Did rural carriers just get screwed??? Help me out here..

[Postaltexan]

NALC-USPS Reach New Agreement
On Expedited Route Adjustments
Contract Delivery Halted, New Work for City Carriers
Moratorium on Contracting Out Extended 3 Years!

I am especially concerned with the paragraph in bold..


NALC President William H. Young announced that NALC and the Postal Service have signed two new
Memoranda involving city carrier work. The first would implement an expedited process to adjust city
carrier routes. The second would ban new Contract Delivery Service routes in offices where city carriers
work alongside rural carriers for the remainder of the 2006-2011 National Agreement — extending the
existing moratorium for another three years — and assign new deliveries to career letter carriers rather
than to contractors.

The Memorandum of Understanding on an Interim Alternate Route Adjustment Process was developed
over weeks of intense negotiations with the Postal Service led by President Young and Executive Vice
President Fred Rolando. The agreement grew out of months of extended discussions and operational
testing conducted by the National Task Force on an Alternative Route Evaluation Process created by
the 2006-2011 National Agreement. It was also intended to help the Postal Service respond to the
serious negative impact on USPS volumes caused by the global economic crisis now battering the U.S.
economy.

The Memorandum of Understanding on the Assignment of City Delivery extends the moratorium on
delivery outsourcing through November 20, 2011 and sets out new rules for assigning new deliveries in
offices where city carriers work with Highway Contractors or Rural Letter Carriers.

● In offices with just city delivery and Highway Contract Routes (HCRs), all new delivery points will
be assigned to city delivery, with the exception of in-growth on existing HCRs.

● In offices with both city and rural delivery, new delivery work will be assigned in accordance to
boundaries developed by the NALC, the NRLCA and the Postal Service — where such boundaries
exist. In the absence of such boundaries, new deliveries that are not associated with in-growth on
existing rural routes or HCRs will be assigned to city carriers — though the USPS may sometimes
assign it to other forms of delivery if assignment to city carriers “results in inefficiencies.” In those
cases, NALC would have the right to challenge such decisions in a new national-level task force
created to oversee the new interim process.

“At a time when the Postal Service and the country are facing an economic crisis
of historical magnitude, I am encouraged that we have been able to work with postal
management to find win-win solutions to our common problems,” Young said. “I want to
thank Fred Rolando and our team at NALC as well as Postmaster General Jack Potter and
Doug Tulino (Vice President for Labor Relations) for all the hard work that went into these
negotiations as well as for the constructive manner in which they were conducted.”

Share of Future Growth
In view of the dramatic fall in mail volume, many carriers will have territory added to their routes in the
coming months. But the union expects that the agreement will significantly reduce the level of pivoting as well as the number of assignments being withheld by postal management. And by engaging with postal
management in a serious way, the NALC has achieved two of its most important goals. First, we have put a complete stop to new delivery outsourcing in all offices that employ city letter carriers. Second, for the first time in more than 15 years, city carriers will gain a substantial share of new delivery work.
In 2006, NALC set out to confront the threat of Contract Delivery Service (CDS). We have now
successfully done that. The Article 32 Committee established by the National Agreement will continue to
work, focusing on a review of 700-800 routes in “protected offices” to determine which are CDS and which are HCRs. Those found to be CDS routes will be terminated.

In addition to stopping the expansion of CDS, we have secured significant new deliveries for city
carriers.

Although the growth in the number of new deliveries has moderated in recent months due to the
severity of the nation’s housing and mortgage crises, NALC members will finally win a significant share
of new deliveries — deliveries that should have been incorporated into city delivery in the past. This will
become an increasingly important source of jobs as the economy recovers.

