over burden routes

[mailgirl23]

New PO says my route needs to be cut (its now a 47K) but the other two routes are 45K and 46K..... she wants to cut all 3 now down to 43K ..... do we have any recourse ???? this was her 1st day in our office..... uggg PS other two rts have not had their edit books updated in a while.....

 

[Boston65]

The routes can be cut down to a 43K. Sounds like she will create an Aux route from the 3 routes.

 

[Gotrope]

There better be a stupendously, fabulous reason to touch a route not in overburdened status. Like a carrier on the route is in 2080 problems. Or the carrier requested the route be cut. Otherwise, get your DR on the phone pronto.

Once a rt goes into overburdened status it can be lowered to as small as a 43k but, it can also be lowered to just below threshold at 46k. Mgmt is to take into consideration the carriers WRITTEN preferences. If they create an aux rt is must be a minimum of 2 hrs per day =12 hours in six days. A zip code should only have one active aux unless something is wonky.

 

[Haychica]

New PO says my route needs to be cut (its now a 47K) but the other two routes are 45K and 46K..... she wants to cut all 3 now down to 43K ..... do we have any recourse ???? this was her 1st day in our office..... uggg PS other two rts have not had their edit books updated in a while.....

Only 47 and 48 can be overburdened status.they dont HAVE to cut to a 43 but they can. If you VOLUNTARILY switch your drop day to a tuesd, wed, or Thurs, you can grow your route to a 46 without them touching it...although like gotrope said, they need a VERY good reason to cut a 45/6 and PLEASE get ur adr involved asap...that's a huge financial hardship for you...I wish you the best

 

[btdtret]

mailgirl23 -- "New PO says my route needs to be cut (its now a 47K) but the other two routes are 45K and 46K..... she wants to cut all 3 now down to 43K ..... do we have any recourse ?"

-- Guessing "New PO" is actually "New PM".

-- Being her 1st day in the office, she certainly will not get a second chance at making a good first impression!

-- Probably wants to show District that she can handle the office and make the big decisions, proving that she does belong as a post master.

-- Background info, if you will ( not that we have any say in how your office is run):

- How long has your route been a 47K?
- Have you been making evaluation?
- Any problems making dispatch?
- Any 2080 problems?

-- Most likely the new PM has not [ bothered ] to ask any of the above.

-- As noted in the contract, rural routes evaluated at 47 or 48 hours gets an asterisk - normally, these categories should only be used as interim classifications pending route adjustments. ( as an aside, carriers have posted of successfully running 48K's without 2080 problems ( that was before the avalanche of Amazon and other parcels )

-- On the plus side, route adjustments do take time to make, so you should be a 47K a bit longer. Also, the other two routes better get their Edit Book up to date - before the adjustment process starts.

-- YOUR route could be cut as low as a 43K, but the new PM better have some real good justification for adjusting the other two routes ( as noted previously ) - unless they are on the Eagan List for "projected" 2080 problems.

-- And being the 1st day in the office, could it be someone at District has put that idea in her head?

-- In the mean time, you and your fellow carriers need to get very familiar with Article 30.1.J -- Carrier's Rights in Route Adjustments.

-- Has anyone in the office gone through route adjustments before? If not, might want to get your Assistant District Representative involved, as in looking over manglement's shoulder during the process - if possible. At least give the ADR a heads up regarding the "proposed" changes on the horizon.

-- Politely ask the new PM if she has any experience in making route adjustments.

-- Probably best not to ask if the PM knows someone close that needs some work, such as an AUX route.

 

[martian]

There better be a stupendously, fabulous reason to touch a route not in overburdened status. Like a carrier on the route is in 2080 problems. Or the carrier requested the route be cut. Otherwise, get your DR on the phone pronto.

Once a rt goes into overburdened status it can be lowered to as small as a 43k but, it can also be lowered to just below threshold at 46k. Mgmt is to take into consideration the carriers WRITTEN preferences. If they create an aux rt is must be a minimum of 2 hrs per day =12 hours in six days. A zip code should only have one active aux unless something is wonky.

Can a carrier request the route to be cut to, say, a 43J? My route is a 46K, or 9.2 hours/day, but the star route doesn't get to the office until 7 AM and leaves at 4:15 PM. I report at 7:15, so I have 9 hours without a lunch break. There is only one other route, and it is evaluated at a 43K, so that route can be completed within the time frame. I figure the minimum aux route is 12 hours, so 9.2 x 6 = 55.2 - 12 for the aux = 43.2 hours over 6 days, or a 43J.

