Sent to Ruralinfo from a rural carrier
Dear Postmaster General,
We hear your words about the changes and how we need to be patient as you transform us into a better, more efficient, organization.
I know that I am not alone when I say our patience has turned into frustration. Over the years, our patience has been challenged on many levels; I would like to point out several. We have been asked to do more and more each year with less compensation.
In 2012, during arbitration, the arbitrator made the ruling that an engineering study should be done to determine the work that a Rural Carrier actually completed each day. It was an effort at a fairer compensation system. This was to be implemented in 2015. It is now 10 years later and when it was finally to be implemented it was delayed twice again.
According to the President of the NRLCA the delays are needed due to the lack of transparency in the USPS. Promises and agreements have been made, but alas, another instance of why should we have any trust?
The two-tier pay system has left frustration and is driving a wedge between the Rural Letter Carriers; it has also led us to be less competitive in today’s job market. With the current unionization drives that are ongoing across the United States which have resulted in higher pay and better benefits for workers, we need to ensure we are competitive.
We go years without proper/fair evaluations. The United States survived the pandemic on the backs of the American Postal Worker. The loads greatly increased, and rural carriers especially were not compensated for the extra work. This was not included in our evaluations for the routes.
We were promised vehicles more than 8 years ago that were safer. Each year we watch postal vehicles burn, catastrophic crashes, or carriers dying in the heat. How many have we lost? Any recognition for lives lost is only noticed when they show up on one of the most dangerous job lists.
We have carriers that are NOT receiving their actual pay on payday because of failures of management, and then it can take months to receive that compensation. We wait for raises due to us by the contract management agreed to, and yet they get delayed. Back pay takes months to receive. If there is an error in our favor, we receive a letter of immediate demand.
Again, we wait for our back pay as we waited for our raises. The union had to file a step 4 class action to get a date for our back pay that was not more than 10 months out. While we wait, management received an immediate raise.
RCAs were promised annual leave in this last pay period, but it is not there. It was in the contract, and it was supposed to be there 6 months after ratification.
One RCA per route has been the established practice, except that it seems we are being pushed into formula systems that make it more difficult to get time off. It leads to lower morale for career workers.
In offices big and small across the United States and the protectorates, shortages of employees and equipment are prevalent. I remember a time when taking the test was a goal for citizens. And, now we are losing career employees because it has become a less desirable position.
Whether it is not being properly compensated, working more than 12-hour days, the toll on the body, or not being able to get relief days/AL/SL the career carrier is leaving.
As we near 2023 and the changes that are coming to the USPS, please tell us how we are supposed to trust that this will work for the USPS to survive. Please tell us how further commutes, increased employee numbers in our work environments, and spreading our limited number of leave replacements further will make things better for us? Tell us how the improvement of facilities will make our service standards better for the customers on our route.
Will we be able to learn their names and develop the relationships that build the trust of our organization?
Mr. DeJoy, I love my job, but I do not love what it has become. I was proud to follow the footsteps of those that came before me, but now I am left sad and figuring out my options for the future.
A new 40-minute commute, the increasing number of parcels, and the hostile environments that many of us are working in should not be the rewards for a job well done.
Sincerely,
Rural Route 1
Every Town, USA
Feel free to use this to send your own letter to the PMG – Please encourage other rural carriers to do the same.
Address for PMG:
PMG Louis Dejoy
475 L’Enfant Plaza Southwest
Washington, DC 20260
So why do you bother to post this format, when you delete truth?
THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM.
TRANSPARENCY BRINGS LIGHT!
I am a 20 yr. employee with USPS. I was injured on the job in April 2022. When I reported the injury to my supervisor. I was called at home, and told not to come to work the next day, I was put on LWOP Emergency Placement. I filed work comp claim, it was denied July 2022. Forced to use all leave time for this injury. NO LEAVE TO USE NOW.. Almost November. USPS owes backpay due to grievance filed and settled. I was told by union NRLCA, and USPS Backpay Coordinator, reimbursement could take 6 months. I have no… Read more »
STRIKE. They break the contract all the time. You would be suprised how many people would actually follow. But writing a letter just ain’t gonna cut it. They know it’s all talk. Looks great on paper…
Clearly DeJoy needs to go! He’s trying to privatize us for his own benefit! I DO NOT want to have to drive up to a half hour to start my route and a half hour back after I finish my route to a super center!! That’s more gas spent, more wear and tear on the LLV, OT they don’t like paying and quite frankly, extra drive time I don’t want to be doing!! Also, where are they getting the money to build these super centers for multiple offices to be put into to deliver from?!? I completely agree we carried… Read more »
I retired 18 months ago after 36 years as a city letter carrier. Ì worked in an office with 18 rural routes, 2 contract and 22 city routes. I went through Covid and the Amazon explosion. The only constant in all my years was management abuse. Our office stopped it! We got together outside of work, wrote letters from over two months of documented instances and conversations and filed a class action EEO of Violence in the Workplace. It is not a grievance so management can’t cease and desist…and it costs the PO money.The first time a supervisor was removed…the… Read more »
All is true plus more in that letter. I use to be RCA,
I resigned. Management are a disgusting breed of people. The sheer volume of parcels, some days 3 or 4 hampters filled to capacity is like torture for 1 carrier. Its not even the mail, it’s all the other bs to deal with. Never again would I reapply.
