The one time of year we all dread is now upon us. No, it's not Christmas, but it's the mail count. As we all know, this is the time of year that if you are on speaking terms with management, you won't be when this count is over. Either way, if you are prepared, you could make things a little less hectic, not to mention you can save your paycheck (or at least minimize the damage).

The three main areas to really keep a close eye on are Parcels  (col. D), Loading Time (col Q), and Other Allowances (Col. R). These are the areas where most of the disagreements come from.

Let's start with the easy one and that is Col Q, Loading Time. The thing to remember is loading time begins when you start moving the conveance to load your vehicle. Where things become contentious is when you don't have a conveance at your case and you pull down your mail and put it on the floor. In that case, loading time begins when you start putting mail on the conveance. Also, I would suggest you invest in a stop watch. Some managers have a tendancy to have a trigger finger and stop the clock while you are loading.

Next is Col D, Parcels. Here, the problems arise with the Do Not Bends and non rigid parcels. With Do Not Bend, the general rule of thumb is that if you can case the item without damaging what is inside of it, it is not a parcel. With non rigid parcels, the big thing here is the size of your case seperations, if it doesn't fit in the case with other mail, it's a parcel. Also the 80% rule does come into play. (See Postaltexans website for details on the 80% rule)

And finally, he is Col R, Other Suitable Allowances, This is the most contentious of all of them since this is where the biggest grey areas are. Keep in mind that anything that goes into this column has to be something that is recurring in nature. This is also the Column that upper level managers watch like a hawk.

In all cases, don't be afraid to ask questions. Whether it be on this forum, other online forums, or other carriers in your office. We all are in the same boat here and none of us want to do anything to harm other carriers. That is the idea behind a union, to help watch out for each other.

Good Luck

"May God give me the strength to control what I can control, the Paitence to deal with what I can't control, and the temperment to not beat up the jerk who is annoying me"

It has come to my attention that a rumor has spread about me getting married. I am here to tell you that it is not true. I have just recently me someone, but it's way to soon to tell if marriage is in the picture or not.

I'm not one of those people that would propose on the first date. Call me old fashioned here, but I'd like the idea of getting to know the woman before marriage even becomes part of the picture. Don't misunderstand me, if the subject comes up, I will have that discussion with the woman, but I wouldn't necessarily be making wedding plans at that point.

But fear not my fellow rural carriers, the minute I get engaged, I will make that announcement on here after I let my and her family know about it. Until then, my single status is still intact.

With this being an election year. The subject of politics tends to rear it's ugly head as we get closer to the General Election in November. There are many discussion boards devoted to various political persuasions, however, when it comes to the rural boards, then the subject becomes taboo to even discuss it.

As I type this, we are in the middle of the Primary season. For those that are new to politics, this is where voters in each party vote for their choice to run in the General  Election for that party. This year we will be picking a President,but some states will be electing Senators and all the Congressional seats are up for grabs. This is the time to begin looking at the candidates and start to find out who these people are. Keep in mind, though, at this stage of the game, the are campaigning to thier party base to get the nomination for the November Election.

What does all of this have to do with us and the PO. Well, since we are a constitutionally created organization (Listed in the powers of congress in Article 1 of the US Constition) These people play a big role in what our future may hold. For those of us that have been around for a while will remember that it was an act of congress that changed our retirement system back in the 80's, not to mention current legislation that is on hold right now on CDS routes. Not to mention other legislation that may not be postal related, but effects us as workers and our Union.

In future blogs, I will talk about the candidates in more detail as the general gets closer. I do this to educate people on where they stand on issues that effect us the most. One thing I will not do is endorse a candidate. I believe that everyone should make up their own minds and vote accordingly.