“NALC is a union that does not believe in putting our collective heads in the sand,” Young stated. “In
the face of the economic challenges facing the Postal Service, we cannot afford to sit back and let fate
take its course.”
“We owe it to ourselves and our families to work with the Postal Service to preserve its viability and
strength to serve the people and businesses of this great country,” Young added. “I believe these new
MOUs serve the best interests of both the Postal Service and our members.”

http://www.nalc.org/news/bulletin/PDF2008/Bull08-20.pdf

[*SUPERsub*]

That one just sucks...Id bet the farm that our union has already signed this too...otherwise why would the NALC release this? surely they arent that stupid? i mean honestly? OMG...its like having the Fox guard the hen house...and thats an apt comparison from my stand point.

[*SUPERsub*]

I guess no one sees it this way but us...? Maybe we are either really long on foresight..or everyone else is really short on longsight...lmao....anyhows..I see it as a loss.

[sharp1]

omg--
 why in the world would they do that? they complain all the time that hte city carriers cant get in on time and now there going to put the new deliveries on them . that makes perfect sense to me how about you?
we are consistently under time and we are more efficient than the city side yet we arnt allowed to have the new growth. i simply do not understand the "logic" of the USPS or the unions. are they really trying to run this business in the ground like it shows each time it issues a MOU?

[...]

there is one way for the nrlca to fight this ,get an mou that insists every office have city rural boundaries,although they have saved us from new growth going to cds, they kept it all to themselves, we need action now

[ctrr03]

I might be wrong, but.......in house would mean that if the new growth is on your route already, then it is yours.   However, what isn't clear is any new subdivisions or streets that go in.   I do have one street on my route that is a city delivery.  Been that way forever.   I once asked about having that street made rural and I was told by my then state steward that we do not fight for existing territory.   Even the city carrier that served that road thinks it's dumb cause he has to travel up my route to get to it.

Now, I sent this to my state steward and he told me this is NOT how he reads it.  He said that ANY new growth on rural territory would stay rural.   OK.  if that be the case, then how do these highway contracts get any territory.    Guess we'll have to just wait and see what happens when a new subdivision goes in somewhere.   (Sure hope it's on my SS's route).

[Postaltexan]

I sure hope you are right.. 

What I am confused about is where they say where no boundaries exist, it will go to city??

I am assuming it goes back to the NRLCA/NALC territory disputes where they are working
on clearing up the backlogs where grievances were filed.

I will need to look up the agreement again, but this thing still makes me nervous..

We had a very bad situation in our area with these territory disputes. 

There were a few routes that were in dispute and ended up going to the NALC. 

The regular carriers on these routes were more or less excessed from their office..

They ended up holding routes from going regular in an office about 30 miles from
their original office... And the reg. carriers had to take the open routes...

This is a bad situation for all involved.  The regulars losing their routes in the
office they had worked at for years, and RCA's at the new office losing any
hope of going regular anytime soon..

This new thing still sounds it will be giving new growth to the city craft instead
of rural if it is not already in rural territory...  

I wonder what they are considering territory where no boundaries exist?

This could be interesting...

On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 4:40 PM, ctrr03 (No Reply) <[hidden email]> wrote:

I might be wrong, but.......in house would mean that if the new growth is on your route already, then it is yours.   However, what isn't clear is any new subdivisions or streets that go in.   I do have one street on my route that is a city delivery.  Been that way forever.   I once asked about having that street made rural and I was told by my then state steward that we do not fight for existing territory.   Even the city carrier that served that road thinks it's dumb cause he has to travel up my route to get to it.

Now, I sent this to my state steward and he told me this is NOT how he reads it.  He said that ANY new growth on rural territory would stay rural.   OK.  if that be the case, then how do these highway contracts get any territory.    Guess we'll have to just wait and see what happens when a new subdivision goes in somewhere.   (Sure hope it's on my SS's route).

[Michael]

P.T.  Didn't the Postal Service, the NRLCA, and NALC have a sitdown and determine what was going to be city and what was going to be rural to keep from going through this process? I think its been a few years ago when Gus was in office.

