Contract announced!!!

[Guin]

NRLCA Reaches Tentative Agreement with USPS for Three-Year Contract


The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association and the United States Postal Service have negotiated a Tentative Agreement to cover the 3-year period from May 21, 2018 to May 20, 2021. This Tentative Agreement must be ratified by a majority of the voting membership of the NRLCA to become effective. The highlights of the Tentative Agreement are outlined below. A more detailed explanation of the changes will be presented in a special Tentative Agreement edition of the National Rural Letter Carrier magazine and via ratification meetings to be held in every state in accordance with Article XI Section 1 of the Constitution of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. The required ratification meetings will be held throughout the month of July 2019, the time and place of each meeting will be published in the special Tentative Agreement edition of the National Rural Letter CarrierMagazine and posted on the NRLCA National Website.
The NRLCA National Board believes this is a fair and reasonable agreement that is in the best interest of the 131,000 hardworking rural letter carriers across the country providing for substantial gains in wages and benefits for all classifications of rural carriers.
TENTATIVE AGREEMENT 2018-2021
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
AND THE
NATIONAL RURAL LETTER CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION

• Article 38
  • 3-Year Contract
  • May 2018-May 2021
• Article 9.1.A. General Wage Increases
  • 1.3% November 24, 2018-retroactively applied
  • 1.1% November 23, 2019
  • 1.0% November 21, 2020
  • 0.8% Additional increase November 21, 2020
  • 4.2% Total Compensation Increase term of the Agreement
  • Includes RCAs and ARCs
• Article 9.1.E. COLA
  • Retain COLA, same formula and frequency
  • July 2018-retroactive
  • Jan 2019-retroactive
  • July 2019
  • Jan 2020
  • July 2020
  • Jan 2021
• Article 9.1.F and 9.1.I. All RCAs and ARCs
  • Tables 3 and 4 receive additional 1% wage increase each year in lieu of COLA
  • Goes into effect with GWI increases-retroactive
• Article 9.1.D. Top Step of Table Two raised to match top step of Table One
  • 2 additional steps added to table 2
  • Proportional COLA applied to lower steps in Table Two going forward
• Article 21.1.B. Beginning 2020 employer contribution to FEHB plan premiums changes from 73% to 72%
• MOU Non-Career Health Plan for RCAs
  • Will be available to all RCA’s from date of hire
  • USPS continues to pay $125 per pay period toward Self Only premium
  • USPS to pay 65% of Family or Self Plus One premiums during first year of employment
  • USPS to pay 75% of Family or Self Plus One premiums after one year of employment
  • Special Open Season will be offered as soon as administratively possible
• Article 9.2.C.3.a.1 and 2. Mail Counts
  • Parties agree to discuss interim method for evaluating routes in lieu of national mail counts
  • USPS retains right to call for a National Count in September
  • All special count provisions remain in effect
  • Traditional mail counts not necessary if RRECS is implemented
• Article 30.2.D.4. Utilization of RCAs
  • RCAs from another office within local commuting distance may be used before regular carriers not on the RDWL
  • Mileage over normal commute will be compensated
• MOU Task Force to address RCA hiring and retention
• MOU Rural Joint Workplace Improvement Process
• MOU Implementation of RRECS

NRLCA Reaches Tentative Agreement with USPS for Three-Year Contract

 

[RDruckus]

MOU implementation of RRECS. ---- Will that be retroactive, too?

Also, glad I couldn't find the words, "lump sum" in your post!

 

[gerl2]

MOU implementation of RRECS. ---- Will that be retroactive, too?

Well, I hope it doesn't do something like this 4.2 increase, minus 4.3 implemntation RRECS retro. I got the USPS Cooper paranoid syndrome?

 

[Voglio-il mio]

Plan to attend a ratification meeting to get info and ask questions. IF YOU ARE UNION MEMBER GET PREPARED TO VOTE, THEN VOTE BE ONE OF THE INVOLVED...THIS IS YOU JOB, YOUR PAY, AND YOUR FUTURE.

Do All Rural Carriers have the opportunity to attend ratification meetings or is it a members only meeting?

 

[Skierstmoritz]

Do All Rural Carriers have the opportunity to attend ratification meetings or is it a members only meeting?

