RURAL CARRIER NEWS

Background Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the U.S. Postal Service is obligated to provide its employees with a safe and healthy place to work. The Postal Service proactively meets this obligation by implementing policies, procedures, special teams, and reporting tools related to workplace violence at facilities....

Rural Carrier Associate Nicholas “Nick” Hernandez was recently driving to work in Kihei, HI, when he spotted a blaze at a gas station. He checked if anyone was inside the burning vehicle and then grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher. As another person called 911, Hernandez remained there and assisted firefighters...

On October 1, 1896, the first experimental RFD routes were launched in Charles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla, WV. Five routes covered just 10 miles, and history was made when rural carrier Harry Gibson delivered the first piece of RFD mail. Gibson, along with Frank Young, John Lucas, and Keyes Strider, carried...

The Sunday/Holiday Parcel Delivery List posting starts on Saturday, September 13th, 2025. The RDWL must be posted through Friday, September 26th, 2025, and will be effective on Saturday, October 4th, 2025 Art. 30.2.P (in part)-An office-wide list will be established for substitutes, rural carrier associates, and rural carrier relief employees who desire to work...

Millions rely on the Postal Service for daily needs. Recent polls confirm that 91 percent of Americans living in rural communities strongly agree that the Postal Service is an “essential service,” and 94 percent say that mail and package delivery services are vital.  These results are not surprising. In many parts of...

While the bulk of House Democrats were speaking on the Capitol steps on Friday to express their opposition to the GOP-backed measure to avoid a government shutdown, a bipartisan quintet of lawmakers gathered a couple yards away to launch a new caucus dedicated to stopping certain U.S. Postal Service reforms,...

In the 250 years since its inception, the Postal Service has expanded from a handful of routes crisscrossing the Colonies into a 234,000-route network encompassing 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five major U.S. territories in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. To help mark the organization’s anniversary this...

Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the newly-appointed Postmaster General, David Steiner, urging him to course correct the unreliability and delays Missourians have experienced from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) under his predecessor. “USPS failed to meet its own nationwide performance targets in nearly every category, and the problem...

Starting in January 2026, you’ll be able to convert money in your traditional (pre-tax) balance to your Roth (after-tax) balance in your TSP account. This is called a “Roth in-plan conversion”. If you don’t have a Roth balance in your TSP account, your first Roth in-plan conversion will create...

There are certain rural carrier provisions that happen around the new Guarantee year and the end of the year.   Pay close attention to anything highlighted, or you may end up being surprised. Guarantee Year The new Guarantee year starts on October 5th, 2024 Carriers are paid overtime for all hours actually worked...