There are certain rural carrier provisions that happen around the new Guarantee year and the end of the year. I have summarized them below with links to more information. Pay close attention to anything highlighted, or you may end up being surprised.
Guarantee Year
The new Guarantee year starts on October 8th, 2022
Carriers are paid overtime for all hours actually worked in excess of 2,080, up to 2,240, within the 52-consecutive-week guarantee period.
If a carrier works more than 2,240 hours within the guarantee period, the agreement under FLSA section 7(b)(2) is considered void, and the carrier must be compensated for all hours worked during the guarantee period in accordance with FLSA section 7(a). More on the Guarantee period
High/Low Option Election
A Rural Carrier’s pay grows with the size of their route. In certain situations a Rural Carrier may have the additional opportunity of choosing what is called a “high option”.
This basically means they are requesting to work more hours per week, in order to receive more pay.
A rural carrier may choose the high option prior to the beginning of the new Guarantee year if certain provisions are met.
X days – Guarantee Year and Christmas Period
During the period that starts with the beginning of the guarantee period through the end of the designated Christmas period, a regular rural carrier who works the relief day and is entitled to an X day, must be given the X day as scheduled by the Employer within the same pay period in which the relief day was worked.
Regular rural carriers shall be prohibited from scheduling a previously earned X day from the beginning of the guarantee period through the end of the designated Christmas period.
If the X day is not received with- in the same pay period, the Employer will compensate the regular rural carrier 100% of the carrier’s daily rate of pay in lieu of the X day.
More on the X days during Christmas Overtime period
Annual Leave Carryover
Maximum Carryover Amounts
The NRLCA and USPS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreeing that for leave year 2022, regular work force career employees covered by the USPS-NRLCA Agreement may carry over 520 hours of accumulated annual leave from leave year 2022 to leave year 2023.