Zero mail on the first day of mail count

[flashaholic1]

Well, if those DPS letter tray(s) are tagged and marked as DPS and those mail pieces are included in the end of run report for DPS why would those mail pieces NOT be counted as DPS ? If all of that mail is common address mail and goes by lot number or something, you MIGHT be able to get sector segment credit for it.

They're not included in my daily DPS count (but they do know the amount of DPS it gets each day). The trays also aren't tagged with my route number. It's weird. This trailer park used to be it's own contract route until just recently so probably why they don't know how to count it. My supervisor says she is contacting district about it.

 

[neciat]

Okay, for count purposes, letter mail is in one of three categories, DPS, raw, and sector segment. If those mail pieces are not DPS letter mail, then they are either raw or sector segment. Sector segment has some criteria to meet.

 

[neciat]

I see and understand what you are saying , PastOThirty, but because flasaholic1 DOES NOT sort that mail when he / she gets there , it could qualify as sector segment. I got this from the count guide regarding VPO mail.

Village Post Offices (VPO)-Mail Count Procedures During a mail count, the actual time spent separating and casing the mail into the post office boxes will be recorded on a daily basis in Column 17, Other Suitable Allowance. This time begins when the rural carrier unlocks the centralized boxes and ends upon locking the centralized boxes .

I'll have to do some more looking / research.

 

[flashaholic1]

District got back to my supervisor and she says that each tray of mail will count as a parcel. That seems ridiculous to me for obvious reasons. Since when do we count the number of trays of something during a mail count? It's always the individual mail pieces that are counted. My steward thinks it should be considered 999 or sector segment and absolutely disagrees with them being counted as parcels. The reasoning for 999 is because each tray has a label printed with the address, followed by "S999". My supervisor refuses to accept counting the letters individually, because in her words "what else do you do with it?". I mean, yeah I get that it's "cheap" or easy credit and that's why they don't want to give it to me. But I don't care because as a step 1 table 2 I need all the credit I can get, and counting trays of mail as parcels doesn't make sense!

So far my route is looking like a high 40k with them counting the trays as "parcels". I may be filing a grievance soon.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Mail labeled 999 is either sector segment or raw letters. If they have the same address but different space #’s I’d say sector segment mail. If different addresses it’s raw mail. Good count now, bug you’ll take a big hit for Rrecs pay.

 

[RDruckus]

Also, this shed can't be unlocked with the arrow key. It is padlocked and you have to walk up to the booth and ask for the key (which I get dismount credit for). It is very strange and I don't know any other route in my office that has anything like it. I consider it easy credit for packages and flats because it takes less than 10 minutes to scan and drop everything off. And so far they have been counting each outgoing letter from there individually.

I'm sorry this wasn't ironed out in a pre-count conference.

You should get more than dismount distance.
I think you are owed Column 17 time for this padlock nonsense. I don't know if that starts at the dismount, or starts at the place where you ask for the key.

I think the fact that you don't cull the mistakes from the trays may be a problem. How can we, as carriers, protect the sanctity of the mail if we are giving over mail to a delivery to which it was not addressed?
I believe you should be pulling out the 3M mail, and that would mean each tray is not a parcel.

The person who set up this delivery point for your route, in my opinion, did not perform their due diligence.
I'm glad you are talking to the union, keep fighting for your evaluation.

 

[flashaholic1]

Excellent insight.

@flashaholic1 do you handle pars (forwards) labels and 3m (missent—wrong zip, missort- wrong route, and missequenced- out of order)?

Or does the receiving agent write by hand all forwards?

The receiving agent does all that. It's just the way it was always done for years when it was a contract route. There's hundreds of units at this trailer park so it would be impossible for me to remember all the names and forwards. The letters also don't come in order, it's basically just raw mail for that park.

 

[neciat]

@flashaholic1 Just make sure you are getting a piece count for that park mail, even if you are the one that must do it, each and every day. Keep your numbers and have your counter(s) put those numbers on the bottom of the 4239 in the comments section and after the number of pieces have them also notate "disputed". This can be one of your reasons or even the only reason you do not sign off on agreeing with the final count numbers. You can file on that issue now or wait until the last day of count and file then.

 

[Dumbassclerksyndrome]

Flashaholic 1….DONOT sign anything at conclusion of your count!!!!

 

[flashaholic1]

My steward got in touch with the DR and apparently the trays ARE considered parcels if it's a "Firm Direct" drop point. If it's not, then the letters have to be counted under column 1. My steward think it's not a firm direct drop point but I'm not so sure. She is going to try and find out if it is or not.

All I could find about "Firm Direct" is the definition on the USPS website which says that it's "Mail to a company or business that, because of volume, justifies a separation on the primary or secondary sortation of incoming mail. The mail is generally tied in bundles and delivered intact to the business delivery address."

All their flats, raw mail and packages have to be sorted and separated by me. The mail in trays isn't tied in bundles either. Is that still considered firm direct? I have no idea. I've heard my supervisor use the term "Firm Direct" before, though, when referring to the park on my route. Guess I'll find out soon.

 

[Gotrope]

I believe the direct refers to over 8 pieces to a single delivery. They credit as a parcel

 

[RDruckus]

I believe the direct refers to over 8 pieces to a single delivery. They credit as a parcel

I've heard the same thing, but only in relationship to flats.
These flats are given to the carrier in a bundle.