Only members can vote on a contract. Not sure if non-union can attend the meeting. Don't see why not, they don't take attendance as far as I know

 

[EthelAnne]

Only members can vote on a contract. Not sure if non-union can attend the meeting. Don't see why not, they don't take attendance as far as I know

I've only attended one (for the last contract)---I was told to bring a copy of the union magazine with my name on it. They did check.

 

[nickiegirl62]

Retro-active applied does that mean back pay?

 

[shoe72]

Ha, meeting is hour and half from my house and during the widweek. Sure, let me drive 3 hours after work so I can vote on a contract that does very little for me, a 7 years regular.
Course I could ask some tough questions like where is my right to buy back my 15 years of RCA time towrds retirement?
Why do I keep having to use annual when my POV breaks down? Its not a vacation for me or my checkbook.
Where is my back pay for the 9 months of free Amazon delivery I busted my a$$ over until I got counted for it?
Why can Fedex and Amazon drop off parcels at any time of the day, even skip days, and we, the carriers, are the ones who suffer with extra the next day? Just because we are lower than whale crap doesn't mean we don't deserve some answers as to WHY it happens.
Maybe we can vote on how many rounds of golf or the food served for the next area meeting....steak or lobster...hmmm.
Here take my money...

 

[Gotrope]

Do All Rural Carriers have the opportunity to attend ratification meetings or is it a members only meeting?

Only members in good standing may vote on a contract. If the union pays for use of a meeting space and supplies the wages/travel for the union official to discuss the proposed contract, they are responsible to verify membership at the door. If you want to hear about the contract from a direct source - join the union. Otherwise listen to hearsay and supposition. It's the only reason many still belong, to be able to vote. I'm not advocating for or against. These are the facts.

 

[Joe Reeser]

Ha, meeting is hour and half from my house and during the widweek. Sure, let me drive 3 hours after work...

Have the time and place of the meetings been published?

...so I can vote on a contract that does very little for me, a 7 years regular.

What would you like to have seen?

Course I could ask some tough questions like where is my right to buy back my 15 years of RCA time towrds retirement?

This would be nice but I can't realistically see it happening in my lifetime. Just sayin'...

Why do I keep having to use annual when my POV breaks down? Its not a vacation for me or my checkbook.

You could take LWOP. I'm not exactly sure what you're expecting here. If one is required to furnish a vehicle and one cannot do so for any reason, what would you expect to happen?

Where is my back pay for the 9 months of free Amazon delivery I busted my a$$ over until I got counted for it?

The union leadership doesn't care and it's never going to happen. I delivered Amazon for two years without being counted - not that it matters that much because the time standard is so out of whack being counted with the parcels is only half a fix at best.

 

[FrozenToes]

Course I could ask some tough questions like where is my right to buy back my 15 years of RCA time towrds retirement?

To continue Joe's questions....

Have you contacted your members of Congress?
The NRLCA made an annoucement and gave suggestions on what to do. Did you do it?
The NRLCA can't change law.

 

[shoe72]

All union meetings are held in same place in my area, same place, everytime. I can go enjoy some free pizza and soda.
As a regular all I see is a 2% or so pay raise and they are cutting my FEHB by 1% in 2020. Seems most of new contract focusing on RCAs.
There was a union discussion years ago about giving POV owners a few days a year, not annual, for car repair and maintenance. Comes up every now and then and our union does not vote it in. Take LWOP, why? I wanna get paid for fixing my POV to use on their route, Do you really think the mileage pay really covers alot?
What other companies out there do you have to own a specialized vehicle that you can only find from 1 maker, well now even they don't make them anymore, making them even tougher and more expensive to find. Driver's school teacher years ago told me you can sue the PO, it was done before, for using a normal vehicle and sitting in middle driving for PO use if you get into an accident. Cars were not made to be driven like that. Christ, they tell you instructions for drinking a hot McDonalds coffee because someone was not doing it right, you wanna take a chance to drive a car not the way it was intended?
Common sense, people. The PO and our union does not use ANY.
Congress just might be as slow and as backward as the PO so getting them involved is useless.
Let me consult my union magazine, it only has info on how much cash was dropped for PAC and what local enterainment will be like around the next conference after they partake in the meet and greet cocktail hour, dinner and dancing and maybe a costume party or two. Oh and the ads of companies selling RHD Jeeps that they no longer have in stock because they stopped making them.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Shoe, are we a little disgruntled? If you don't work on your car yourself, or find someone reasonably/cheap to work on it for you, you will lose $. If the USPS ever made an allowance for days off due to vehicle maintenance, I would drive my beater and let it breakdown to get a week of vacation for free. Sorry with people like me out there, that rule will NEVER be implemented. Pov drivers have the "choice" to sit in the middle or get a rhd or a conversion kit installed, RHD's are available, check the Japanese import market.
Yes we do get screwed over by parcels/count, but eventually, maybe after I die, we will get RRECS implemented and get paid for what we are doing.
You get pizza and soda? L u c k y!!
I guess the reason they have dinner/dancing and party atmosphere at conventions is to get some people to come that wouldn't otherwise, sorta like the pizza and soda that your state is wasting on you.

