Protocol if unable to get to office in bad weather?

[asher78]

Say the roads are so bad and snow so high (14”ish and still falling) that even carriers with large high clearance vehicles with 4wd cannot get out of their driveways, but district says operations as usual. If you TRULY cannot make it in, what is the protocol? Call the number and take an annual, lwop or what and how much trouble do you get in if that happens?

Several carriers in our office are currently in this situation (probably more, but I’ve only talked to a select number) and we are supposed to get even more snow (up to 6”) by morning. Even snow plows are getting stuck and crashing here.

 

[hockey94]

Perhaps district will change its tune by the am ? You need to call the National number and go from there.

How can you possibly get in trouble even if the plows are getting stuck ? I know, its the PO but they preach safety, thats a joke.

What has happened by me, I have always made it in, but we have gotten little or no mail. We go out to the first box and deem its to dangerous and we get our days pay. You probably will not get any mail from the processing plant anyway.

 

[asher78]

I really hope they do change by morning. I just measured and while parts of my yard are only 11”, drifts are 19” and up and still coming. For an area that doesn’t usually get much snow, much less this time of year, that’s crazy. I have yet to see a sand or plow truck on my road and it’s a fairly busy well traveled road so it’s one of the main ones they hit after the normal main roads. They just put an emergency warning out requesting only emergency and power vehicles be on the road. And yet...we’ve already been told district says come in tomorrow. Doubtful they will change their minds, but there’s hope I suppose.

Emergency management just posted that the national guard is coming to our city to help dot with vehicle recovery.

 

[hockey94]

Like I said even if you can make it, its your call, if you feel its to dangerous dont do anything stupid, because as you know it will be your FAULT if something happens. I am sure you know this your safety is more important than the damn mail.

 

[madieraman]

My office forced us to work during a blizzard last year, only a day after the postmaster gave a speech about how much the post office cares about our safety.

 

[hockey94]

We had someone from safety come to our office recently, this person said my sneakers were not proper for the job, the sneakers are high quality, plenty of support/waterproof, but not leather or fake leather. So if a 50lb bag of dog food falls on my foot, your telling me a cheap leather shoe is going to make a difference, ha ha !

I told the person, that the PO safety was BS. They are concerned with my shoes yet ppl are sitting in the passenger seat delivering the mail plus the crazy amount of packages all year around. In addition, we are in a little PO where you can barely walk due to the packages.

I was told that whatever the safety person wrote up, nothing will be done. Such crap.

 

[Windindaface]

It's to early to worry about weather on a Sunday and the ability to show up for work on Monday due to weather conditions. It amazes me what Shinola they try to shove up our... or down our throats in the guarantee period.

The best advice I can give from someone in snow country is.. if it is at all possible show up for work on Monday. From there it is the office safety team (if one) and district to decide to attempt delivery. If the option is to attempt, one basically drives around for a while and if boxes are not cleaned out for mail delivery no mail of any form is delivered and returned to the office. If this happens have some "extra equipment" needed to place all this mail you can't deliver. These items must go out the next possible delivery date.

If you arrive at the office and the decision of no attempt to deliver you case all if available, do some Edit Book-label work and scan all applicable items as weather delay. Then go home, dig your personal location out, relax and get paid for the day.

 

[btdtret]

asher78 et al -- [ Threatening / Winter weather ]

-- Call 800-363-7462 ( the USPS National Employee Emergency Hotline ), enter your ZIP Code and listen for recorded message for district instructions.

-- Also listen to the local radio and TV, in case local and or state police instruct people to stay off the roadways. If manglement doesn't like it, have them call the police and complain.

-- Cite the opening paragraph in Handbook EL-814 ( Postal Employees Guide to Safety ):

A. Explanation. The Postal Service is committed to providing its employees and customers with a safe and healthy environment and complying with applicable SAFETY LAWS and REGULATIONS.

-- While you are at it, cite the PO-603's Section 132.3 Complete Service. In part -- However, you are not required to provide service if it would incur excessive expense ( vehicle repairs and towing costs after sliding into a ditch or being involved with another vehicle ), JEOPARDIZE YOUR SAFETY, or require undue physical strain ( digging one's self out of a snow drift or ditch ).

