Help me figure this one out please !!

[irvmaillady]

If you are a carrier in a small office with two regular routes (both K's), and you have only one RCA  how do you decide who gets Saturday off? Route 1 carrier has no sub but is the senior carrier by 1 month. Route 2 carrier has a sub assigned to it. Route 2 carrier has been told that because she is junior carrier she MUST give up her sub of record, work ALL Saturdays and take another relief day. The sub doesn't want to loose her job but does not like to sub for Route 1.( She was the sub for route 1 years ago but went to route 2 when it became available--new sub was hired for route 1 and has since quit) This office has no relief day work list.

[Hmmm]

Unless it's been declared a formula office (which requires a whole 'nother set of protocols, and you should contact your assistant if that's the case), both carriers are entitled to have Saturday as their relief day.

Since there's a shortage of leave replacements, management can require the junior to work their relief day, or the senior can volunteer. Since neither is on the relief day list, whoever works their relief day will receive an X day to be taken at management's discretion (within 12 weeks) and a half day pay.

The RCA has to work the route she is scheduled on, but management cannot make her bounce off Rt. 2 if she doesn't want to. She is entitled to the hours on her primary, and the hours on Rt.1 until another leave replacement is hired.

[doug in illinois]

Time to contact your steward.

Find it hard to believe no matrix for relief day(s).

Need to pull in a RCA from another office if annual leave becomes an issue. You do indeed have problems right now, just don't let them compound.

I am afraid we will see more of this if the 5 day a week proposals keep happening. Why would anyone want to work for not much more than minimum wage as the new hires are with no guaranteed hours?

Maybe (mis)management will have to carry your route. I do feel sorry for the small offices with only the postmaster, as is mine when we used to also have two clerks.

It will eventually come to the point where if a carrier gets sick, either the route won't get delivered or the office won't be open because the postmaster will need to try to do a route or maybe more. Our system is broken, but our gutless union won't try to fix it. DOUG

[irvmaillady]

It is a mess indeed but can management make the junior carrier work EVERY Saturday when her route is the route that has the sub assignned to it? The problem, you see, is that the senior carrier refuses to "share" the sub till a new sub can be hired for her route. Her answer is "I am senior and I get to be off and that is that".

[bob1]

It is not up to the senior carrier to "share her sub", that call is up to managment and if you do not have a matrix or another sub being hired, managment is NOT doing their job.

[Vax]

   Carrier does not have to give up sub, if sub wants to transfer thats fine, if not she is the sub of record, Pm has to hire new sub, dont think she can schedule sub on other route , without carriers ok!   Want to alternate fine, but senior carrier with no sub, has no rights to the other sub!

[bob1]

To Vax...

Since when does a carrier "own" their sub?

[Grandma J]

This happen to me.  I was told by stewart that the Sr. carrier gets the sub on the day off.  But like if both wanted to take annual leave (day after Thanksgiving) who ever has a sub gets to use them.  There is a difference between day off and annual.  And since you are force to work the Saturday then you get to take a 3 Code because you didn't sign off.  If it is agreed then you take the X.  But the X day is not a day management picks it is agreement by both parties.  3 Code management picks.  I maybe wrong but this is what I was tolf.

[bob1]

"I was told by stewart ......."

Exactly WHO is stewart?  Do you meant the union STEWARD??

[Casca]

Route 2 has a sub.  No problem there.  Why would seniority even apply?

[Duh]

ART 8.5

When a regular rural carrier is needed to work a relief day, due to the unavailability of a
leave replacement, the Employer will:


1. Select carriers on the list, in order of seniority on a rotating basis, to work on the relief day.

2. If the need still exists, the Employer will accept volunteers from regular carriers not on the list before requiring regular carriers not on the list to work the relief day.  Such requirement will be by juniority.

Yes, the junior carrier has to work every relief day and they have to take a 3 if they haven't signed the RDWL.

[Casca]

then the PM should do this:

ASSIGNMENT OF NONSATURDAY RELIEF DAYS
Management may assign non-Saturday relief days in limited situations. In
those offices where there is an insufficient number of leave replacements and
one or more regular carriers are working relief days on more than infrequent
occasions, it may be necessary to change the relief day on one or more K
routes.
When management determines it is necessary to change the relief day on one
or more K routes in an office as a result of the above considerations, the
formula provided in Article 9.2.C.5.b. must be applied to determine the
number of non-Saturday relief days permitted in the office

[Wave]

So you think a two-route office should become a formula office, instead of just forcing the issue and making the PM hire an RCA?  Maybe they should convert the RCA in the office to a PTF.

[Casca]

Is it the PM's fault the RCA that was hired for that route quit?  All the PM can do is post the job, interview, and hire.  They can't make people apply.  We have the same problem in our office.  The job has been posted 3 times.  The first 2 times, the one hired quit within a month.  We're waiting on the list right now to hire for the third time.

I'm not saying convert to formula, just saying the PM has the option.   But you would think in 2 route office, the carriers would get along enough to alternate relief days until a new RCA was hired.  <<<  that is the saddest part.

[Casca]

or yes.  convert to the RCA to PTF.  But then one of them (route 2) has to take an alternate relief day, which also sounds like the main problem.  Both want saturday.

[Vax]

   They dont own their sub, regular cannot get rid of a sub, but a sub can go to another route, what I said is up to a sub to transfer to another route, if you have a sub their job is the route they are assigned to, and senior doesnt have a thing to do with it, you have a sub your off, you dont have a sub, you need to get PM to hire one for your route!!

[irvmaillady]

You hit the nail on the head...both carriers want saturdays off. Route 1 carrier is making life hell for route two carrier because she is senior carrier (by a month). PM does not seem to want to stand up  to this carrier...she just lets her do things her way... it has been a bad situation for about 4 years now and i do not see it getting better

[Vax]

   It doesnt, seniority counts for very little, except being last to go!

[WV Rural girl]

I think you would all be best served by contacting a union steward and letting that person sort it out thereby no one would be the "bad" guy. The ruling would be spelled out and there shouldn't be any problem after that. Of course, that is if the union steward knew the right answer.

[ctrr03]

Actually guys,   what happens is....beiing off goes by seniority.  Doesn't matter whether you have a sub or not.  If someone is needed to work, the Jurnion carrier is the one forced in.   So,   the senior carrier would be off UNLESS the Jr carrier has an AL or SL or X day before or after the J/K day.