Is it just my office?

NewbieTexas · Nov 9, 2016

Hi everyone... ok, so I read everything I could on here before I started working as an RCA & let me just say NOTHING prepared me for how many hours I'd be working!!! Our office has 15 routes (& it's about to add another), but there are only 5 subs (& 1 is out sick right now!). We've been working 6-7 days a week, & now they say they got it approved so that we will have ZERO days off (probably through Christmas). My goodness! The other RCA's are telling me that there have been times that they've had to case 3 routes in one day and THEN go deliver 1 of those routes (I'm assuming someone was pulled from a nearby office to deliver the others). The route I'm covering is 60 miles. The only upside is that they said it only takes a year to go regular there, but in the meantime we are killing ourselves! I go in at 8:00 & I don't get home till 8:00 (if I'm lucky!). I barely see my kids anymore. Amazon Sunday is mandatory & I worked 4 in a row before I finally had off 1! Is this normal??

btdtret · Nov 9, 2016

NewbieTexas -- "Is this normal [ working 7 days a week for weeks on end ]??"

-- In some case, yes, that is the new normal for sub-short offices.

-- Each office is different. Each office seems to do thing a bit differently than the next office.

-- Encourage ( DEMAND ) every route without a sub to submit a 120-Day notice to get a sub. Not that it will help if no one applies, but creates a paper trail. Likely applicants probably signed up with Amazon!

-- A visit by the Assistant District Representative covering your area might "encourage" manglement to try a little harder with the hiring process. Try to remember that the hiring and training pipeline takes time. Think how long it took for you to be hired and finally begin to work.

-- I suppose the USPS is a lot like the military. If they wanted you to have a family, one would have been issued with the rest of your gear.

-- The "carrot" is out there -- the chance to make regular in about a year. Hard to ignore that! RCA's in other offices would kill for a deal like that. Pace yourself, don't ruin your body trying to get there. Just make it through the "silly season" from now into January and the rest should be a little better/easier. You'll have more time under your belt and probably have discovered a "system" that works for you to make things work faster and easier.

-- As far as family / kids -- make the most of the time you have with them. Remind them ( regularly ) they are IMPORTANT to you and you are doing your best to balance things out for all concerned.

-- Would you have taken the job had manglement be honest during the interview, telling you that you may / would be working 7 days a week for weeks on end?

-- There are benefits to be had in making regular - if you can stick it out. Good luck.

boxstuffer · Nov 10, 2016

Feast or Famine

I know it sucks but believe it or not you are in a good position.

If each route in your office had an RCA you would only work 1 or 2 days every other week plus Amazon Sundays. Makes for a small paycheck.

You are coming into the craft at the busiest time of the year. You will be stretched to the breaking point for the next month and 1/2.

After that it will ease up a bit.

Hang tough and be flexible.

vax · Nov 11, 2016

Unless a lot of older carriers or lots of growth 1 year to go regular, doesnt sound right, my office with growth in area took 3 to 4 years!

heyman1104 · Nov 13, 2016

Being that there are 5 subs ahead of you, I kind of doubt that you'll go regular in a year. Actually you can't go regular until you've been there for a year.

All that said, in larger rural offices this situation does happen sometimes. Don't count on it to last forever. Your PM will probably get back to hiring after the holiday season when someone at the district office starts screaming about all of the OT that was paid because of the shortage of subs.

NewbieTexas · Nov 20, 2016

Ok so there are like 4 regulars that are reaching retirement age (but who knows when they'll decide to make that move), plus our area is growing quickly (3 or 4 new "master planned communities" are being built right now & will create at least 2 new routes), plus the last sub that went regular did it in 2 years. They said they've had 3 or 4 subs quit in the last year (because of how hard they were working them). I'm in good shape & health (but I'm in my late 30's!), so hopefully I can stick it out! The only BAD thing about this office is all the backstabbers... I've been told that they're always filing 13's on each other for the littlest things. I don't understand all the animosity. I may be a little too nice for this place!

NewbieTexas · Nov 20, 2016

Oh & we DON'T get DPS! There's no regular on the route I'm covering (yet) & it gets 4-7 trays of mail a day (plus 3-4 tubs of flats). It's insane how long it takes to case everything up. I usually don't get on the road until around 2:00 (which is why I'm still delivering mail after dark!).

heyman1104 · Nov 21, 2016

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote"><strong>NewbieTexas said </strong>
The only BAD thing about this office is all the backstabbers... I've been told that they're always filing 13's on each other for the littlest things. I don't understand all the animosity. I may be a little too nice for this place! </blockquote>
These people are in every office. I used to think that I was too nice for this place too, but then I just learned how to tune them out and just get my job done. I do chat with a couple of them and make conversation with case neighbors that are troublemakers, but that's all. So just do your thing and get out and get done.