Non Binding Resolutions passed in 2007

[Postaltexan]

Ron Sewell reported these to us directly from the 2007 National Convention.  Here is his comment
concerning the non-binding resolutions:

    As some of you read, we spent more time arguing about a courtesy resolution (almost an hour, actually)
    and we ended up passing all 144 non-binding resolutions without debate


Non-Binding (<> indicate grouping):

<other>

1. A new exceptional period of time, recognized for the six (6) weeks prior to a national presidential election, be subject to the same contractual provisions as found in the national agreement in article 9.2.k (Christmas Overtime Period).

2. In addition to the usual seminars held at our national conventions, the NRLCA shall schedule a steward informational seminar to be conducted by the step 3 grievance specialists and our legal counsel.

3. The National Agreement and the ELM be revised to grant periodic step increases to any injured on duty employee despite not meeting the restriction of actual work credit.

4. The National Agreement shall be revised to allow for one local steward for every 30 employees in any office.

5. No action shall be taken by management regarding projected annual work hours such as,but not limited to, bypassing a regular carrier on the relief day work list until pay period 12.

6. The contract negotiating team for the National Rural Letter Carrier Association regularly post information on it's web site to keep the membership aware of what is happening during future contract negotiations, especially details concerning what the association and the USPS are proposing.

7. The NRLCA Negotiate exemption from Disciplinary action for Rural Carriers with approved sick leave for scheduled medical appointments.

8. Rural Letter carriers be given the ability to opt out of participation (this shall include all mailings directly related to same) in these functions

9. The NRLCA move forward with the National Steward program as expeditiously as possible

10. We work to change the FMLA and postal directives or memoranda to allow for siblings and grandparents to be covered by FMLA.

11. Clerks shall fold the newspapers to make them a workable delivery size.

12. Any Non-career USPS employee shall be eligible to submit suggestions for the improvement of the postal service and be able to compete in any incentive program for reward/compensation.

13. The USPS work on standardization of box holders and marriage mail inserts. The number of inserts should be limited and should not extend further than the cover sheet.

14. All postal jobs openings are made available through the web site or another appropriate method (paper annoucements to all post offices) to all Rural Letter Carrier Association members immediately.

15. The Policy regarding mail box size shall be modified to phase out the smaller box units in use today and replace them with large full-sized mail boxes.

16. Hours spent in an LWOP status doing Union work be included in the calculation of the 1250 hours worked.
(note: This is for FMLA purposes)

17. The National Office shall pay all costs incurred by those Officers/Stewards required/requested to attend.
(note: This is for National Meetings for Officers and Assistant/State stewards)

18. Neither the USPS nor the NRLCA shall release lists of carriers' addresses and phone numbers for the purpose of commercial solicitation with the exception of GMAC, Atlanta Postal Credit Union, aremark and any who are the NRLCA "preferred vendors". We encourage commercial enterprises be referred to The National Rural Letter Carrier Magazine for advertising.

19. USPS Accident reports shall document whether DPS was taken to the street, if the carriers had boxholders, the number of bundles they were working/concentrating on at the time of the accident.

20. When an auxiliary route reaches 39 hours, the auxiliary route should be converted to full route status within two (2) months.
 
21. A system for transferring be created using Liteblue.

22. The USPS shall provide the rural carriers an index of proper codes for upkeep of the edit book.

23. The NRLCA negotiate with the USPS that all TRC's hired as an RCA are hired at the beginning of a pay period.

24. A carrier may donate one day of sick leave to their District per year. The District Manager and the State President will oversee the disbursement of this leave based on need.