 

[FrozenToes]

My steward got in touch with the DR and apparently the trays ARE considered parcels if it's a "Firm Direct" drop point. If it's not, then the letters have to be counted under column 1. My steward think it's not a firm direct drop point but I'm not so sure. She is going to try and find out if it is or not.

All I could find about "Firm Direct" is the definition on the USPS website which says that it's "Mail to a company or business that, because of volume, justifies a separation on the primary or secondary sortation of incoming mail. The mail is generally tied in bundles and delivered intact to the business delivery address."

All their flats, raw mail and packages have to be sorted and separated by me. The mail in trays isn't tied in bundles either. Is that still considered firm direct? I have no idea. I've heard my supervisor use the term "Firm Direct" before, though, when referring to the park on my route. Guess I'll find out soon.

My experience. My schools used to be firm directs. Received the parcel credit. Clerks would toss all the mail in a tub. I would deliver tub. Then I started to handle some of the raw flats, letters etc. The Union, in my area, position was : If it is a firm, I should touch nothing. PM got tired of clerks handling the raw. I now get piece count.
To sum it up. The position was either it's all or nothing.
All mail is presented to you in trays or tubs. You touch nothing. Parcel credit.
If you handle any mail. Letters,flats or parcels. Piece count for everything.

 

[flashaholic1]

Honestly, I'm not going to bother fighting the firm direct thing anymore. DR thinks it's a grievance he can't win and I'm afraid management will just retaliate by converting all their mail to firm direct for the sake of consistency.

The numbers are in, and even with trays counting as parcels my route went from a 41k to a 47k. I'm only overburdened by 6 minutes (55:53) so right now I'm trying to find anything I possibly can to deduct from my totals. It's frustrating because my route just had to get slammed with hundreds of Medicare booklets and a boxholder and an abnormally large amount of parcels today. No doubt I would've been a solid 46k had it been a normal Thursday.

 

[Dumbassclerksyndrome]

Honestly, I'm not going to bother fighting the firm direct thing anymore. DR thinks it's a grievance he can't win and I'm afraid management will just retaliate by converting all their mail to firm direct for the sake of consistency.

The numbers are in, and even with trays counting as parcels my route went from a 41k to a 47k. I'm only overburdened by 6 minutes (55:53) so right now I'm trying to find anything I possibly can to deduct from my totals. It's frustrating because my route just had to get slammed with hundreds of Medicare booklets and a boxholder and an abnormally large amount of parcels today. No doubt I would've been a solid 46k had it been a normal Thursday.

47k = 43k

 

[RDruckus]

Honestly, I'm not going to bother fighting the firm direct thing anymore. DR thinks it's a grievance he can't win and I'm afraid management will just retaliate by converting all their mail to firm direct for the sake of consistency.

In future counts, or mini counts, make sure this issue is addressed at the precount conference.

 

[PapahSmurf]

Honestly, I'm not going to bother fighting the firm direct thing anymore. DR thinks it's a grievance he can't win and I'm afraid management will just retaliate by converting all their mail to firm direct for the sake of consistency.

The numbers are in, and even with trays counting as parcels my route went from a 41k to a 47k. I'm only overburdened by 6 minutes (55:53) so right now I'm trying to find anything I possibly can to deduct from my totals. It's frustrating because my route just had to get slammed with hundreds of Medicare booklets and a boxholder and an abnormally large amount of parcels today. No doubt I would've been a solid 46k had it been a normal Thursday.

Just out of curiosity do you currently have Amazon drops? This precise thing happened 4 months before Amazon started dropping parcels. They used the new aux to help with the parcels on other routes that became overburdened, only because Amazon didn’t count.

Essentially became a free full time route.

 

[Deer Smearer]

Honestly, I'm not going to bother fighting the firm direct thing anymore. DR thinks it's a grievance he can't win and I'm afraid management will just retaliate by converting all their mail to firm direct for the sake of consistency.

The numbers are in, and even with trays counting as parcels my route went from a 41k to a 47k. I'm only overburdened by 6 minutes (55:53) so right now I'm trying to find anything I possibly can to deduct from my totals. It's frustrating because my route just had to get slammed with hundreds of Medicare booklets and a boxholder and an abnormally large amount of parcels today. No doubt I would've been a solid 46k had it been a normal Thursday.

Easy way to lose 6 minutes is to close 2-3 boxes.

 

[flashaholic1]

Easy way to lose 6 minutes is to close 2-3 boxes.

I wish. There might be a couple vacant boxes I forgot to update in the red book but management says it's too late for that. Guess I never expected to gain so much that I'd be overburdened.

I found some other stuff where the numbers on my Rural Delivery Statics Report don't quite match what's on my photocopied 4239s. And a couple of broken parcel lockers on my route that I think shouldn't count. And at least 80-90 people didn't get a boxholder yesterday because I didn't have enough. Management says we can discuss it tomorrow. Hope they are willing to try and reduce it. I can't imagine they actually want to go through all the work of doing a bunch of route adjustments over 6 measly minutes.

@PapahSmurf Yes, we get lots of Amazon here.

 

[neciat]

I believe the direct refers to over 8 pieces to a single delivery. They credit as a parcel

You may be thinking of the " 8 pieces or more from DPS ( closed business for example ) are considered a parcel " while 7 or less are individual piece count ( raw letters ).