-- City carriers who were out delivering while Super Storm Sandy was coming ashore in NJ might provide some input on the USPS's real concern about employee safety..

 

[asher78]

[QUOTE="btdtret”]

-- Also listen to the local radio and TV, in case local and or state police instruct people to stay off the roadways. If manglement doesn't like it, have them call the police and complain.
.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. Police have instructed people of that and have the national guard coming in to help. Our roads have not even been touched, yet and we are under a state of emergency.

 

[Windindaface]

A 14+ of snow dump happens here once or twice a year. My area average is 112+ through the season with sub zero delivery days. It's not a reason to panic because the equipment to move it is on hand. Coppers say stay off the road if possible. Avoid unnecessary travel is the proclaim. Roads are less busy but people still get around. The 800# when this happens never lists offices in my area.

As to todays situation... I need to be careful pulling out of my driveway nose first because the banks on the end of my driveway are so high I have no clear line of sight. An LLV I was driving was T-Boned on my side because a person backed out of their driveway and did not see me. I was lucky and not at fault or injured. The LLV was returned to me after repairs.

 

[Shafted]

33” blizzard here in March 1993. Poom refused to let us close or call off. “Make every attempt”. Yup, no plows could even get out. Our safety means nothing. Jackasses.

 

[CommonSense]

33” blizzard here in March 1993. Poom refused to let us close or call off. “Make every attempt”. Yup, no plows could even get out. Our safety means nothing. Jackasses.

Put on snow chains, bring a spare set, and hurry up and get here safely!

 

[FrozenToes]

Same thing happened to us. Governor closed all roads. Declared state of emergency. Called Guard. Snow drifts were above the roof of my van. Had to drive on wrong side of road to get around them. Jusy hoped noone was coming. Waited til 1130 for half tray of DPS.

 

[johnwayne]

when i was a new sub, there was freezing rain on saturday. halfway through the route i let off the gas, and the car nearly went into a spin. I called the pm. he told me it was alright to come back in and quit for the day. the reg had other ideas. Somehow i got called back in on monday to deliver the half the route i hadnt on saturday. part of my training to never leave any mail for the reg i guess..

 

[btdtret]

Faceindawind -- "A 14+ of snow dump happens here once or twice a year. My area average is 112+ through the season with sub zero delivery days. "

-- That eliminates you from being in the Tug Hill Plateau area east of Lake Ontario where they average 200 inches of snow a year!

-- An average of 112 inches of snow still impressive.

 

[littlesew&sew]

November 26 this year, blizzard warning, all major roads closed, plow trucks and law enforcement pulled off the street. OIC passed the message that mail wasn't at our office and told to stand by, don't go to office. I couldn't get out of my driveway, even if I wanted to.

Approximately 3 pm message goes out to call 800 # and choose administrative leave, local disaster.

Two days later we're all told that administrative leave was denied and we have to use annual or lwop. We've filed a class action grievance and the city carriers have as well.

We'll have to wait and see if either our union or city carriers have any luck fighting this one.

 

[asher78]

I’ve been a carrier for over a decade and only missed once due to weather. Snow is still above the bottom of my vehicle and our main road hasn’t been plowed so there’s literally no way for me to get there in my Vehicle.

 

[Shafted]

Tug hill area is a blast delivering on winter.......NOT. Come join us here in upstate NY. A big storm leaves the mailboxes buried in snow. Mailbox, where did you go?, I can’t even find you haha.

 

[vajoker]

The USPS number we've been instructed to call is 888-363-7462.

 

[Pbe62]

I can't understand how the USPS expect full loyality as to risk your life coming in, where is managements loyality to pay you? Owe out thousands of dollars in back pay, where do you think the moral is to USPS on a treacherous day like today? We did sign up to deliver in all types of situations, however when management stopped caring, and shooting you BS, using stall tactics to pay, my desire to push forward vanished. Do you they really think you want to risk it all for them? Please!