RCA to ARC

[lbpd16]

We lost another of our regular helpers from another office. He was helping 4 days a week. Now its back to being that much shorter again. Me and the other RCA are now being told to do our route and then split the longest route in the office which takes 3.5 hours to case, pull down and load and another 5 hours to run.

The wheels are coming off in my office and its only gonna get worse going forward. Its time to look at my options again.

Should an ARC position come available how do I go about switching from a RCA to a ARC?

And yes, I know I won't be able to get health insurance.

Thanks

 

[btdtret]

Ibpd16 -- "Me and the other RCA are now being told to do our route and then split the longest route in the office which takes 3.5 hours to case, pull down and load and another 5 hours to run. "

-- Get a hold of Step 4 ( R-96 ). In part: ...except in emergency situations, 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. ( not having enough relief carriers is not an emergency situation - IMHO ). Might want to have your Assistant District Representative pay the office an visit to discuss manglement's inability to hire relief carriers as well as to get a list of the evaluations of the office routes to verify manglement's assignments for relief carriers.

-- One problem with R-96, it only deals with the twelve hours of evaluation. It certainly could take longer to run all the evaluated assignments.

-- ELM's Section 432.32 - Maximum Hours Allowed. Except as designated in labor agreements for bargaining unit employees or in emergency situations as determined by the postmaster general ( or designee ), EMPLOYEES MAY NOT BE REQUIRED to work more than 12 hours in 1 service day. In addition, the total hours of daily service, including SCHEDULED WORK HOURS, OVERTIME, and MEALTIME, may not be extended over a period longer than 12 CONSECUTIVE HOURS. Postmasters and exempt employees are excluded from these provisions.

"Should an ARC position come available how do I go about switching from a RCA to a ARC?"

-- Submit a memo or letter to manglement stating you are resigning your RCA position and the reason(s) why. May consider discussing your plan with the remaining RCA in case he / she might want to do the same. Be sure to note on the memo or letter that copies will be sent to District, NRLCA HQ, and the postmaster general.

-- Unfortunately, there is no guarantee manglement would hire you as an ARC having resigned the RCA position. However, are there other post offices in your area needing RCA's / ARC's?

-- You've probably have mentioned how many routes that are in your office, but I don't have it. Any way manglement could go to a Formula Office to force regulars to have weekday relief days so you and the other RCA could cover 4 routes a piece as PTF's. Something the ADR could go over with manglement.

-- Not to extort manglement, but you might "suggest" going Formula and assigning PTF's or "suit up".

"And yes, I know I won't be able to get health insurance."

-- If worked into the ground, health insurance will be the least of your worries.

 

[lbpd16]

we have 11 routes, 1 of those is an aux and 1 is a hold down but the hold down person has been gone for months so its basically been a daily uncovered route. With that an leave, sick, X days to cover, thats alot for 2 RCAs to deal with. The PTF idea has been floated but as I mentioned in another post the union is fighting it. They do not want to have weekday days off. Both the union and management are under the belief that PTF = Formula. Our management typically rolls over whenever the union fights something. So I don't believe that PTFs and/or Formula is gonna happen. Management seems very disinterested now. The PM is retiring next month and the super is most likely leaving as well. We are constantly trying to hire. USPS website always has our position posted. Fliers in lobby, newspaper adds. Nothing works. The ones we do get to apply don't pass background. The ones that pass stick around for days, weeks, maybe a month and they leave. Last year 2 RCA's were hired that stuck around. No hires this year. I know this is typical for most offices and not just a problem at mine. I don't see a solution.

And starting tomorrow, because of constantly late trucks, our start time has been pushed back an hour, which means getting off later.

As I said, the wheels are coming off and there is no relief to be had. Its just a matter of time before me and the other RCA pull the plug. With no RCA's I have no idea what they will do, but that won't be my problem.

 

[btdtret]

Ibpd16 -- Thanx for the additional info.

-- Given those details, I'd say it is past time to get your resume in order and up to date!!

-- If the union reps can not see the futility of 2 RCA's covering 11 routes with no help in sight, not much can be said, except you two gave it your best shot and it is time to look else where for employment. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart is doing away with its "greeters".

-- No sense in wearing yourselves down completely with no help on the horizon from both the USPS and the union.

-- Without more relief carriers, going Formula will not help in your situation. At least the regulars can keep their relief day, not that they will be able to use it!

-- With both the PM and supervisor leaving, probably not going to be pleasant under the new manglement members who probably will be given the ultimatum from on high to "get the office in shape" or their career will be over too.

"the wheels are coming off .."

-- More like there is just one lug nut holding the wheels on -- and it is loose!

-- Getting a good post office to work at and good manglement to work with is the luck of the draw and you both got dealt a bad hand.

-- According to Kenny Rogers, sounds like the time to fold'em.

 

[Skierstmoritz]

we have 11 routes, 1 of those is an aux and 1 is a hold down but the hold down person has been gone for months so its basically been a daily uncovered route. With that an leave, sick, X days to cover, thats alot for 2 RCAs to deal with. The PTF idea has been floated but as I mentioned in another post the union is fighting it. They do not want to have weekday days off. Both the union and management are under the belief that PTF = Formula. Our management typically rolls over whenever the union fights something. So I don't believe that PTFs and/or Formula is gonna happen. Management seems very disinterested now. The PM is retiring next month and the super is most likely leaving as well. We are constantly trying to hire. USPS website always has our position posted. Fliers in lobby, newspaper adds. Nothing works. The ones we do get to apply don't pass background. The ones that pass stick around for days, weeks, maybe a month and they leave. Last year 2 RCA's were hired that stuck around. No hires this year. I know this is typical for most offices and not just a problem at mine. I don't see a solution.

