Much needed advice about primary. (RCA here)

[MikeCr.]

I'll set the scenario.
- Received a call from office Wednesday afternoon. Didn't answer initial call, but called back about 1 to 1.5 hours later.
- Was told by supervisor, fill in from another office, that they called someone else and I wasn't needed for route being called about. Wasn't told what route or day it was for.
- Was checking on some equipment being repaired yesterday, Thursday, on the route I primary sub on. Saw mail truck, it was late in afternoon close to dispatch, and went to see whom it was. Was a sub lower on order of consideration and not on matrix for this route. She was struggling to find some places so I helped find them. Found out she was asked later on Wednesday about subbing on this route.

So my question, depending on when they needed coverage for a route for the next day, can I be bumped from my primary? I would understand if it was the morning/day of, and I had not answered. As stated earlier, I called around 2pm the day before, and asked if I was needed for anything. Was told they didn't need me for anything, that it was covered. Since it was for the next day, and I had called the day before, should I have been made aware it was my primary route? If so, do I have a grievance? As always, thank you for any information or replies.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Yes, matrix should have been followed.

 

[MikeCr.]

Yes, matrix should have been followed.

So they were trying to get coverage the day before, but didn't get in touch with me initially, and got someone one else. I did call that day, way before office close, and asked what was needed, and was not made aware it was my primary. I supposed they had already told someone else to do it. When I called them back, should it have been made aware to me that it was my primary, and "bumped" the person they had gotten? Thank you for the reply.

 

[Rt2mailman]

They could have done it one of 2 ways.
1) Called you until they contacted you or you called back.
2) Worked the other sub because you were "unavailable".
If you file a grievance, you may win because you weren't worked on your primary after you said you were available, but that may cause future early morning last minute calls for future short notice needs.
Why didn't you answer the first time or delay your return call?

 

[MikeCr.]

They could have done it one of 2 ways.
1) Called you until they contacted you or you called back.
2) Worked the other sub because you were "unavailable".
If you file a grievance, you may win because you weren't worked on your primary after you said you were available, but that may cause future early morning last minute calls for future short notice needs.
Why didn't you answer the first time or delay your return call?

I didn't have my phone for the initial call. So when I saw that it was a mid afternoon call, I returned it when I noticed it.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Your manager should have told the other carrier, "I might need you tomorrow if I can't get in touch with "Mike", if he calls back I will let you know". Point that out to your manager, maybe that will fix it for next time.

 

[MikeCr.]

Your manager should have told the other carrier, "I might need you tomorrow if I can't get in touch with "Mike", if he calls back I will let you know". Point that out to your manager, maybe that will fix it for next time.

This is what I want to be sure of. I understand if it had been the morning of, and they needed the coverage immediately. This was mid-afternoon day before. Also said supervisor is a 204-b from another office. Both him and our OIC have very little understanding of how rural works in general.

 

[Morty]

I ran into this issue with my former disgraced PM.

She would borrow me out to work a 40-43K llv or aux to get brownie points. And then borrow someone in to carry the 45K pov. Or not even call me and borrow someone in to cover the route. Back when I was a clueless RCA. I eventually got pissed off enough to grieve it and won...a whole lotta retaliation lol!

 

[MikeCr.]

And I forgot to mention, it took me over 35 mins. to get in touch with the office when I started calling back. I called the direct line at 5-7 minute intervals with no answer.

 

[JFT]

I ran into this issue with my former disgraced PM.

She would borrow me out to work a 40-43K llv or aux to get brownie points. And then borrow someone in to carry the 45K pov. Or not even call me and borrow someone in to cover the route. Back when I was a clueless RCA. I eventually got pissed off enough to grieve it and won...a whole lotta retaliation lol!

This is exactly what is happening with me. I’ll be scheduled in advance to sub for another office 45 minutes away and my primary will need coverage last minute in our office and since I’m scheduled to work the other one I’m never made aware that they even needed someone in my primary PO. The regs have been telling me to grieve when it happens but for now I’m getting more hours the way things are going but I do know my “rights” lol

 

[Morty]

This is exactly what is happening with me. I’ll be scheduled in advance to sub for another office 45 minutes away and my primary will need coverage last minute in our office and since I’m scheduled to work the other one I’m never made aware that they even needed someone in my primary PO. The regs have been telling me to grieve when it happens but for now I’m getting more hours the way things are going but I do know my “rights” lol

My last straw was my PM telling me I would borrowed out next day to carry a 800 box 43k llv, and another carrier from that office would borrow in to carry my 45k 500 box. I said...um, NO. And I was on hold down and someone was borrowing in to give me a day off and I said that's gonna stop as well. You're paying me OT from now on. And thus my grievance.