 

[btdtret]

Voglio-il mio -- "Do All Rural Carriers have the opportunity to attend ratification meetings or is it a members only meeting?"

-- According to the thread by RI " We have a tentative contract. What happens now?"

- Within the next few weeks, union members will get a special edition magazine which will have the proposed contract language and further explanations from the NRLCA.

- This issue of the magazine will also list the days of the Ratification meetings for each state. Only union members can attend these meetings.

-- Members in good standing will get a ballot in the mail. ( Don't mistake the ballot for the Postal Pulse survey! )

 

[DontTrustTheUnion]

NRLCA Reaches Tentative Agreement with USPS for Three-Year Contract


The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association and the United States Postal Service have negotiated a Tentative Agreement to cover the 3-year period from May 21, 2018 to May 20, 2021. This Tentative Agreement must be ratified by a majority of the voting membership of the NRLCA to become effective. The highlights of the Tentative Agreement are outlined below. A more detailed explanation of the changes will be presented in a special Tentative Agreement edition of the National Rural Letter Carrier magazine and via ratification meetings to be held in every state in accordance with Article XI Section 1 of the Constitution of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. The required ratification meetings will be held throughout the month of July 2019, the time and place of each meeting will be published in the special Tentative Agreement edition of the National Rural Letter CarrierMagazine and posted on the NRLCA National Website.
The NRLCA National Board believes this is a fair and reasonable agreement that is in the best interest of the 131,000 hardworking rural letter carriers across the country providing for substantial gains in wages and benefits for all classifications of rural carriers.
TENTATIVE AGREEMENT 2018-2021
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
AND THE
NATIONAL RURAL LETTER CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION

• Article 38
  • 3-Year Contract
  • May 2018-May 2021
• Article 9.1.A.General Wage Increases
  • 1.3% November 24, 2018-retroactively applied
  • 1.1% November 23, 2019
  • 1.0% November 21, 2020
  • 0.8% Additional increase November 21, 2020
  • 4.2% Total Compensation Increase term of the Agreement
  • Includes RCAs and ARCs
• Article 9.1.E.COLA
  • Retain COLA, same formula and frequency
  • July 2018-retroactive
  • Jan 2019-retroactive
  • July 2019
  • Jan 2020
  • July 2020
  • Jan 2021
• Article 9.1.F and 9.1.I.All RCAs and ARCs
  • Tables 3 and 4 receive additional 1% wage increase each year in lieu of COLA
  • Goes into effect with GWI increases-retroactive
• Article 9.1.D.Top Step of Table Two raised to match top step of Table One
  • 2 additional steps added to table 2
  • Proportional COLA applied to lower steps in Table Two going forward
• Article 21.1.B. Beginning 2020 employer contribution to FEHB plan premiums changes from 73% to 72%
• MOUNon-Career Health Plan for RCAs
  • Will be available to all RCA’s from date of hire
  • USPS continues to pay $125 per pay period toward Self Only premium
  • USPS to pay 65% of Family or Self Plus One premiums during first year of employment
  • USPS to pay 75% of Family or Self Plus One premiums after one year of employment
  • Special Open Season will be offered as soon as administratively possible
• Article 9.2.C.3.a.1 and 2.Mail Counts
  • Parties agree to discuss interim method for evaluating routes in lieu of national mail counts
  • USPS retains right to call for a National Count in September
  • All special count provisions remain in effect
  • Traditional mail counts not necessary if RRECS is implemented
• Article 30.2.D.4.Utilization of RCAs
  • RCAs from another office within local commuting distance may be used before regular carriers not on the RDWL
  • Mileage over normal commute will be compensated
• MOU Task Force to address RCA hiring and retention
• MOU Rural Joint Workplace Improvement Process
• MOU Implementation of RRECS

