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RCA Raise Questions & Aux Route

Guardic

New member
I've been an RCA going on 4 years this coming March. When I was first hired back in 2015 my starting pay was $16.45/hr and then my pay went to $16.65 after my initial 90 day period. I received a raise in December of 2015 and I was then making $17.02/hr for all of 2016 and again in December of 2016 I received another raise to $17.45/hr. Then in May of 2017, I got really lucky and an RC retired from a full route and a RCA was terminated almost at the same time and I became the carrier of an almost 5 hr aux route. My pay did not go up after taking the aux route and still did not go up after I started to receive leave for working the route. After a few months of being short handed, we were finally able to hire two subs for the other routes because I was the only RCA to cover all days off for all full carriers for nearly a year. I ended up training the two new subs and helped them with understanding other things around the office which included their paychecks. From helping them with their paychecks, I found out they started out making the same amount that I was currently making even though I was hired almost 3 years before them and also had my own aux route. In December of 2017 I received another raise which brought my hourly pay to $17.78/hr. This is the same as the other two RCAs that hadn't even been there a year and was already making the same as me. Should my pay be higher than theirs or is this correct or was there an error made somewhere in my pay adjustments or was I supposed to receive a raise for taking the aux route? Also, all three of us did not receive any kind of raise this past December in 2018. Is there a reason why?
 
Guardic -- RCA pay concerns.

-- RCA's hired on or after 11 AUG 2012 received 1% hourly rate increases on 14 NOV 2015, 26 NOV 2016 and 25 NOV 2017 instead of a COLA payment. That was dictated in the 2015-2018 contract. The rate could be different whenever the 2018-20?? contract is settled.

-- RCA's hired prior to 11 AUG 2012 get COLA payments, but don't get those 1% increases those hired after 11 AUG 2012 do. But they do get a rolled-in COLA payment in August after the in-place contract expires. That is of course Eagan does not have a "glitch" that has previously delayed COLA payments for months.

-- Rural carriers don't get pay raises if there is no contract in place. And seldom get retroactive pay increases either.

-- And if there is no contract, then no COLA either.

-- The hourly rates for Tables THREE and FOUR will be determined by the 2018-20?? contract.
 
So right now, we have no contract? Is a new one close to being done and agreed on or is it still a ways off?

No, we have NO contract at this time so we are on an extension of the last contract. That means that all the rules still apply but we have NO raises in the near future. The Union has been in negotiations with the PO on a new one but I believe that’s been a bust. Look for it to go to Arbitration which means... we have no choice but to accept what the Arbitrator decides & it’s still going to take a while.
As to your questioning the pay, all RCA hired after Aug 2012 make the same money. Same for Regular Carriers, once you hit 12 yrs (Step 12) , you make the same as the 25-yr Carrier on that Pay Schedule. There is no Performance Raises nor is there a differential of pay in high Cost-of-Living areas vs low Cost areas.
The Union is at least trying to get equal pay for Schedule 1 & 2 by Step 12.
 
I've been an RCA going on 4 years this coming March. When I was first hired back in 2015 my starting pay was $16.45/hr and then my pay went to $16.65 after my initial 90 day period. I received a raise in December of 2015 and I was then making $17.02/hr for all of 2016 and again in December of 2016 I received another raise to $17.45/hr. Then in May of 2017, I got really lucky and an RC retired from a full route and a RCA was terminated almost at the same time and I became the carrier of an almost 5 hr aux route. My pay did not go up after taking the aux route and still did not go up after I started to receive leave for working the route. After a few months of being short handed, we were finally able to hire two subs for the other routes because I was the only RCA to cover all days off for all full carriers for nearly a year. I ended up training the two new subs and helped them with understanding other things around the office which included their paychecks. From helping them with their paychecks, I found out they started out making the same amount that I was currently making even though I was hired almost 3 years before them and also had my own aux route. In December of 2017 I received another raise which brought my hourly pay to $17.78/hr. This is the same as the other two RCAs that hadn't even been there a year and was already making the same as me. Should my pay be higher than theirs or is this correct or was there an error made somewhere in my pay adjustments or was I supposed to receive a raise for taking the aux route? Also, all three of us did not receive any kind of raise this past December in 2018. Is there a reason why?
Guardic bearer of bad news, all new hires get exactly what u get! It sucks
 
Welcome to the snow globe of AUX rules and RCA coverage. As a REG if I can take hours from this AUX run, I will if possible.
 
Via contract, a regular may run an aux route, but will be paid actual time not evaluated. By way of circumstance, no one availible to run an aux route due to health, weather, lack of staff...
 
We have taken boxes and miles from AUX routes twice in my tenure. Once was from the LLV/DPS time value change and the other was when the AUX was vacant.

An AUX is considered vacant for 90 days when awarded to an RCA after bidding. If REGS push for it and it can be proven a cost savings by awarding boxes and miles to REG routes which fringe or cross the AUX route, they will remove boxes and miles from the AUX and award them to REG routes.
 
Via contract, a regular may run an aux route, but will be paid actual time not evaluated. By way of circumstance, no one availible to run an aux route due to health, weather, lack of staff...

Can you cite the Article that is found. All I’ve seen is in Article 30 that says a Regular Carrier CANNOT work all or part of any other Rural Route except their own.
 
We have taken boxes and miles from AUX routes twice in my tenure. Once was from the LLV/DPS time value change and the other was when the AUX was vacant.

An AUX is considered vacant for 90 days when awarded to an RCA after bidding. If REGS push for it and it can be proven a cost savings by awarding boxes and miles to REG routes which fringe or cross the AUX route, they will remove boxes and miles from the AUX and award them to REG routes.
Wow, I had no idea.... thanks
 
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