly service talk.

 

[Haychica]

I had one of those in my office. They tore the place apart. They are there to show your PM how to put y'all in your place.

How did it work out?

 

[Sprocket]

How did it work out?

Interested to know as well

 

[csparks]

The hiring problems?

Mr/Ms POOM, you could discover this with complete clarity by shadowing a new RCA for one day. (not that you'd be able to last the whole day) You'd probably retire or try to forget it all the next day, but you'd know.

Simple solutions to complex problems.

 

[Windindaface]

Day 2...… A stand up about profanity in the workplace with an obvious stroll around by another to check foot wear, attire and badge display. All passed.

The exciting fire drill. We all met at the correct location.

Good times were had between 8 and 9 am. After that the visitors were back in the office and still there when I returned from run.

A new posting looking for academy trainers.

Sandwich board back out front stating now hiring. Lobby has literature stating what jobs are available, their pay rate, etc and how to apply instructions.

We all got this EDDM for the 3rd time this year to deliver today.

 

[csparks]

Day 2...… A stand up about profanity in the workplace with an obvious stroll around by another to check foot wear, attire and badge display. All passed.

The exciting fire drill. We all met at the correct location.

Good times were had between 8 and 9 am. After that the visitors were back in the office and still there when I returned from run.

A new posting looking for academy trainers.

Sandwich board back out front stating now hiring. Lobby has literature stating what jobs are available, their pay rate, etc and how to apply instructions.

We all got this EDDM for the 3rd time this year to deliver today.

I love that flyer:
"Will only work Saturdays or holidays when the regular carrier is off."

As an semi-early retiree, I saw that, and thought it sounded pretty darn good. Not stressful, tiring, etc. I'm fortunate that I still don't get overworked, but really, that description is not at all accurate for the vast majority of hires.

What a big disconnect. Either people don't apply, thinking this is not nearly enough work, or are shocked when they see the reality. However, if they were honest about the working conditions, even fewer would walk into that.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Day 3: Class action grievance for more "safety"/standups than you had during count. The extra time being paid in 150% since all routes are evaluated over 8 hours currently.
Wind, get your District rep involved, they won't need to know who called. Sometimes we need "high ranking" (or just HIGH) managers to know their decisions/directives matter and sometimes add extra costs to the USPS that are not necessary.

 

[Windindaface]

@Rt2mailman ...we did catch one of the others without correct foot wear on workroom floor prior to our start time with a clever in office pic taken.. Contacted ADR who called POOM on this issue. By official start time for us they were sporting approved shoes. We as a RURAL craft are finally united all over this ship show.

 

[callofthewild]

This is interesting Windindaface..........keep it coming...please.

 

[Skierstmoritz]

@Rt2mailman ...we did catch one of the others without correct foot wear on workroom floor prior to our start time with a clever in office pic taken.. Contacted ADR who called POOM on this issue. By official start time for us they were sporting approved shoes. We as a RURAL craft are finally united all over this ship show.

Very interested wind. Never seen or heard anything like what you are enduring. I've transferred into several offices, never heard a whiff of mass invasion by higher ups. Keep the updates coming please! Could be a harbinger of things to come. Maybe management is finally waking up to the fact that the s$#t s$%w we face on a daily basis is not the fault of the carriers!

 

[csparks]

Maybe management is finally waking up to the fact that the s$#t s$%w we face on a daily basis is not the fault of the carriers!

Hey, temper those expectations. Heartbreak starts this way. (grin emoji)
Obviously, I mentioned my previous work training dogs. It had one great little lesson. No matter how upset you got with the dog's behaviour, there was one overriding law that everyone would admit: It is never the dog's fault.

Funny how different people are when dealing with other people.

 

[charlie]

Nothing scares management more than a carrier who knows stuff which can make them look silly... Example... One of these dipsticks asks you about deliveries from plant being on time....You respond....Gee...Did you bring our current IOP and copies of emails back and forth from our post office to the plant on days the IOP was violated by the plant?... Don't you think you really should have known the answer before you asked me this question?..All that information is available to you, isn't it?.......IOP=integrated operating plan..It is the mutual agreement between the plant and your po as to how mail is delivered to you.The load plan for each truck and delivery is supposed to follow this...When you get late delivery or wrong mix in truck the pm is supposed to email the plant with the problem so it can be corrected......... Now stop laughing and get up off the floor... This shit is in writing as procedures to be followed by management...Yeah they never do this...It would mean that they have to actually work at their jobs....
Good luck...