NRLCA Reaches Tentative Agreement with USPS for Three-Year Contract

Title should be ....(1 year later the NRLCA Reaches Tentative Agreement with USPS for TWO-Year Contract) Considering one year is a wash and has already passed plus the 1percent raise you will be recieving is also a wash considering we are subtracting 1 percent of your employer contribution towards your health care that now you get to pay for ? and for you table two's heres a ?

 

[Rt2mailman]

Don'ttrusttheunion, if you really aren't able to vote for or against the rattification of this contract because you chose to leave the union and have nothing to do with it, why do you bother talking about it? Your choice has been made, why would you want to influence anyone else's vote? ARE YOU having second thoughts about joining again? You can still re- sign up, may I suggest paying by cash this time, so if you want out it is easier next time.

 

[FrozenToes]

Title should be ....(NRLCA Reaches Tentative Agreement with USPS for TWO-Year Contract) Considering one year is a wash and has already passed plus the 1percent raise you will be recieving is also a wash considering we are subtracting 1 percent of your employer contribution towards your health care that now you get to pay for ? and for you table two's heres a ?

"one year is wash". Well that's how they negotiations played out. Maybe the PO or Union played hardball. If it was settled fast everyone would be saying " That was too fast. The union must've caved" Rather it go to arbitration without the opportunity to have your voice (vote) heard? Folks would've been complaining about that. Btw, I've voted no on every contract.
The health insurance increase isn't until the last year when a 1% general and a .8% increase go into effect. 1.8% of your salary is more than 1% of your premiums. Your premiums aren't the same dollar amount as your salary so the 1% vs 1% is faulty logic. Do the math. When I did my numbers, after deducting the increase of the health insurance, the 1.8% became 1.67%.

 

[DontTrustTheUnion]

"one year is wash". Well that's how they negotiations played out. Maybe the PO or Union played hardball. If it was settled fast everyone would be saying " That was too fast. The union must've caved" Rather it go to arbitration without the opportunity to have your voice (vote) heard? Folks would've been complaining about that. Btw, I've voted no on every contract.
The health insurance increase isn't until the last year when a 1% general and a .8% increase go into effect. 1.8% of your salary is more than 1% of your premiums. Your premiums aren't the same dollar amount as your salary so the 1% vs 1% is faulty logic. Do the math. When I did my numbers, after deducting the increase of the health insurance, the 1.8% became 1.67%.

Its called sarcasm, or being facetious but I forgot and should remember these days many don't really know what that means....???

 

[FrozenToes]

Its called sarcasm, or being facetious but I forgot and should remember these days many don't really know what that means....???

So your name and posts are all sarcasm? Just would like to understand. I didn't get how comparing the 1% vs 1 % was sarcasm.
Sorry to disappoint.

 

[Oi veh.]

If you don't work on your car yourself, or find someone reasonably/cheap to work on it for you, you will lose $. If the USPS ever made an allowance for days off due to vehicle maintenance, I would drive my beater and let it breakdown to get a week of vacation for free. Sorry with people like me out there, that rule will NEVER be implemented.

I guess the reason they have dinner/dancing and party atmosphere at conventions is to get some people to come that wouldn't otherwise, sorta like the pizza and soda that your state is wasting on you.

Ah, so YOU'RE THE ONE AT THE MIC every year. Bah, humbug. I disagree. I maintain my vehicle (well, I pay someone), but sometimes things break anyway. I now have a back up vehicle (besides my sub) so I don't lose leave anymore but I really resent the. hell. out of having to use annual or LWOP when someone who has an LLV (which we all know are broken down beasts to begin with) gets O time.

I wish they would do away with the dinner and dancing. I find it incredibly boring. Usually either go out to dinner with other attendees who feel the same or go crash in my room, because due to popular belief, these conventions are damn exhausting. For those who don't believe, get elected delegate and go just one time, you'll change your tune about state and national coventions being a big party. National could do away with all the pics of same though and concentrate on showing the real work being done.