Most of us who work in the rural carrier craft know by now that we will be receiving a $1497 COLA adjustment effective August 30th and will show up on our first paycheck in September. Because some us us lost over $2000 on the last mail count this almost brings us to just under even. Because I have a regular route in Cheyenne, I have no room to complain.

On the Wyoming Union level, we were trying to fight for rights of the RCAs that will not see an adjustment on their paychecks. As a steward. our hands are bound by the NRLCA contract. In state, we were trying to amend an LMOU for RCAs who have been left out of past COLAs. I cannot blame reliefs and RCAs for not wanting to be union members. I felt the same way when I was an RCA.

The only exception is that when I was an RCA, I could not get health insurance and at least now that is available for RCAs. But any steward with any ounce of conscience feels sick that many RCAs won't receive their COLAs until 2011. Our contract needs an overhaul!! If you have ever had the opportunity to read the NALC or the APWU contracts, you would agree that an NRLCA steward has less bargaining tools to use.

Besides the COLA problem I am hoping my NRLCA mentor Don Maston is working on this evaluted system for our routes. It is an archaic system for our craft. Some rural carriers are delivering overblown city routes!! Too many rural carriers are losing hard-earned money to raise their families. All of us, regulars and RCAs deserve a regulated and fair pay system.

It not only effects us but also those hard working carriers with children to feed and raise.

Yesterday was August 16th and I was told by my station manager to deliver a full coverage of Sears advertisments to my customers. These advertisments were dated by the customer's request for August 30 to September the 1st for a Labor Day sale. When I first noticed the full coverage, I asked my supervisor why were we delivering mail TWO weeks ahead of time?

The station manager eventually showed me a photocopied letter from the Colo/Wyo. District Manager, Selwyn Epperson, who wrote, "...due to the lack the mail volume, the process of color coding is unnecessary. Please inform all of your employees that mailpieces received at your station will be delivered upon arrival."

With this kind of management decision, our next mail count will become more disjointed. Our BMC centers could be totally emptied of customer's mail prior to our next mail count. If the color coding or requested delivery date by the customer is no longer an issue, there is less mail for the management mafiasos to hide.

Another issue that will be ignored on the NRLCA national level, but I believe it effects all of us. Not only is this effecting us, but the business customers who paid to have their mail delivered on the requested dates.

Someone on this site who works as a window clerk told me that he had to deal with an irate district representative from the Kohl's Department Store. Apparently, their bulk mail was delivered two weeks ahead of time and the Kohl's employees had to deal with irate customers looking for a sale that wasn't planned yet.

Hopefully, our large business customers received the same memo from Selwyn Epperson about the "change" in policy. These customers will be forced to drop off their mail at the time of their promotions instead of planning ahead and using the local GMF as a storage unit.

Maybe this is only a Wyoming/Colorado issue - but it effects us all - employees and customers.