New RCA in Training with Questions

[Landseer]

NICE, hunchy!? TYVM for the visual. Remind me to stop watching 48 Hours.

Many, many thanks for taking the time to provide me with so much info, guys. I’ll inquire about the ARC for sure.

Funny, I left a job after 17 years and we used to mock newbies for being starry-eyed (vvvvvvvvvv dysfunctional BAC)—now who’s starry-eyed? 

 

[milkymint]

Hi everyone, its been a LONG 5 months since I posted here. I'm glad this information was useful for someone else!

Guess what?! I'm still an RCA! I think there are only 3 of us left of the 12 who were in my original training class. Slowly one by one, everyone started to quit. I'm not sure this job is for me either, actually I know it isn't, but I'm so overworked I don't have the time to do much about it.

I'm so burnt out. This past pay period I worked over 120 hours. A pay period under 100 hours has been very rare for me, and I'm starting to get grumpy about it. Especially after this holiday weekend, when I worked every single day, and had to work a double shift on Amazon Monday (we had 6 call-ins). Regulars call in all the time, and it makes me really crazy. Especially getting called in on a route I've never done on my scheduled day off at 9 am.

Unlike many of my fellow RCAs, I'm already assigned a secondary and tertiary route. I've been told by the station supervisor and others that I'm one of the rare good ones. People tell my regular all the time that he's lucky to have me. BUT has it paid off? NO. Now that I've proven myself and my reliability, I feel completely taken advantaged of. One of the guys I work with, who is one of the top RCAs, feels many of us are being over worked and abused. I checked the schedule today, and I don't have a single day off scheduled next week. 

I respect every one of you out there who do this job and do it well. It is not easy. Its hard on your mind, hard on your body, and you're treated like a 2nd class citizen at the station with no benefits and almost no rights. Feeling like your work is never over... that you are disposable and replaceable, really bothers me.

I have come to the realization that no matter how hard I work, how reliable I am, how many times I answer that call and show up on my day off... it doesn't get me faster up that list. I hate that.

But for now I'm still hanging in there. Hope you're all well!!!  Returning to this forum makes so much more sense to me now. I use to read the topics in complete confusion. HAHAHA!

 

[btdtret]

milkymint -- " its been a LONG 5 months since I posted here."

--  Welcome back, although somewhat amazed you have the time and energy to post anything!

"I’m so burnt out. This past pay period I worked over 120 hours. A pay period under 100 hours has been very rare for me, and I’m starting to get grumpy about it."

--  Certainly should have your 90 work days taken care of by now!

--  How many routes in your office and how many subs?

--  Working such hours can also lead to "diminishing returns" as the taxes eat up much of the OT earnings.

--  And can also result in damaging your body -- and spirit!  If your body says you need a day off - listen to it now or you will be paying for it later.

--  Some states have laws against working more than 7 days in a row, although manglement will probably say state laws do not apply to postal workers.   Check with your Assistant District Representative.

--  How many regular carriers without a sub have actually submitted the 120-Day notice to get one?  Then followed up with a grievance on day 121?

"Especially getting called in on a route I’ve never done on my scheduled day off at 9 am."

--  Check to see if you were paid ACTUAL TIME in those cases.   Also applies when working a route for the first time in a year or more.   Keep a log of dates and routes worked to "assist" manglement's memory.

--  Page 20 ( of the 88-page contract ):  A leave replacement utilized on a route which he / she has not served in the past 12 months will be paid the greater of actual hours worked or the evaluation of the route ( up to 40 hours ).

" Feeling like your work is never over… that you are disposable and replaceable, really bothers me."

--  That unfortunately will continue as long as you continue working for the USPS and they are not actively beating the bushes, looking for additional RCA's.  Step 4 ( F-57 ) lists 10 things manglement should be doing.  A call to the ADR might be in order to check if manglement is actually doing anything to get more subs.

" how many times I answer that call and show up on my day off… it doesn’t get me faster up that list."

--  Use an answering machine as a call screener.   Don't pick up if you don't want to work.

"One of the guys I work with, who is one of the top RCAs, feels many of us are being over worked and abused. "

--  Hard to argue against that when one is working 100+ hours a week!  With only 168 hours in a week, hard to find time to sleep and eat.

" reliable"

--  To you that means showing up when scheduled and when called when not scheduled.

--  To manglement, that means you are an "easy" solution to their lack of hiring subs.

"But for now I’m still hanging in there. "

--  Ask manglement if there are any subs in the training "pipeline".

--  If those 100+ work hours a week continue, sorry to say, but you probably won't last the year until your body ( and spirit ) break down and you WILL need some time off - no matter how "reliable" you are.

 

[DB.Cooper]

Hi everyone, its been a LONG 5 months since I posted here. I'm glad this information was useful for someone else!

Guess what?! I'm still an RCA! I think there are only 3 of us left of the 12 who were in my original training class. Slowly one by one, everyone started to quit. I'm not sure this job is for me either, actually I know it isn't, but I'm so overworked I don't have the time to do much about it.

I'm so burnt out. This past pay period I worked over 120 hours. A pay period under 100 hours has been very rare for me, and I'm starting to get grumpy about it. Especially after this holiday weekend, when I worked every single day, and had to work a double shift on Amazon Monday (we had 6 call-ins). Regulars call in all the time, and it makes me really crazy. Especially getting called in on a route I've never done on my scheduled day off at 9 am.

Unlike many of my fellow RCAs, I'm already assigned a secondary and tertiary route. I've been told by the station supervisor and others that I'm one of the rare good ones. People tell my regular all the time that he's lucky to have me. BUT has it paid off? NO. Now that I've proven myself and my reliability, I feel completely taken advantaged of. One of the guys I work with, who is one of the top RCAs, feels many of us are being over worked and abused. I checked the schedule today, and I don't have a single day off scheduled next week.

I respect every one of you out there who do this job and do it well. It is not easy. Its hard on your mind, hard on your body, and you're treated like a 2nd class citizen at the station with no benefits and almost no rights. Feeling like your work is never over... that you are disposable and replaceable, really bothers me.

I have come to the realization that no matter how hard I work, how reliable I am, how many times I answer that call and show up on my day off... it doesn't get me faster up that list. I hate that.

But for now I'm still hanging in there. Hope you're all well!!! Returning to this forum makes so much more sense to me now. I use to read the topics in complete confusion. HAHAHA!

I wonder if MilkyMint still survives in the USPS world... as far as I know this was the last post that we heard from her...

 

[DB.Cooper]

RUN.....RUN as fast as you can away. Do not pass GO. Stop before you start.

If you want management...marketing ..do it now. Being an RCA will break your body and your heart...

Lol... I did find the old Milkymint thread.... all new and prospective RCAs should have this as required reading....