[Postaltexan]

Yea they did...  And they should still be following those guidelines.  This is why I am so baffled by this..  It say where no agreement exists, the territory will go to city..   Im just not sure what that means.  

I guess I am just wondering what they consider new territory.  The wording is what has me baffled..  

I just wish we had some clarification from the NRLCA on this.

Maybe I am just used to us getting screwed that I always expect it...

[Postaltexan]

Ok, here is an update on this issue.  What I am hearing is that the NRLCA was caught by surprise on this thing and did not know anything about it..  They are supposed to be looking into it.

From what this story says, it seems they will be getting the work that would normally go to contract routes?  Still not too sure of this NALC MOU that seems to block us from future growth..  Again, I wish someone would give us some clarification on this thing.  


NALC Stops Delivery Outsourcing in the USA

Moratorium on Contracting Out Extended 3 more years!
The campaign of UNI Postal affiliate NALC to stop the use of contract workers to deliver mail the United States advanced dramatically this fall when a new agreement to prohibit outsourcing in letter carrier workplaces was reached with the United States Postal Service.

NALC President William H. Young announced in November that National Association of Letter Carriers and the Postal Service had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that bans new Contract Delivery Service routes in all offices where city letter carriers work. The prohibition will remain in force for at least the remainder of the union’s 2006-2011 contract. The MOU also assigns new deliveries to career letter carriers rather than to contractors.

“In 2006, we set out to confront the threat of Contract Delivery Service -- we have now successfully done that,” Young said. “We have closed the low-road of poorly paid, non-union contractors to the Postal Service and stand ready to work together with postal management to provide high-quality, affordable service to all.”

Contract delivery became the fastest growing type of delivery in 2005 as the number of outsourced delivery routes more than doubled between 2003 and 2006, costing the NALC some 5,000 jobs. NALC launched a three-pronged campaign to combat outsourcing in January 2006 – taking legal action to stop the practice, making an outsourcing ban a top priority in contract negotiations, and seeking a legislative ban in Congress. This approach, combined with a grassroots program of protests and informational picketing involving tens of thousands of members in dozens of cities across the country, resulted in a new labor agreement that initially banned outsourcing for six months. The new agreement reached this fall extends the moratorium on contracting out through the end of the union’s current contract.

“We have saved thousands of good union jobs with decent pay and conditions by using all the tools available to our union,” Young told his members in November. “Thanks to our tens of thousands of e-Activists and the solidarity of our membership, we not only rallied the public and the Congress to our side, we also helped protect the quality and integrity of our nation’s postal service,” he added. (The Postal Service agreed to negotiate a ban after a majority of Congress endorsed a legislative ban.)

In addition to stopping the expansion of Contract Delivery Service, NALC has also secured new delivery work for unionized city carriers. Although the growth in the number of new deliveries has moderated in recent months due to the severity of the nation’s housing and mortgage crises, NALC members will finally win a significant share of new deliveries -- deliveries that in recent years have been outsourced. This will become an increasingly important source of jobs as the economy recovers.

Neil Anderson, Head of UNI Telecom said this is great news and a beacon of hope to other unions that they can fight outsourcing and win.

A video on the NALC’s campaign was prepared for the union’s national convention in August. Other information is available on the union’s website at www.nalc.org or by contacting Jim Sauber at [e-mail].

http://www.uniglobalunion.org/UNIPostal.nsf/0/D4FB1906195155E6C1257515003516B0?OpenDocument

[gjtrisa]

This was in response to the practice of giving all new deliveries to contract work.  AMS had already designated "ghost" routes in the system so that all new boxes were going to the contract routes.  This MOU only applies to contract employees and we are not contract employees.

 

Trisa

 

 

 

In a message dated 12/04/08 16:27:44 Mountain Standard Time, [hidden email] writes:

Ok, here is an update on this issue.  What I am hearing is that the NRLCA was caught by surprise on this thing and did not know anything about it..  They are supposed to be looking into it.

