Solving the Rural Carrier Relief Identity Crisis

I wanted to help clear the fog on all of the rural carrier relief designations and titles.

Most of today’s rural carrier relief carriers fall under one of these four designations

• Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs)—(Designation Code 78) – Rural carrier associates are those employees hired from a register or reassigned from rural carrier relief or auxiliary carrier positions, on or after April 11, 1987, without time limitation.
• Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs)—(Designation Code 74) – Rural carrier associates appointed via Form 50 to serve full time on a vacant route or in the absence of the regular carrier for more than 90 calendar days.
• Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs)—(Designation Code 79) – Rural carrier associates appointed via Form 50 after being assigned to the auxiliary route for more than 90 calendar days.
• Assistant Rural Carriers (ARCs) (Designation Code 70-5) Assistant rural carriers are those employees selected from a hiring list, without time limitation.

Below are some of the older designations.  Most of these are gone, but there still are a few I believe.

• Substitute Rural Carriers—(Designation Code 73) Substitute rural carriers are those employees hired prior to July 21, 1981, with an appointment without time limitation
• Substitute Rural Carriers—(Designation Code 72) Substitute rural carrier hired prior to July 21, 1981, appointed via Form 50 to serve full time on a vacant regular route or in the absence of a regular carrier for more than 90 calendar days.
• Rural Carrier Reliefs (RCRs)—(Designation Code 75) Rural carrier reliefs are those employees hired between July 21, 1981, and November 12, 1986, without time limitation.
• Auxiliary Rural Carriers— (Designation Code 77) Persons hired prior to 1981 to serve an auxiliary rural route without time limitation.
• Temporary Relief Carriers (TRCs)— (Designation Code 70) – Phased out  – Temporary relief carriers are limited term, non-bargaining unit employees who provide service as a leave replacement or auxiliary assistant or provide coverage on auxiliary routes or vacant regular routes.