I've been an RCA for 4 years now. Our office has 8 regular routes, 1 aux. route and 3 subs. I'm covering a route the regular was injured on. When another sub from another office can cover me, I then can give 3 regulars their 2nd day off. So now I'm up to 4 routes. It would be 5 but my regular is working his relief day so I don't work on my assigned route. The sub senior to me works the aux route and 2 reg. routes. The 3rd sub works 1 reg. route and aux route. Now I'm being told the senior sub is only going to do the aux route and that I now have to do one of the reg routes he was covering. Can I be made to do this? I haven't been on this other route in 3 years! Our 3rd sub has not been able to learn other routes because of regular carriers taking vacations. There has been no time for her to learn more. It's freaking me out. I work 14 days a pay period with 2 days off thrown in somewhere, if I'm lucky. Someone please advise me. I'm about ready to quit.
RCA in Crisis
- Thread starter Eeyore714
- Start date
What are you exactly asking ?
Management has to go by the matrix when assigning carriers to cover routes. If they are going by that then yes they can have an RCA cover any route in the office.
As for working all the time nothing in the contract prohibits RCAs from working 7 days per week. Some districts have specific rules that offices follow but it depends what district you are in. Mine for example only lets us work 11 days in a row. The only rescriction is that you can't be scheduled to work more than 12 hours in 1 day.
It sucks but our Union doesn't seem to care about us RCA's being worked to death.
Management has to go by the matrix when assigning carriers to cover routes. If they are going by that then yes they can have an RCA cover any route in the office.
As for working all the time nothing in the contract prohibits RCAs from working 7 days per week. Some districts have specific rules that offices follow but it depends what district you are in. Mine for example only lets us work 11 days in a row. The only rescriction is that you can't be scheduled to work more than 12 hours in 1 day.
It sucks but our Union doesn't seem to care about us RCA's being worked to death.
Windindaface
Well-known member
Excuse my ignorance here.... When did local office or district area arrangements come into play for our craft?
Eeyore714 -- So many questions!
-- Does your office participate in Sunday Amazon delivery?
-- How many K routes without subs? If there are two, manglement could create a PTF position ( with district's blessing, most likely )
-- Have regulars without subs put in the 120-Day notice to get a sub? ( not that it will do any good )
-- Is the Matrix up to date and being utilized? If not, why not?
-- Why is the senior sub only going to run the AUX? ( manglement Pet? )
-- Anyone bother to run the formula to see if you office qualifies as a "Formula Office?"
-- Step 4 ( R-96 ) deals with the number of hours an RCA can be scheduled in a day. In part: ..., management MUST NOT schedule a leave replacement to serve on two full assignments or one full assignment and one or more partial assignments in a single day, IF the evaluations of these assignments total twelve hours or more. ( the RCA may very well actually work more than 12 hours to complete the assignments )
-- That 4-hour AUX might cause some scheduling problems when combined with any regular route over 8 hours -- if manglement overlooks Step 4 ( R-96 )
-- On the plus side ( if there is one ) you'll get ACTUAL hours the first time you run the route you haven't been on for 3 years. On the down side, after the first day, it's evaluated time since you are considered "trained" on the route.
-- Could be the senior sub is not aware that thanks to the 2015-2015 contract, AUX carriers MAY be utilized just about any where in the office upon completion of the AUX route. (Article 30.2.G.5.) If not utilized, time to contact the Assistant District Representative about favoritism. ( IMHO )
-- If your state has a law preventing working 7 days in a row, manglement most likely will say it does not apply to postal workers.
"If I'm not on the matrix for a specific route can I be told to work it ?"
-- Yes -- you know the NRLCA mantra: obey a direct, then grieve it
-- Does your office participate in Sunday Amazon delivery?
-- How many K routes without subs? If there are two, manglement could create a PTF position ( with district's blessing, most likely )
-- Have regulars without subs put in the 120-Day notice to get a sub? ( not that it will do any good )
-- Is the Matrix up to date and being utilized? If not, why not?
-- Why is the senior sub only going to run the AUX? ( manglement Pet? )
-- Anyone bother to run the formula to see if you office qualifies as a "Formula Office?"
-- Step 4 ( R-96 ) deals with the number of hours an RCA can be scheduled in a day. In part: ..., management MUST NOT schedule a leave replacement to serve on two full assignments or one full assignment and one or more partial assignments in a single day, IF the evaluations of these assignments total twelve hours or more. ( the RCA may very well actually work more than 12 hours to complete the assignments )
-- That 4-hour AUX might cause some scheduling problems when combined with any regular route over 8 hours -- if manglement overlooks Step 4 ( R-96 )
-- On the plus side ( if there is one ) you'll get ACTUAL hours the first time you run the route you haven't been on for 3 years. On the down side, after the first day, it's evaluated time since you are considered "trained" on the route.
-- Could be the senior sub is not aware that thanks to the 2015-2015 contract, AUX carriers MAY be utilized just about any where in the office upon completion of the AUX route. (Article 30.2.G.5.) If not utilized, time to contact the Assistant District Representative about favoritism. ( IMHO )
-- If your state has a law preventing working 7 days in a row, manglement most likely will say it does not apply to postal workers.
"If I'm not on the matrix for a specific route can I be told to work it ?"
-- Yes -- you know the NRLCA mantra: obey a direct, then grieve it
Yes. The matrix is just who has priority to work it 1st. For example if you were listed 2nd on the matrix and the primary was unavailable you would be entitled to work the route.
If no one is on the matrix (besides the senior sub working the aux) then yes the postmaster can assign you to work it. Even if the primary was not working the aux you could still be made to work the route if the primary was ok with it. You can be made to work any route in the office for the most part.