25. An RCA, after 90 days of being hired, shall become eligible to bid on any career position in the USPS.

26. The NRLCA shall negotiate a standard uniform with the USPS for bargaining unit employees.
(Note: This has to do with CDS carriers wearing a uniform)

27. At the request of an Assistant or State Steward, management, in conjunction with the NRLCA, will form a committee in that state which shall consist of, one manager, the district workplace assessment specialist and the State Steward. In addition, a rural craft supervisor or a craft employee needs to be reassigned.
(Note: Violence in the workplace issue)

28. Change Article 32.4 to: "The employer and he union agree that in those instances in which delivery is provided by highway contract box delivery routes, the appropriate office of distribution networks will furnish relevant cost information to the state steward at least six (6) months prior to any contract delivery route being renewed."

29. We compliment the National Board on it's picket with the NALC and encourage them to continue in all efforts to thwart CDS routes.

30. Carriers who receive notification that they are on the projected 2080 list receive no further discussions regarding this issue by management until July 31 of that year.

31. Any National Officer who is in the National Guard and is called to active duty shall retain his or her position and shall be eligible to be re-elected to that position while on active duty.

32. The state board that took the extra effort are to be commended and more state boards be encouraged to do the same for all further contract proposals.

33. The NRLCA endeavor, by whatever avenues possible, to convince the postal service to maintain rural delivery that the American public has always placed their trust and dependence upon.

34. The NRLCA enter into discussion with the USPS to insure that rural carriers are not allowed to drive during a declared state of emergency unless the USPS assumes liability regarding cancellation of vehicle insurance or ticketing from law enforcement for the rural carriers who are directed to drive during the state of emergency.

<vehicle>

35. In the event of a gas shortage, the Postal Service shall provide the opportunity to purchase gas through their vendor at a location that gives priority service to rural carriers.

36. The NRLCA and USPS contact the auto manufacturers to produce larger RHD available.
 
37. The NRLCA request the USPS negotiate with the automobile manufacturers in an attempt to develop an affordable right hand drive vehicle for the rural craft.

38. By 2011, carriers shall have the option to be compensated for their own vehicle or elect to have a right hand drive vehicle or elect to have a vehicle supplied by the USPS.

39. Rural carriers who provide their own vehicle be given one day a quarter to do scheduled maintenance on their cars.

<salary>

40. Salaries of RCA's should be based on length of employment or number of routes worked.

41. A leave replacement who works in multiple offices in one day should be paid actual mileage from their assigned office to the neighboring office.

42. Modify Article 9.2.A.1.i to require overtime compensation for hours worked in excess of 10 hours in any one work day or in excess of 48 hours in any one week.

43. Regular carriers working their designated holiday shall be compensated at 150% of the daily rate of pay.
Further resolved: Regular rural carriers working their designated holiday shall be eligible for annual leave earned in lieu of holiday leave pay.

44. Each day relief carriers work will count toward their first step increase as a regular carrier.
 
45. Step increases shall apply to RCA's in the same manner as the apply to regular carriers after a set period of employment.
 
46. Step increases will continue every three years after step 12.
 
47. Rural carriers will be compensated at level 6 pay with no further penalties attached to that pay regarding time standards, delivery SOP, or any other reductions in rural time standards and compensation.
 
48. Rural carriers will be compensated at level 7 pay.
 
49. That all PS 8127 payments will state pay period and year duty was performed in actual hours and minutes. Also a new code system be developed to specifically identify the reason for payment(i.e. carrier pick-ups, curtailed mail, additional mileage, training, etc.).
 
50. The NRLCA negotiate that carriers required to work holiday be compensated at the same rate as carriers who are required to work their relief day.
Further resolved: Management shall use the same parameters when mandating carriers to work their holiday as they use for mandating those to work their relief day.
 
51. Regular carriers shall be paid actual hours worked or evaluated hours, whichever is greater, for all days worked in pay periods containing holidays. Compensation shall be at 150% for all hours worked over the routes daily evaluation.
 
52. RCA's shall be paid actual hours worked or evaluated hours, whichever is greater, for all days worked in pay periods containing holidays. Compensation shall be at 150% for all hours worked over the routes daily evaluation.
 