I retired at the end of May, with a little over 28 years of service. I really wanted to shoot for 30, but with all the new things coming down the line I just decided to hang it up. With everything you do being based on the scanner I couldn’t help to see the routes being cut. But don’t blame everything on the post office a lot of problems we have are because of concessions that the union have made. Like making subs work on holidays and Sundays. How many subs did that drive off? Making subs work in other… Read more »
Yes absolutely positive I’m a mail handler for 28 years transferred from bklyn I live in Columbia south Carolina dejoy has got to go he’s running us like a business not a service I love my career to the fullest but these COVID rookies they better take note do what u do damn everyone cause the good ride will.come fast and don’t have a clue union proud always
I’ve been a city carrier going on 8 years. I remember at the orientation we were told what we’re signing up for, a lot of hours, inclement weather ect. I honestly didn’t mind it at the time. They never mentioned that we were going to be treated like animals. The level of disrespect that we go through in our station is unimaginable. We’re not asking for supervisors and managers to say thank you or kiss our asses. But when you wake up every morning to go to work knowing the type of environment we walk in, it’s very discouraging. Last… Read more »
Fire Louis Dejoy
One word for Dejoy, RESIGN!
Outstanding!
Good letter, but doubt it does anything . Just like beating your head against the wall . It’s pretty sad how we carried all those extra parcels during covid and received nothing for it !!! Someone was lining their pockets and it sure as hell was not the Rural carriers !! Too many chiefs and not enough Indians !! I have said this for years !!! The big wigs sit in their offices trying to figure out where to cut costs , why don’t they just look in the damn mirror !! These people get paid 6 figures , for… Read more »
Great Letter! Too bad PMG probably won’t read. I DON’T KNOW IF HE KNOWS HOW TO READ. I spent 35 years in P.O., most of that time as a Supervisor. HEADQUARTERS IS OVERLOADED WITH UNNECESSARY EXECUTIVES AND LAWYERS. YET THE COMPANY IS ALWAYS IN A FINANCIAL DIRE STRAITS. THEY TAKE A BIG BONUS EVERY YEAR WHILE DENYING EMPLOYEES AND SUPERVISORS A DECENT WAGE. THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT CUT THE WAGES OF THE ONES DOING THE WORK, AS WELL AS CUTTING BACK ON SERVICE TO THE CUSTOMERS. THEY DO NOT CARE HOW HIGH THE DEBT IS WHEN THEY TAKE THEIR… Read more »
Well said!!!
How can you write this letter and not mention what Amazon parcels have done to this craft and the increased work injuries and the difficulty in getting workmans comp approved in a timely manner ?
I was a supervisor for 20 years and yes both sides need to hammer something out. I took early out because we go to meetings and they would say. We got the city carriers now we are going after the rurals. People would make plans and I approve a day off then district cancels all leave. The kicker was never pay an rca more then 56 hours and if they say something then do the adjustments. So I was instructed to beat you for money. I got along good with my staff with give take on each side and I… Read more »
Rural Carrier here taking three trips a day serving 590 customers in 60 miles, who no longer shop locally but purchase everything from dog food to their kids buying bubblegum online mostly from the devil that starts with the letter A, in my personal vehicle which takes at least 2 trips usually three to fit it all in. I used to love my job. Now I despise trying to keep my personal vehicle going for this ungrateful organization. We can’t keep subs because they can’t keep up either. With all due respect….Screw y’all. You are obvious dumb to the situations… Read more »
I can see nothing has changed in 20 years. I was railroaded in 2000 and was relieved to be fired after 15 years. It was a living hell everyday. I never worked anywhere before the USPS, that supervisors would lie to cover their incompetence. It’s always the carrier’s fault.
Maybe we should sue De Joy personally and maybe they will take notice then?
If your not getting what your contract is agreed upon then your National Union President needs to be the hammer not the nail and start fighting for what agreed upon.
This was very well stated. I loved my job but it was turned into a hostile work environment, among other things.
Great job! Unfortunately this letter will fall on deaf ears. The rural craft is treated like a red-headed step child. Does exactly what is asked of it (sometimes more) and still gets treated poorly. We get no clothing allowance, lack of proper equipment (city carriers get their own floats and nicer cases), and have to often wait for city carriers to get accountables or load vehicles before we can go the loading dock. We’re the only craft to not get additional compensation for working during the pandemic. The vehicles we are given are duct taped and zip tied together with… Read more »
One thing you left out… Threats, intimidation, II’s and letters of warning for failure to be able to make evaluated times that are based on a 2018 count, pre-covid and pre-Amazon. And harassment of over 55 workers based on those same standards.
These are all true and I hope the PMG reads it at some point. Ill kiss your butt if the author is an RCA however. It reads like a state or even national officer wrote it and rural info .net is simply the trojan horse used to deliver it. Now to me, I had so much pride in my early years as a rural carrier. Now, I could honestly care less.The way the USPS has done us has ruined me. Ive got 1 more contract to work through then Ill be at my minimum retirement age and the USPS can… Read more »