Immediately take a few days of mental sick leave.Try and find a better office to work at and transfer there. The management will let you work your life away if you let them. Mail delivery does not rest on your shoulders only. Do not feel like your disappointing anyone for not working. Preferably find a NON- Amazon Office.
Morty
Well-known member
Give the regs an ultimatum:
Print off the 120 day letters, hand them out. If signed copies are not on my desk by the end of the day, im refusing to carry your route and i don't give a f*** because im ready to quit this dead end job. They can fire me, im over it!
How 'bout dat??
Print off the 120 day letters, hand them out. If signed copies are not on my desk by the end of the day, im refusing to carry your route and i don't give a f*** because im ready to quit this dead end job. They can fire me, im over it!
How 'bout dat??
Yes we Amazon,
Matrix was shot to hell when one sub went regular , we 3 r left
Have no idea what you mean by formula office
3 K routes no assigned sub on any of them
Eeyore714 -- "Yes we Amazon. Matrix was shot to hell when one sub went regular , we 3 r left. Have no idea what you mean by formula office. 3 K routes no assigned sub on any of them."
-- Thanx for the info. For now don't worry about a "formula office."
-- Just based on Matrix, I'd be calling your Assistant District Representative and have him / her pay the office a visit to "discuss" the Matrix with manglement.
-- If the regulars or manglement don't know who is the Assistant District Representative, you can find out by going to the nrlca.org web site, scroll down the page. Steward info on the left side towards the bottom. Will need to know your ZIP and AREA.
-- The ADR may want to look at what manglement has been doing ( or not doing ) to hire subs. Step 4 ( F-57 ) provides a nice list of suggestions.
-- While in touch with the ADR, might mention 3 K-routes without a sub. The ADR might be able to convince the K-route regulars to submit a 120-Day notice. Once the 120 days are up and no subs hired, then comes...
-- Step 4's ( R-31 and P-115 ) describe the process of creating a PTF position - at manglement's discretion, of course.
-- Apparently the regulars are not willing to step up. Looks like any improvements will be thanks to you.
-- Thanx for the info. For now don't worry about a "formula office."
-- Just based on Matrix, I'd be calling your Assistant District Representative and have him / her pay the office a visit to "discuss" the Matrix with manglement.
-- If the regulars or manglement don't know who is the Assistant District Representative, you can find out by going to the nrlca.org web site, scroll down the page. Steward info on the left side towards the bottom. Will need to know your ZIP and AREA.
-- The ADR may want to look at what manglement has been doing ( or not doing ) to hire subs. Step 4 ( F-57 ) provides a nice list of suggestions.
-- While in touch with the ADR, might mention 3 K-routes without a sub. The ADR might be able to convince the K-route regulars to submit a 120-Day notice. Once the 120 days are up and no subs hired, then comes...
-- Step 4's ( R-31 and P-115 ) describe the process of creating a PTF position - at manglement's discretion, of course.
-- Apparently the regulars are not willing to step up. Looks like any improvements will be thanks to you.
formerlyknownas
Well-known member
Yes, you have to do any route in the office whether on matrix for it or not. Lol, that's how I learned 22 routes before becoming regular. The more senior you get on the matrix the more you work if there isn't anyone on matrix for particular route. Also, they pivot our aux a lot when there isn't enough subs and the RDWL is all used up. If the aux is only four hours that person should be helping out on other routes when finished with aux. We were working seven days a week at one point, but they finally shut that down as everyone was pretty much exhausted. Of course this was mainly during peak season and before we lost so much Amazon. You might check into other offices if you like the job, but you are still going to have to do, what I always called, "the bounce around. Good luck.
blamethesub
Well-known member
I'm wondering if your aux carrier has switched from working 5-1 (5 days aux, 1 day a regular route) to working 6-0 thinking this will protect him/her from working additional routes. As others have stated, this is not the case. The aux carrier can be used on other routes after completing the aux for the day as long as the scheduled hours are under 12. So this carrier can work any route that is evaluated up to 8 hours. Aux carriers used to be protected from working additional routes, but not anymore. Sorry your office is so short-handed. Hoping this changes for you very soon.
It's sad that you feel that way, but I understand. I've read your posts since you started and know the workload that you deal with. So many carriers are losing the chance for a good job because of the current situation. A RCA posted that they wished that they didn't join this website because now they want to look for something else. This used to be the best job in the Post Office. WTF?
Rt2mailman
Well-known member
Apparently your pm is allowing the senior rca to "re-choose" the option to work the aux 6 and 0 instead of 5 and 1 (that is 5 on aux 1 on the primary route) the other option would be 6-0 (6 on the aux and no primary). The aux choice is made at the beginning and not changed so that senior rca is stuck with the original choice. Even if it is attempted to be changed that other rca will have to work up to 8 more hours (on the same day) after being done with the 4 hour aux, so it will not help that rca to "get out of" any work. Your office is a mess and it is management's fault, they should have hired more subs a long time ago. If they couldn't hire, that means the sub wage is too low, and that is also management's fault. Work your assigned route and take your time, being extra safe, because a tired carrier will be more likely to get into accidents. As you slow down and get less done your pm will have to suit up or get more help, one way or another.
lbpd16
Well-known member
Management is like a cheap used car salesman using the bait and switch. They keep telling us, "just hold on another month or two. Things will get better. Packages will slow down. We will get some more people hired. The new PM will make things better"
All of that is a bunch of bullshit to stop us from quitting. Because if we quit they are really screwed. Meanwhile, nothing changes. I still have a mountain of Amazon daily. No new hires in sight, and who knows what a new PM will bring.
It could be a good job, but it never will.