<work rules>
 
53. All carriers who do not receive a full-day's relief after any leave period or relief day be compensated at a rate equal to 150% their attained step level as computed on a hourly basis. This include leftover mail, case labeling, or other duties uncompleted while they were on scheduled leave.
 
54. Carriers be allowed to use LWOP to have their route vehicle repaired or when vehicle breaks down and they are unable to finish the route.
 
55. When a customer has met the guidelines for delivery as outlined in M-38 Section 410, management must affect delivery to said customer(s) immediately.
 
56. When working the day after a holiday, bargaining unit leave replacements shall be compensated actual time worked or their route's evaluated time - Whichever is greater.
 
57.Mileage and time shall be paid by the postal service to and from the closest public restroom facility for every 2 hours of route time.
 
58. Edit books and 4003's shall become one document and updated as such.
 
59 Article 13, Section 3: [No] Light duty assignments In the rural carrier craft, at any local installation, regular rural routes shall not be considered for any light duty assignment.
(Note: the words inside the brackets ([]) is wording to be removed for existing language)
 
60. Any deviations or second trips mileage shall be compensated at five(5) minutes per mile.
 
61. Two (2) hours per week shall be built into all rural route evaluations to compensate each rural carrier for two 10-minute paid breaks per day.
 
62. A newly appointed regular carrier will have the opportunity to sign on the relief day work list. If the carrier wishes to be on the relief day work list, they must do so in writing to their Postmaster/supervisor within 14 calendar days of being appointed as a regular rural carrier.
 
63. Carriers shall be allowed to gas up the delivery vehicle and be covered en route to or from work without losing the liability coverage.
 
64. Carriers are not required to sign the high/low option until after they receive final mail count evaluation from management.
 
65. The no layoff clause shall be extended to all rural bargaining unit employees.
 
66. Routes can not be adjusted below a 45K level without the carrier's agreement or management's need for operational concerns.
 
67. Rural routes shall be allowed to grow to a 48K.
(note: this is for FSS implementation)
 
68. Leave requests submitted in advance must be approved or denied by management within 72 hours from submission.
 
69. A carrier may not serve more than 90 consecutive days in a 204-B position without returning to active duty on their route for at least 30 consecutive days.
 
70. A continuing primary leave replacement assignment vacancy shall also be offered after 6 calendar months have passed since the last offering of the vacant assignment for the route.
(note: has to do with substantial change to the route)
 
71. Management can not require probationary employees to be utilized on more than three routes during the first 90 calendar days of employment.
 
72. A newly hired leave replacement shall be placed on the route that has been without a leave replacement the longest of those rural routes currently without leave replacements.
 
73. Those leave replacements who work in a dual appointment be limited to PMR or casual appointments only.
 
74. Leave replacements working in a dual status be required to complete the daily duties for the rural route to witch they are assigned, and sign off of the rural route prior to undertaking any other work assignment.
 
<Time Standards>

75. The national officers shall not agree to time standards without first having performed time studies that prove rural carriers will be paid fairly with the new time standards.

76. The NRLCA Board will not accept fixed time credits, such as reloading, stamp stock, and withdrawal time, to be used in rural route evaluations.

77. In addition to the 18 seconds credited per scan, any mail piece bearing a delivery confirmation identification shall be given a parcel credit during mail count regardless of shape, size or weight.

78. A parcel is defined by it's size and shape with no bearing to it's weight. The Handbook PO-603 should be changed to reflect that prepaid parcels which are accepted/collected, will be credited under Column O, Ordinary and Insured Parcels Accepted, defined by size and shape, regardless of it's weight.

79. Any simplified addressed mail that has the characteristics of a parcel, be counted during the official count periods as a parcel.

80. A minimum and a maximum size for box holders shall be established for all box holders.

81. A time study shall be conducted to count the number of manual scans per day and actual time to input data.

82. More time shall be allotted per scan.

83. All mail in flat tubs, regardless of the size, shall be counted as flats.

84. A method of compensation shall be determined whereby regular rural carriers who voluntarily perform duties not normally associated with their normal route assignments can be fairly and justly compensated for these duties.

