Wow at the rumors being thrown out about a NATIONAL September mail count. Managers are telling carriers all over country that there will DEFINITELY be a mail count in September.. Is this true? Well yes and no….
THERE IS ALWAYS A MAIL COUNT THE LAST 12 WORKING DAYS OF SEPTEMBER!- What is important here is what kind of mail count there will be..
So lets try to clarify what WILL happen and what MIGHT happen.
First we have what we call a SPECIAL MAIL COUNT. That is a mail count that only certain routes qualify for. This happens every year..
Now, lets look at what qualifies a route for a special mail count…
There are only 3 circumstances that qualify a route for a SPECIAL COUNT (Article 9.2.C.11)
(1) When circumstances have negated the validity of the latest count and evaluation. No salary adjustments will be made as a result of the count unless the evaluation of the route is changed by 120 minutes (2 hours) or more.
(2) When an auxiliary route evaluates thirty- nine (39:00) standard hours or more. (This is the language in the previous contract.) (This is the language on auxilliary routes from the NEW arbitration award: Auxiliary routes will be converted to regular routes within 30 days of increasing to 42 weekly standard hours. If increase is a result of a mail count, then the conversion will be effective with the mail count.)
(3) Whenever a 120 minute (2 hours) or more salary adjustment is made on a route, whether due to a substantial service change or a route adjustment, and the density of the route after the change has been increased to twelve (12) boxes per mile or more or has been decreased to less than twelve (12) boxes per mile. (This means changed from L status to Non L status, or vice versa)
OK, so if there were only going to be a SPECIAL MAIL COUNT this coming September, then only those routes that meet the above criteria would be counted!
Next we have an option for the USPS to count ALL routes during the September “special mail count” period. If the USPS wants to, they can call for a NATIONWIDE count the last 12 working days of September.
This language comes from Article 9.2.C.3.4
(4) The Employer reserves the right to conduct a national count of mail for all rural routes during the last twelve (12) working days in September of any year. The Employer agrees to notify the Union at the national level at least thirty (30) days in advance of the commencement of the count.
IF the USPS exercises this option, then all routes would be counted and not just those that qualify under SPECIAL COUNT criteria.
Managers across the country are telling carriers it is a SURE THING. It is not a sure thing until the USPS notifies the NRLCA that they intend to call for a nationwide count. As of right now, anything you hear about a national count being a done deal is purely speculation, or a case of Districts jumping the gun on the announcement.
The USPS must notify the NRLCA by August 17th, 2012. So, take what you are hearing with a grain of salt. The USPS is probably chomping at the bit to reap all the savings from the new standards set in the arbitration award, but they also are probably considering that it is an election year. So, they probably have their fuzzy math pencils out right now calculating all scenarios. They may end up willing to roll the dice, or they may not. So, all we can do now is hurry up and wait! Clear as mud right?
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….so why doesnt the union just let them count whenever they want?…oh wait, they already do.
I appreciate the time and work that went in to researching and writing this article but I disagree with your conclusion.
One of the issues that makes the association so weak is because we are unwilling to anticipate a situation, any situation. This may range from the consequences of an MOU that we sign to this discussion of are we going to have a National September Mail Count this year.
I think it is better to prepare for a probable out come and be prepared for something than wait and be prepared for nothing, even if the wrong choice is made.
I think those who prepare are far more able to adapt to the situation than those who never prepared for anything.
It could be a membership has it’s privileges thing, or it could be that those who attend meetings will get the information they need, (what do I know.)
Legal council costs money, and the dues seem to just barely cover the minimum cost of running State and Local Unions as well as the National Unions.
The Union does, by law, represent everyone, but within limits. Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free heh?
Now, if they do a real mail count and not hide mail in trailers until the count is over!!!
you stole my thunder….was gonna ask ” what union?”
If you want to join a social club and pay for the priviledge, then the NRLCA is for you. However, if you are joining the NRLCA to maintain your wages and your benefits, you are not getting what you are paying for. Well, let me rephrase that, some individuals are getting what they are paying for and some are not. In my case, my wages are either stagnant or declining and have been for 12 years. Ergo, I don’t pay for an association that doesn’t deliver and cannot deliver. As long as there is an evaluated system the NRLCA cannot deliver in my case.
The NRLCA is a physical impossibility, it sucks and blows at the same time.
I have been hearing this accusation for 29 years. It is never proven. That is one of the many things I will not miss after July 31 when I escape.
I was given a stand up talk with other rural carriers about not falsifing stuff on count or about her being the only one to count in our office. It was like 20 or less minutes and didnt go over any mail count form or columns and procedures. We never signed anything stating a mail count conference was given to us. THe other office in district, it took him 45 minutes to go over everything with everyone. SO my understanding cause they failed to talk about anything on the check list and we didnt sign off on anything. We can opt out of mail count by contacting our state steward. I have gotten out of mail count before in 2007 cause I was off and never got the conference at all upon returning to work the next day.
It is proven. A co-worker has a friend at the dock. . They keep sending the trucks around town. Right now their cleaning house and emptying everything.. Mail has been heavy this last month.