This means war! If you attend branch and steward meetings, you have heard mesay this before. The Postal Service is outright attacking the city letter carriers. Each time a route count and inspection (RCI) has been conducted in any office within our branch, multiple routeshave been abolished. With the abolishment of routes, follows the lost of an 8-hour assignment and a city letter carrier job. The abolishment of routes, creates unassigned regular positions, which have a trickling effect on the conversion of City Carrier Assistants (CCA). Instead of being converted to full-time status, CCAs who are converted after reaching their 24 months of relative standing will be converted to part-time flexible (PTF) career status. The great news is the CCA is now a career employee; however, the bad news is in their new status management continues to control their work hours and their schedules as if they are still CCAs.

As a Union, we are confronting these flawed route count and inspections with grievances but as we all know; including the Postal Service, these are contractual grievances and they do not have precedence over disciplinary grievances; therefore, the certainty of when they will be settled cannot be determined. That is why it is important that we tackled this fight head on. I call it a fight because that’s what it is. It is a fight to save jobs!

I am asking each of you to refrain from requesting a special route count and inspection (271G). If your route is out of adjustment, submit a PS Form 3996 daily stating, Route out of adjustment” Let management do their job. Management is well aware that the majority of the routes within our branch have not been inspected in years. They know their obligation to ensure that all routes are adjusted near to 8 hours.

When a carrier submits a 271G, management uses their request to purposely go into an office and check not just the route that requested the inspection but other routes in the office with the intent to eliminate route(s). If management want routes inspected, they can request for the routes in theentire office to be inspected; just like they did at the DallasBeverly Hills Station.

The RCI team went into that office with the intent to eliminate six to seven routes. The carriers in that office work together diligently to defeat management’s plan. Prior to the inspection, the carriers were given a laminated card which contained a list of things to do each day. During the week of inspection, the carriers would gather together during break to gain information, more training and reminders. When the inspection was over, the RCI lead person announced to the office that there would be no elimination of routes, only the transferring of territory to adjust all routes as near to eight hours as possible; however, days later when the map of the station containing the changes to the routes were posted;management had eliminated one route.

Management was angry with the results of the inspection. They placed the blame on the union steward claiming she advised the carriers to intentionally walk slow, when all she actually did was advised them to do their jobs in the manner in which they are always to do. When they were unable to eliminate the large number of routes they intended to eliminate, they generated a way to eliminate one route by placing those eight hours from the abolish route onto other routes; intentionally making those routes over eight hours, which is a violation. This goes to show management has no intentions of following the guidelines of the M-39 when they conduct route inspections. That is why we need to fight back.

In this newsletter, I am sharing with each of you the valuable information used by the carriers at the Beverly Hills Station, that saved the lost of at least six routes. If management conducts a route inspection in your office, use these guidelines. Remember carriers are required to give their best effort while on the street; but there are no walking standards. Stop giving our routes away. The rules are there for your protection. Let’s fight together like we have never fought before

RULES TO FOLLOW FOR A SUCCESFUL ROUTE INSPECTION

AM Duties

• Grab Scanner to Clock On

• Check Out Keys – Vehicle Inspection

• 10-Minute Office Break

• Take Mis-throws to Hot Case

• Pull Spurs from Gondola – Case W/Flats or Tray

• Pull Down, Place 1st Walking Drag in Satchel

• Put Mark-Ups Away (ANK, IA, NSN)

• Personal Needs Time While Still on Office Time (722) 5 minutes-Use for Restroom, Getting Ice, Raingear, Etc.

• Move to the Street (721), Grab DPS, Use Load Feature at Vehicle While On the Street

• Place Seatbelt On (Use Horn When Backing)

• When Placing Vehicle in Park, Curb Wheels, Turn Engine Off, Set Handbrake, Lock Vehicle (Repeat This Each Time)

• After Each Drag, Business, or Apartments Do Your REVIEW MAIL and HYDRATE!

• At Apartments Service One Box at A Time (Clean Out 1 Box)

• Comfort Stops (Before/After Lunch)

• 30-Minute Lunch, 10 Minute Street Break (DO NOT COMBINE LUNCH OR BREAKS at any point)

• Drive Back to Station, Park Vehicle (DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!) Go Inside Get Gondola, Unload Vehicle

• Put Away Raw Mail/Empty Equipment/Mark-Ups/3M Mail

• MV 722, Return Keys, Gas Card, Certifieds, Etc.

• Use The 5-Minute Wash-Up Time

• End Your Tour