Ibpd16 -- "My office is short of clerks. One quit yesterday, another is transferring out, and another is retiring. The RCA that is ahead of me is thinking about taking a Clerk PSE position. She will likely become career clerk in just a few months. There may be one or two more of those positions. What are the benefits to taking that position? Benefits, salary, union, schedule? If anyone knows."
-- First off, no doubt you would have to resign your RCA position, take the clerk exam, and have no guarantee you'd end up in the same post office. Then again your PM might know someone, who knows someone, etc.
-- Most will probably agree that you would make regular sooner as a clerk than as an RCA, so you would have more time as a regular, hence a higher pension - maybe.
-- At least most of the work is inside and or under cover. Hopefully you have "people skills" if you end up on the front window!
-- Ask "Why?" of the clerk who quit and of the one who is transferring.
-- You will find clerk web sites which have about the same things to say about their leadership as do the rural carriers. Not that it really matters, but it was the APWU contract ratification that led to the two-tier pay system for the rest of the unions and the creation of the "assistant" positions in the other unions ( PSE, CCA, MHA, and eventually the ARC ).
-- They do have the NTFT clerks whose "full-time" job is 30 hours.
-- You could end up in an office in which you have a one or more hour break in the middle of the day, then come back to finish up.
-- And you will finally be hourly.
-- The APWU covers clerks, custodians, mechanics, and probably many other career paths.
-- Research before you leap!
