Aux Route and Count...

Dede2018 · Jan 27, 2018

I am in a post office where two towns were merged a few years ago. I work 5 and 1 as there is talk the town that merged with us is going back. (No opportunity for at least five years to go regular there). Post Master wanted to pull off the aux effective Feb 3, but union said not enough time to do anything with count right here. The aux should go to full route after count, but PM told me he would still blow it up even if it turned into a full route. Right now it is a 40A. If it goes to a route can that be done? He is trying to make two H routes into a K and J. I get where he is coming from, but....if my aux can go into a route I'd like that too

Anyone know for sure? Thank you.

Shafted · Jan 27, 2018

This is a hard coin flip. On one hand you have an aux route that now must be counted. If it attains enough time it WILL become regular, and it can’t be “blown up at whim” like your PM says. That’s just being a mouthy bully, ( probably with a friendly relationship with the regular. On the other side, you have two regulars that are H routes, that could become larger by abolishing the aux. If they ever go substandard as H routes, you can bet the aux will get crushed at some point. Personally I have been on both sides of the coin. As an aux carrier, my fear was that our office’s four h and j routes would gobble up my aux. As a regular carrier I was irritated that our four regular routes had more than enough room to absorb the aux without being overburdened. It’s a carrier vs carrier situation that has only one side winning. I guess the only advice I can offer to you as you are the aux carrier is to explain to the PM, that the number of routes, employees, P.O. boxes, or delivery points that the office loses can potentially reduce the level of the office. The number of “mgt. points” is determined by these items. The level of the office determines the PM’s pay. We have had years and years of the points system game being rigged in our office by mgt., when it should have been adjusted but wasn’t, all to preserve a delivery supervisor position. It’s a disgusting scenario that is rigged to preserve mgt.

btdtret · Jan 27, 2018

Dede2018 -- "The aux should go to full route after count, but PM told me he would still blow it up even if it turned into a full route. "

-- Let the Assistant District Representative know of the PM's intentions.

-- In the mean time, draw the PM's attention to page 23 of the contract. Article 12.3.A.1.a -- When an auxiliary route reaches an evaluation of forty-two ( 42 ) standard hours, it WILL BE CONVERTED to a regular route within thirty ( 30 ) days of the increase to 42:00 standard hours, unless the increase is as a result of a mail counts. Routes that increase to 42:00 standard hours as a result of a mail count WILL BE CONVERTED effective with the mail count. ( 28 April 2018, in this case )

-- As "Shafted" noted, part of the PM's pay is based upon the number of routes in the office. If the PM wants to reduce the number of routes, hence his pay, it's his choice. But with the number of "WILL BE CONVERTED" in Article 12.3.A.1.a......Seems the NRLCA and the USPS have no problem ignoring Arbitrator Clarke's "award", so why not a lowly PM? Maybe the ADR can convince the PM that getting rid of the AUX - probable regular route is not such a good idea.

-- What is the classification of the two existing H-routes? How many years of service as a regular do the two H-route regulars have?

-- Please let us know what happens after count.

Shafted · Jan 28, 2018

And in the grand scheme of consolidation an example of 1+1+1 not equaling 3 is when the PO absorbs an aux. be prepared for the possibility of anywhere from 25-50% of the aux hours to be lost to things like

driving distance, and drive out from office to first box, thus losing time

added boxes throwing regular routes into L route profile, thus losing time

volume factor of added boxes being possibly less, thus losing time.

Our 25 hour aux was finally absorbed, resulting in only 16 hours of actual hours added to the four regular routes, due to these factors.

D.B.Cooper · Jan 28, 2018

I've seen our Reg routes decline due the various different factors, but they always seem reluctant to take anything back off the Auxy, or absorb it completely, which the Reg routes could easily do...

I was in the office when they declared the Reg Rt's overburdened, so they didn't hesitate then to cut the Reg routes and make the Auxy Rt... but now that the Reg Rt's have declined, they don't wanna give any of the time or territory back...

It's frustrating... <img title="Frown" alt="Frown" src="https://www.ruralmailtalk.ruralinfo.net/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-smileys/sf-frown.gif" />