85. Increase in unload and reload time to 30 minutes per week.

86. For the purpose of mail count, use DPS end of run annual totals to determine daily average. This daily average will be multiplied by the number of days scheduled for mail count.

87. Increase the time standards for DPS because shapes and sizes have changed since introduction of DPS.

88. A SPR must be credited with at least 15 seconds unless it is creditable as a higher time value.

89. Box holder credit during mail count shall be the weekly average of all box holders received by that route during the previous year.

90. Rural Letter Carriers receive a waiting time allowance credited under Column R for traffic lights on their routes.

91. For carriers choosing to case DPS mail, the evaluated time allowance for DPS letters shall be transferred from standard route time to standard office time for purposes of determining scheduled leaving and return times.

92. The official route mileage shall start at the authorized loading area, proceed following the official line of travel to each active delivery point( to include pulling in and out at each box or authorized dismount point) and end at the authorized unloading area.

93. If the fueling location is not on the carrier's line of travel, use the following formula to compute the daily average deviation and include it in the total route mileage: Fueling mileage, deviation times daily route miles, times six, divided by 100 miles per fueling equals daily average deviation.

94. Carrier pick-up pay should reflect the actual number of packages picked up and the number of trips to the locations of the packages.

95. When a carrier must pick up more than 5 parcels at one location, the carrier shall receive 30 seconds for each parcel in excess of 5 at that location in addition to the 2 minutes, 3 minutes, or 4 minutes already in place. In the event a carrier is required to go back to the pick up location after delivering all of his mail to retrieve the pick up due to inadequate room to hold the volume, the carrier shall receive actual time for the deviation plus the afore-mentioned compensation.

96. ALL routes with privately owned vehicles have at least 30 minutes per week included in their evaluation for daily vehicle inspection and necessary fueling.

<Benefits>

97. Withdrawn due to duplication.

98. Carriers shall be allowed to donate sick leave as well as annual leave to those that request leave donations due to medical reasons.

99. Six day auxiliary route carriers shall be granted holiday pay.

100. The postal service pay RCA's health insurance based on a percent per year worked.(e.g., 1st year - 10%, 2nd year - 20%, etc.)

101. The NRLCA hire a retirement support specialist.

102. Rural Carrier Associates assigned to vacant and auxiliary routes shall receive the same compensation for jury duty as Regular Rural Carriers.

103 After serving one year, leave replacements (with the exception of TRC's), shall receive one paid day per year.

104. Sick leave may be taken in increments of 4 hours, which equals 1/2 day.

105. The NRLCA shall not agree to concessions for the reduction of the USPS health care contribution until the USPS cost for health care cost/craft work hour of rural craft employees, reaches the health cost/craft work hour of APWU represented employees.

106. If a rural carrier does not take health insurance coverage, the USPS will pay compensation for not providing coverage.

107. FERS employees shall be cashed out for un-used sick leave upon retirement.

108. Upon retirement FERS employees shall be allowed to 1/2 of accumulated sick leave be credited to years of service.

109. Good Friday shall be observed as a paid holiday.

110. Allow leave replacements (excluding TRC's) to join the Thrift Savings Plan.

111. RCA's shall be given benefits after 90 working days.
 
<EMA>

112. Adjustments will be made monthly based on the average cost of a gallon of gas as reported by CNN.

113. If a carrier requests a postal vehicle be furnished to his/her route, the post office shall furnish said vehicle or reimbursement for personal vehicle use by carrier shall be the equivalent to the cost of operating an LLV/postal vehicle.

114. EMA calculations shall be generated with a floor of no less than 125% of the standard IRS mileage rate.

115. EMA shall be adjusted monthly in accordance with regional updates.

116. The EMA rate shall be calculated monthly and shall contain an emergency clause that states: any time the nationwide average of a gallon of fuel increases by $.25 per gallon in a 30 day period, carriers will be paid an additional $.05 per mile.