Edit: I am over age 60.
Second Edit: It would be a 43H, not J. Thought I could get it reduced enough and then take the high option and make it a J route. This route is growing, while the other route is stable.

 

[Gotrope]

They should not cut a route below a 43 k. Star rts are not rural routes. They are contract routes. If you want your 46 k reduced, they can add to the 43k or create an aux and move your territory on to the aux. They can't touch a star rt until the contractor gives up the route or fails to perform the contractual obligations of said route.

Just curious, why would you want to reduce a 46k? That is the optimal evaluation everyone tries to achieve.

 

[Gotrope]

Another thing to check is your vacancies. If you drop 60 minutes of vacant deliveries, presto!! Your route will drop an hour and should( depending upon exact standard minutes) no longer be overburdened. If edit books haven't been done in a while it's worth checking.

 

[martian]

They should not cut a route below a 43 k. Star rts are not rural routes. They are contract routes. If you want your 46 k reduced, they can add to the 43k or create an aux and move your territory on to the aux. They can't touch a star rt until the contractor gives up the route or fails to perform the contractual obligations of said route.

Just curious, why would you want to reduce a 46k? That is the optimal evaluation everyone tries to achieve.

The star route is our truck in and out of the plant. So everything has to go right to get done within the 9 hour window to meet dispatch. Amazon killing me - at least 2 trips per day. Past year was brutal - wind turbine construction, railroad reconstruction, and a terrible winter of ice and snow. Trucks late. Other route has a lower evaluation but normally takes just as long as mine. So the other route is also having trouble meeting dispatch. We frequently have to make a quick dash to get out-going letters (and do no deliveries) and drop off the letters at the PO and go back out to finish the routes.

We can't keep an RCA on the route. One is in training now and has already said he is likely not going to stay. Cannot get the route done within the 9 hour window.

Once you have your high 3 years @ the 46K rate, the important component for the pension is time. Hoping I can stay for another 3.5 years for the additional pension money and insurance before medicare kicks in. I'd take a 40H in a heartbeat and transition into retirement.

 

[callofthewild]

1st day on the job??? wow.........let me guess.....a stepper and climber........over all the dead tired bodies of Rural Carriers.....just wow. Your PM needs to take a deep breath and take a little time with the office and assess the new Employees before jumping off the deep end....where do the higher ups get these people.

 

[Gotrope]

Amazon is moving out to the rural areas. By the winter they may be doing more of their own delivery near you. But, I hear you. I moved off a 5 parcel hamper a day rt just to make sure I can make it to retirement. That rt now gets about 1.5 large canvas hampers a day after amazon started delivering.

I thought maybe you were talking about village post offices or serving a separate office on a relay. If the truck times don't work, see if mgmt can start you earlier. Or ask for assistance because they are requiring a second trip which pushes you past the dispatch time. I was getting help at times from cca while on nightmare rt because we hadn't enough rca's. ( they were already working 80+ hours/week).

 

[martian]

Amazon is moving out to the rural areas. By the winter they may be doing more of their own delivery near you. But, I hear you. I moved off a 5 parcel hamper a day rt just to make sure I can make it to retirement. That rt now gets about 1.5 large canvas hampers a day after amazon started delivering.

I thought maybe you were talking about village post offices or serving a separate office on a relay. If the truck times don't work, see if mgmt can start you earlier. Or ask for assistance because they are requiring a second trip which pushes you past the dispatch time. I was getting help at times from cca while on nightmare rt because we hadn't enough rca's. ( they were already working 80+ hours/week).

The truck is leaving as we come to work most days. They've closed the processing plants, so we at the far ends no longer have any slack. PM will not authorize assistance. We are lucky if we get 1 hour per route assistance on Mondays and Fridays during Christmas - and Fridays are so that Saturdays are a little easier (deliver UPS and FedEx packages in the afternoon.) PM's only concern IMO is her bonus.

 

[gotstamps]

martian-
When trying figure a cut for making an Auxiliary, It may not take a 12-hour cut from your route to create an Auxiliary.
Drive time to & from the location of first & last delivery would also count into the Aux 12 hours but may not be fully removed from your route. The larger the city, the more “dead miles” a route will likely have. I drive through many routes to get to my 1st Delivery.
IE: A cut from mine could give an Aux 3 hours/week of driving to & from so only 9 hours would be required to be cut.

 

[Oi veh.]

Just a side note - this is a public forum...meaning all and sundry can see your posts - AND your avatar.

