OPS Support - Rural Delivery

1. OPS Support - Rural Delivery

2. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Mail Count Results • District Standard hour change 6,360 • Avg 2 plus hours per route • Added 6,637 regular boxes and 512 centralized boxes • Overburdened route change from 750 to 362

3. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Classification Changes Before After H 95 212 J 163 454 K 2,226 1,818

4. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Route adjustments after Mail Count • Is Management required to adjust routes by increasing the evaluation for those routes that experienced a reduction due to the count? No • Are Rural carriers entitled to salary protection for a two-year period on routes when the evaluation is reduced below 40 standard hours? No • What is the guaranteed annual wage for a rural carrier? The salary is based on 40 standard hours. • When is a rural carrier entitled to “additional compensation” to meet their guaranteed annual wage? If a carrier is awarded a route with an evaluation of 40 plus hours, they will receive compensation of a minimum of 40 hours. If the evaluation has dropped below 40, we should add to the route to bring it up to at least 40 standard hours.

5. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Route adjustments after Mail Count cont’d 5. Are rural carriers entitled to a guaranteed annual wage equivalent to the route evaluation that existed at the beginning of the guarantee year, if the evaluation was reduced as a result of the count? No. 6. What happened to the route’s non-Saturday relief day when a “K” route becomes a “J” route? The relief day becomes Saturday and should be chosen by management. Can be a day other than Saturday if agreed upon. 7. When the “J” routes assigned relief day becomes Saturday is it necessary to recalculate the formula in the office? No. 8. If a carrier has accumulated X days as a result of working his/her relief day on a J or K route and the route is adjusted to an H route as a result of the count. What happens to the X days? Assuming there is an X day balance, those days can be scheduled even on an H route but must be scheduled within 12 weeks. 9. What is the rate of pay the carrier will receive for the X day that is earned while working a J or K route, but scheduled after the route becomes an H route? The X day will be paid at the current rate of pay when the X day is taken.

6. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Route adjustments after Mail Count cont’d 10. What happens to the RCA or RCR assigned as the leave replacement on a K route when that route becomes a J or H route? They will remain the primary on those assigned routes, but should be offered any vacancies on other K routes. 11. Is management prohibited from adjusting a route upward to an evaluation of 52 standard hours? No. 12. Is management prohibited from adjusting a route upward to an evaluation greater than 52 standard hours? No, but the evaluation should not exceed 55:47. 13. What is the definition of rural route consolidation? The combining of territories of two or more routes which results in the elimination of one or more of those routes. 14. Which regular routes are eligible for consolidation? • All vacant routes • All routes within one office if a vacancy exists or if no carrier will be excessed as a result of the consolidation.

7. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Route adjustments after Mail Count cont’d 15. Are there circumstances that would prohibit consolidation of vacant routes or encumbered routes evaluating less than 32 hours? Yes. If the evaluation of any route involved results in 55:47 or more standard hours. 16. Where are the principal provisions governing rural route consolidations found? Article 12.5.B of the National Agreement and Section 840 of Handbook M-38. 17. Can management use a vacant route to increase the evaluation of other regular routes in the office? Yes, under the following conditions: • If the entire route is eliminated through consolidation, a vacant route may be used to adjust other regular routes upward (provided the adjusted routes do not exceed 55:47 hours). • A vacant route may be used to increase the evaluation of other routes in order to provide a PTF with a minimum of two K route assignments. • A vacant route may be used to adjust other regular routes upward at management’s discretion. However, if one of the above circumstances is not present, the vacant route may not be adjusted below 40 standard hours.

8. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Route adjustments after Mail Count cont’d 18. If a vacant route is used to adjust other routes upward to provide a minimum two K route assignments in the office for each PTF, is there a limit to the reduction of the vacant route? No. If the vacant route is reduced to 26:00 standard hours or less as a result of adjusting other routes upward for this purpose, the route is then converted to an auxiliary route. • Routes in overburdened status i.e. over 55:47 should be adjusted if any of the following conditions apply: • Service/Dispatch Issues • 2080 Concerns • Requests received in writing from carrier • Substandard route evaluations as a result of the count 52:00 Standard hours is the target adjustment

9. OPS Support – Rural DeliveryPP 10 District ranked by % to Std PP

10. OPS Support – Rural DeliveryPP 10 District ranked % to Std Ytd

11. OPS Support – Rural DeliveryFY 08 – PP 10 Ranked by % to Std Ytd

12. OPS Support – Rural DeliveryYTD thru PP 11 DACA 3 & 5 Hours

13. OPS Support – Rural DeliveryTRC vs Reg Routes

14. OPS Support – Rural Delivery4240 Information – Route deviations • Route deviations – Express Mail • Detours • RTACS

15. OPS Support – Rural Delivery DPS Reviews • Daily recording of raw letters • Monitor daily raw letter volume vs DPS • Substantial changes in volume should be reported to the processing plant & MPOO’s office

16. OPS Support – Rural Delivery DPS Reviews • Once a written request is received the 30 day clock starts!!!! • If the correction does not take place within the 30 day period, the route(s) will be reclassified to Sector Segment.

17. OPS Support – Rural Delivery • Use of Rural Scheduler • Quickly provides schedules • Greatly enhances opportunity to monitor leave replacement work hours • Identify overtime • Prevents contractual violations in scheduling

18. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Employees projected to exceed 2080 Work hours • Reporting Times • Recording lunch breaks • Exceeding weekly evaluation consistently – DPS to street • Overburdened Routes - Route adjustments • Employees in “High” option with insufficent leave – change to “Low” – 4003 to OPS

19. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Employees projected to exceed 2240 Workhours • Discontinue DACA Code 5 payment • If employee must work relief day – ONLY DACA Code 3 & X Day • Employees on RDWL( Relief Day Work List) can be bypassed! • Overburdened routes – possible adjustments

20. OPS Support – Rural Delivery 2080/2240 Additional comments • Volume decline summer months • Identify poor work habits – Office or Street • Possible retraining

21. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Contractual Changes • Vehicle Incentives • Evaluation/Actual time – New RCA’s • Not on route 12 months • No further compensation requirement for Carrier Pickups

22. OPS Support – Rural Delivery Rural Delivery Website • http://blue.usps.gov/delret/L3RuralDel.htm