From what this story says, it seems they will be getting the work that would normally go to contract routes?  Still not too sure of this NALC MOU that seems to block us from future growth..  Again, I wish someone would give us some clarification on this thing.  


NALC Stops Delivery Outsourcing in the USA

Moratorium on Contracting Out Extended 3 more years!
The campaign of UNI Postal affiliate NALC to stop the use of contract workers to deliver mail the United States advanced dramatically this fall when a new agreement to prohibit outsourcing in letter carrier workplaces was reached with the United States Postal Service.

NALC President William H. Young announced in November that National Association of Letter Carriers and the Postal Service had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that bans new Contract Delivery Service routes in all offices where city letter carriers work. The prohibition will remain in force for at least the remainder of the union’s 2006-2011 contract. The MOU also assigns new deliveries to career letter carriers rather than to contractors.

“In 2006, we set out to confront the threat of Contract Delivery Service -- we have now successfully done that,” Young said. “We have closed the low-road of poorly paid, non-union contractors to the Postal Service and stand ready to work together with postal management to provide high-quality, affordable service to all.”

Contract delivery became the fastest growing type of delivery in 2005 as the number of outsourced delivery routes more than doubled between 2003 and 2006, costing the NALC some 5,000 jobs. NALC launched a three-pronged campaign to combat outsourcing in January 2006 – taking legal action to stop the practice, making an outsourcing ban a top priority in contr act negotiations, and seeking a legislative ban in Congress. This approach, combined with a grassroots program of protests and informational picketing involving tens of thousands of members in dozens of cities across the country, resulted in a new labor agreement that initially banned outsourcing for six months. The new agreement reached this fall extends the moratorium on contracting out through the end of the union’s current contract.

“We have saved thousands of good union jobs with decent pay and conditions by using all the tools available to our union,” Young told his members in November. “Thanks to our tens of thousands of e-Activists and the solidarity of our membership, we not only rallied the public and the Congress to our side, we also helped protect the quality and integrity of our nation’s postal service,” he added. (The Postal Service agreed to negotiate a ban after a majority of Congress endorsed a legislative ban.)

In addition to stopping the expansion of Contract Delivery Service, NALC has also secured new delivery work for unionized city carriers. Although the growth in the number of new deliveries has moderated in recent months due to the severity of the nation’s housing and mortgage crises, NALC members will finally win a significant share of new deliveries -- deliveries that in recent years have been outsourced. This will become an increasingly important source of jobs as the economy recovers.

Neil Anderson, Head of UNI Telecom said this is great news and a beacon of hope to other unions that they can fight outsourcing and win.

A video on the NALC’s campaign was prepared for the union’s national convention in August. Other information is available on the union’s website at www.nalc.org or by contacting Jim Sauber at [hidden email].

http://www.uniglobalunion.org/UNIPostal.nsf/0/D4FB1906195155E6C1257515003516B0?OpenDocument

 

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[Postaltexan]

Trisa, so, are ALL of the deliveries that they WERE going to make contract routes going to the NALC?

This is what I am worried about..  If new territory does not fall under the rural/city agreement, does that mean that the NALC will get all of the new territory that comes up?  A large number of routes that they like to contract out are what could be rural routes...  Are they going to give them routes out in the boondocks if they do not line up with a current rural route?

It just sounds fishy to me....

[gjtrisa]

I wish the language was clear but I was told that it will not just go to the NALC.  We will see.

 

Trisa

 

 

 

In a message dated 12/08/08 11:14:02 Mountain Standard Time, [hidden email] writes:

Trisa, so, are ALL of the deliveries that they WERE going to make contract routes going to the NALC?

This is what I am worried about..  If new territory does not fall under the rural/city agreement, does that mean that the NALC will get all of the new territory that comes up?  A large number of routes that they like to contract out are what could be rural routes...  Are they going to give them routes out in the boondocks if they do not line up with a current rural route?

It just sounds fishy to me....

 

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