 

[Windindaface]

@JTF... So you have a direct line to call. Try calling the other #'s your office has for call in customers. If you call your office with those digits and get a prerecorded BLAH BLAH about tracking etc,. Hit 0 on phone and it bypasses all that BLAH BLAH and the phone rings directly to the workroom floor.

After all as the mantra goes... Customers are our top priority.

 

[MikeCr.]

So if anyone is still watching this thread. Was approached by OIC this morning, and told I was going to have an investigative interview for unavailability stemming from this past Wednesday for not answering my phone. I had called back to the office that day; in the opening post of this thread. Waiting on the call back from one of the ADR's as the steward has not returned my call from this morning.

Also, was called by one of my fellow RCA's yesterday, the teacher's pet if you will, and was asked to run the route I did today. Yes asked by another RCA; not a 204b and not the OIC.

Open to any advice and suggestions. I am starting to get really beat down, it's almost coming off as harassing any day I work. And what's funny, the days I've mostly worked have been days I was not scheduled.

As always, thank you for any replies and advice.

 

[RDruckus]

You are not "on call." You are not required to have a phone on you at all times, or to sit by the phone.
You may miss out on some last minute work, but it is what it is.

Workers who are on call get paid for the time they wait for phone calls. The OIC isn't paying you to sit by the phone is he?

So,they want to discipline you for doing nothing wrong. Sounds like harassment to me.

Don't go into this meeting without a union rep. They can't have the meeting if one is unavailable.

 

[MikeCr.]

You are not "on call." You are not required to have a phone on you at all times, or to sit by the phone.
You may miss out on some last minute work, but it is what it is.

Workers who are on call get paid for the time they wait for phone calls. The OIC isn't paying you to sit by the phone is he?

So,they want to discipline you for doing nothing wrong. Sounds like harassment to me.

Don't go into this meeting without a union rep. They can't have the meeting if one is unavailable.

Thank you, it's what she's been told before. She told one of the other RCA's this morning that we were paid to be on call. I have always tried to be available when feasible. My regular has my number, and we converse outside of work, and she majority of the time gives me a heads up on her days she's asked off. I was just a little taken aback going straight to investigative interview with no other discipline on record. Hoping to hear back from steward/ADR/DR, but it's late in the day, so tomorrow hopefully. Thanks again!

 

[MikeCr.]

Availability lies in the availability to be scheduled. Not in ad-hoc "emergency" situations. Also, the primary assignment (and secondary and tertiary) only grant you the number of average daily evaluated hours. The matrix and relief assignment preference is just that, a preference. Being the primary doesn't grant you exclusive access to actually case and carry the primary route, like a regular. In other words, they can work you wherever they want, but as long as the route they work you on has a higher evaluation, or total actual hours is higher than it would have been, you don't have a grievance. If the evaluation is less, then you do. The guarantee and protection is for the opportunity to work, not the particular work or boxes serviced.

Thank you for the reply, and how it was worded. I only asked about the primary route situation because, from my understanding, the regular had asked to take the next day off, they called me initially I was unable to answer at the time of call, but called later that same day, and was then told I was not needed for what they called for. Was not indicated to what route it was, and only found out later that it was for my primary on the matrix. Again, thank you for the information.

 

[callofthewild]

Please don't do a Investigative Interview without a Union rep. This whole thing sounds fishy, as you are NOT A ON CALL EMPLOYEE. OIC has no grounds to do a Investigative Interview but that doesn't stop some of the aholes on power trips.

 

[callofthewild]

Also MikeCr., your cell phone should have a record of how many times you tried to call the office the day before you were needed, you got this buddy, please don't let them roll over you. I found out the hard way, played the try to get along game for years and finally I started standing up for myself and it feels good. You will feel empowered instead of defeated.