USPS rural carriers contract sets stage for privatization, does nothing to address wage theft through RRECS

The contract does nothing to address systematic wage theft through the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), a piecework-style system that determines pay not by the actual hours worked but through an opaque algorithm that evaluates how long a route should take to deliver. RRECS was imposed behind carriers’ backs through a side agreement between the NRLCA bureaucracy and USPS in 2022.

RRECS has already been used to slash thousands of dollars from rural carriers’ annual wages. Some workers have reported pay cuts of over $10,000 and, in extreme cases, even $20,000. More than two-thirds of all rural carriers have been affected. Despite widespread outrage, the system remains in place. It is referred to in the new contract, which speaks of an upcoming “next RRECS evaluation period.” In other words, further cuts are likely on the way.

USPS rural carriers contract sets stage for privatization

As expected, the deal is a virtual copy of the concessions-filled agreement imposed earlier this year on city letter carriers through binding arbitration.