117. Rural EMA shall be increased by 10 cents per mile added to the base in addition to all other compensation currently calculated in the EMA.

118. The USPS and NRLCA negotiate a new formula for vehicle compensation that accurately represents the cost to maintain a reliable vehicle on the route.

119. To meet the future price fluctuations in all vehicle operating costs, the EMA rate shall be adjusted pursuant to changes in the expenditure category for the private transportation (unadjusted index) as issued in the CPI for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) or according to prevailing fuel prices, or whichever is higher.

120. EMA shall be removed from the National agreement and negotiated in a separate agreement covering only vehicle expense for all carriers providing a vehicle to carry their routes.

<Automation>

121. The NRLCA and the USPS shall come to an agreement on the rebuilding of routes to buffer the impact of FSS.

122. The NRLCA shall negotiate for protection of existing routes with a rebuild clause.
Further resolved: The NRLCA shall conduct studies regarding the impact of the change of standards.

<Grievance procedure>

123. The NRLCA shall negotiate with the USPS a process similar to the NALC Dispute Resolution Team.

124. Interest shall be paid automatically for arbitration decisions awarding back pay for any disciplinary suspension or removal for employees represented by the NRLCA.

125. Sentence 2, paragraph 1, of article 16.7 shall be stricken from the EL-902.
(Note: this has to do with the step 3 waiver when appealing under the Veteran's Preference Act.)

126. MOU .5 of the EL-902 shall be rescinded and rendered null and void.
(note: Arbitration waiver if employee seeks resolution through the MSPB)

<mail count>

127. The Average time a Rural carrier has to wait on DPS mail shall be added to Column R time and included in all future mail counts.

128. The NRLCA shall not negotiate nor accept a contract that schedules a mail count prior to the ratification date.

129. When an auxiliary route reaches 39 hours, a special mail count will be scheduled within two (2)months.

130. All Mail counts shall be held for a full 30 days in the month of September.

131. Carriers shall not be required to opt in or out of a mail count until after the pre-count conference.

132. Rural carriers shall have the irrevocable right to "opt out" of any future mail count. Management will not have the right to "opt in" on any future counts.

<Leave Replacements>

133. RCA's will receive COLA increases at the same time as regular carriers.

134. The NRLCA shall seek to have this condition changed, to cause to allow a carrier's RCA (RCR) time to count towards career employee benefits. The most appropriate method used , in specific benefits sought to be effected, to be determined by the National Executive Committee.

135. Leave replacements be given the opportunity to complete VOE surveys.

136. The principle of seniority established in the National Agreement shall be the deciding factor in filling the vacancy.
(Note: this pertains to 2 or more leave replacements apply for a transfer into the same office that has one vacancy in the leave replacements ranks)

137. The NRLCA encourage the USPS to efficiently hire leave replacements in a timely manner.

<Relief days>

138. The relief day be linked to the individual carrier in the order of seniority in that particular offices.
(Note: in formula offices)

139. Carriers in formula offices be allowed to choose rotating relief days and management shall be required to offer as many Monday relief days as Saturday Relief days.

140. In Formula offices, allow carriers assigned to a J route to have the option of taking Saturday or a Monday relief day.

<Retirement>

141. Regular carriers receive credit for hours actually worked as a leave replacement towards their retirement.

142. When a leave replacement goes regular, they have the option of buying back time served as a leave replacement towards retirement.

143. Time employed by the USPS as a leave replacement shall count towards retirement.

<supplemental>

144. In the event of the death of a spouse or minor child or stepchild living with the employee, five (5) days of bereavement pay will be granted. In the event of the death of a parent or spouse's parent, children or stepchildren not living with the employee, grandparents or spouse's grandparents, three (3) days of bereavement pay shall be granted. In the event of a sibling's death, aunt's or uncle's death, two (2) days of bereavement pay shall be granted.