Thought I'd mention it since 2 of you are posting your real faces, which are the ultimate identifier.

Carry on.

 

[gerl2]

We have the same issue at our station

The truck is leaving as we come to work most days. They've closed the processing plants, so we at the far ends no longer have any slack. PM will not authorize assistance. We are lucky if we get 1 hour per route assistance on Mondays and Fridays during Christmas - and Fridays are so that Saturdays are a little easier (deliver UPS and FedEx packages in the afternoon.) PM's only concern IMO is her bonus.

We have the same issue at our office, what would happen if you were late for dispatch? Postmaster will have to take mail to plant. Also, why are you delivering UPS and FedEx packages in the afternoon? Anything that comes in after 9 or 10 am(sorry don't remember scan time)they wait till the next day. We are so short on truck time that if these are dropped off early they put them aside then scan them in after the time.

 

[martian]

We have the same issue at our station


We have the same issue at our office, what would happen if you were late for dispatch? Postmaster will have to take mail to plant. Also, why are you delivering UPS and FedEx packages in the afternoon? Anything that comes in after 9 or 10 am(sorry don't remember scan time)they wait till the next day. We are so short on truck time that if these are dropped off early they put them aside then scan them in after the time.

Only during Christmas "assistance" is the late arrival parcels being delivered by the RCA and only on Mondays and Fridays. And the Friday assistance is mainly to help reduce the Saturday load for the RCA.

Sounds like both of our offices are operating in a similar fashion. Don't know what would happen if we missed dispatch. Hasn't happened yet. I did tell the PM a few weeks ago, after both of us regulars got stuck in snow, that it would be more productive if she would run the end of the routes for outgoing mail rather than calling and/or texting about our finish times. PS, I will not respond to the calls/texts, which really makes her angry. I said look at your computer screen and figure it out.

 

[gerl2]

Only during Christmas "assistance" is the late arrival parcels being delivered by the RCA and only on Mondays and Fridays. And the Friday assistance is mainly to help reduce the Saturday load for the RCA.

Sounds like both of our offices are operating in a similar fashion. Don't know what would happen if we missed dispatch. Hasn't happened yet. I did tell the PM a few weeks ago, after both of us regulars got stuck in snow, that it would be more productive if she would run the end of the routes for outgoing mail rather than calling and/or texting about our finish times. PS, I will not respond to the calls/texts, which really makes her angry. I said look at your computer screen and figure it out.

Yep, I started this week with the attitude tired of running to meet their demands, I don't get lunch or a break. They are wearing my body out and if I don't put my foot down they will succeed. Some folks are waiting for the new formula, I am waiting for them to fix our truck issues, the truck is always late.

 

[Oi veh.]

@gerl2 - you are filing wait time, yes?

 

[Haychica]

Can a carrier request the route to be cut to, say, a 43J? My route is a 46K, or 9.2 hours/day, but the star route doesn't get to the office until 7 AM and leaves at 4:15 PM. I report at 7:15, so I have 9 hours without a lunch break. There is only one other route, and it is evaluated at a 43K, so that route can be completed within the time frame. I figure the minimum aux route is 12 hours, so 9.2 x 6 = 55.2 - 12 for the aux = 43.2 hours over 6 days, or a 43J.

Edit: I am over age 60.
Second Edit: It would be a 43H, not J. Thought I could get it reduced enough and then take the high option and make it a J route. This route is growing, while the other route is stable.

On a side note, you'd be eligible for j route status...makes the loss in pay a little easier but not better?

 

[12345]

Can a carrier request the route to be cut to, say, a 43J? My route is a 46K, or 9.2 hours/day, but the star route doesn't get to the office until 7 AM and leaves at 4:15 PM. I report at 7:15, so I have 9 hours without a lunch break. There is only one other route, and it is evaluated at a 43K, so that route can be completed within the time frame. I figure the minimum aux route is 12 hours, so 9.2 x 6 = 55.2 - 12 for the aux = 43.2 hours over 6 days, or a 43J.

Edit: I am over age 60.
Second Edit: It would be a 43H, not J. Thought I could get it reduced enough and then take the high option and make it a J route. This route is growing, while the other route is stable.

Take your contractually allowed 30 minute lunch break. If told no get that order in writing then file. It is not your problem they have closed too many plants to have the mail arrive at your PO in a timely fashion. Unless something has changed recently I am aware of an office where the carrier never is back with the outgoing mail prior to the truck leaving. The mail that was picked up on the route goes out the following day. It has been that way for a number of years.