And starting tomorrow, because of constantly late trucks, our start time has been pushed back an hour, which means getting off later.

As I said, the wheels are coming off and there is no relief to be had. Its just a matter of time before me and the other RCA pull the plug. With no RCA's I have no idea what they will do, but that won't be my problem.

What about transferring to a smaller less hectic office? They are out there

 

[btdtret]

Ibpd16 -- How about "Skierstmoritz's" suggestion -- "transferring to a smaller less hectic office? They are out there.."

-- Basically just two conditions:

a. must have completed your probationary period of 90 work-days or 1 calendar year. ( I'll bet you completed the 90 work-days a l-o-n-g time ago. )

b. there must be an RCA vacancy in the new office.

Submit a written request to the new office - once accepted, the transfer will be effective within 30 days. ( the worst that can happen is you current post office can keep you for 30 days )

If interested, check out Article 30.2.F.1 and Step 4 ( P-115 ).

 

[Deer Smearer]

Ibpd16 -- How about "Skierstmoritz's" suggestion -- "transferring to a smaller less hectic office? They are out there.."

-- Basically just two conditions:

a. must have completed your probationary period of 90 work-days or 1 calendar year. ( I'll bet you completed the 90 work-days a l-o-n-g time ago. )

b. there must be an RCA vacancy in the new office.

Submit a written request to the new office - once accepted, the transfer will be effective within 30 days. ( the worst that can happen is you current post office can keep you for 30 days )

If interested, check out Article 30.2.F.1 and Step 4 ( P-115 ).

Just a word of warning. The PO position is they can force RCAs go to any other office to work.

They said T.F.B. when the NRLCA disagreed at step 4. Said to negotiate the item at next contract. Yeah, right.

 

[Skierstmoritz]

Deer- we haven't seen any of that in our area yet, thank God. Imho if the po tried that even more rcas would up and quit.

 

[lbpd16]

So they reminded us again yesterday of the new start time. I asked if dispatch time was pushed back 1 hour. Nope, same time, 5:15. I was barely making 5:30 when I started at 7:00.

Were told it came from district and there is nothing we can do about it.

 

[btdtret]

Ibpd16 -- "So they reminded us again yesterday of the new start time. I asked if dispatch time was pushed back 1 hour. Nope, same time, 5:15. I was barely making 5:30 when I started at 7:00. "

-- DO NOT RUSH!!

-- Use the favorite city term: Demonstrated Ability. Meaning with the new start time, you'll get back to the post office around 6:30.

-- Not your fault that manglement can not grasp the futility of stuffing 10.5 hours of work into a 9.5 hour day. Something a kin to stuffing 10 pounds of gazelle effluvium into an 9-pound sack. It still stinks no matter how hard you try.

-- How is that resume coming along?

 

[Voglio-il mio]

I was an RCA back when Amazon Sundays were first started, and was told that it was a new requirement for all RCA's to work. In response I told them that this was a new requirement that was not agreed upon when I was hired and accepted the position. As well as should they wish to enforce this new requirement they should consider advertising for a new RCA position because I will be giving my notice! Well as the story goes I'm still here. So maybe this same tactic can be used for request to being forced to work at other offices. I do believe when I was hired and even now, this is a part time position who's sole responsibility is to provide relief to their Primary Route assignment. Additional training on up to 3 other routes was optional. Should you decide to use this tactic you must do so with conviction and willingness to follow through or it wont hold water and come across as a shallow threat.

 

[Shafted]

Take your allowed 30 min lunch period. ( in the office always pisses them off ) haha. Make sure you miss dispatch a few times and you may get it put back. If your eval plus a 30 minute lunch break is more than the time between start and dispatch they can not move your start time to anything less than the eval. Grieve the shit out of that

 

[Rt2mailman]

They just did start Rca's from our office being forced to work in other desperately short handed (due to inept managers) offices, even when they have worked a full route at our office. Our Rca's caught on quick and slowed to snail pace on days they are told they will needed in other offices. They work 9-10 in our office , drive slowly on-the-clock with paid mileage to the next office and work for 1/2 an hour. Making it not worth the USPS's efforts to force anyone, they try to find volunteers who want hours instead.

 

[lbpd16]

I keep a steady pace no matter how much or how little mail i have. Pace stays the same. I usually take a 20 min break for lunch. If I take longer I can't really do anything but sit in the van. No cell access out in the country.

Not really interested in doing anything else. If I give this up I'll just go back to being retired.

I won't have to slow down not to make it in time. Its just not gonna happen on the route I usually run. But whatever the fine folks at District want is fine with me.

Had Amazon today. I brought back maybe 30 packages because of the bad scanner directions we are forced to follow to a T. I passed the correct box/address on most of them but the scanner said to keep going. So I did.

This is madness!!!

 

[Rt2mailman]

When there are Sunday parcels, even one, left for me on Monday, I just place them on the supervisor's desk. When questioned about them I say, "Oh, those aren't mine, they're from Sunday, would you like to pay me the time to do some Sunday work? ". They either have an aux carrier take them out or just write them up, because being a regular, when I do Sunday work it's time and 1/2.