The National Board has been receiving numerous reports from the field
concerning problems with the 2008 National Mail Count. In addition,
information has been and continues to be provided by rural carriers to
the respective state steward, the respective NRLCA Executive
Committeeman, or other National Officers regarding the mail count. All
reports and information are being reviewed and investigated. Because
of the volume of information being collected and the time required to
review and evaluate such material, the National Board determined that
it was necessary to initiate a grievance at the Step 4 level in order
to protect the interests of all rural carriers. Therefore, a Step 4
level grievance has been filed by President Pitts. The National Board
will keep the membership apprised of any significant development
related to this grievance.
The NRLCA has finally given the national union web site a face lift... It looks good to me... Much easier to navigate although I havent tried the search yet. Your old log in will not work though.. You will have to sign up for a new one.
One thing I did notice is the the RDMT section of the site is gone... Or at least I didnt find it... That is too bad because that was an excellent reference even though it did need to be updated...
It also gives us a choice to sign up for newsletters and updates... Lets hope this is a step in the direction of keeping the membership better informed....
Some have asked if I have ran my count numbers... Yes I have and I am
down 3 hours and I am mad as hell. Everyone is mad as hell.. and with
good reason. Some have also asked my feelings on the mail count... So,
remember you asked for it, so here it goes....
I do believe
there is manipulation of mail flow going on. I do believe they work
overtime to purge the mail the week before a mail count begins. I do
believe that they offer the mailers some type of incentive to slow down
the mailings during a mail count period. I do believe they hide and
shuffle bulk mail during the count period. I also believe they will let
the mail flow the week after count ends without a worry in their minds.
Why do I believe all of this?? Because we have and will let them. Ever
heard of BOHICA? Bend Over Here It Comes Again... We invite them to the
BOHICA fest time and time again.
We have continued to have a
death grip on the evaluated system no matter what they do... And, in
return they continue to manipulate mail counts.
Every time our
standards have been reduced, we speed up. We end up running ourselves
back to the same level of under time we had before the standards were
changed. Every time something is brought up about going hourly, those
that still feel the “incentive” in this system jump up and defend it.
We are like hamsters on a wheel. Running after who knows what... That
glorious hour or two that we get to leave early?? I keep hearing lets
get the standards fixed.. We can repair this.... Oh really, as a good
friend of mine likes to say “How we looking now?” Don't forget, we have
FSS on the horizon. If you think that wont reduce our evaluations, you
better take some time and read up on that...
Last I heard
approx. ½ of our craft was running under evaluation, and 1/2 were
running over. Does this not just jump out and bite you on the butt??
Half of our craft is killing themselves to get done while the other
half is taking that glorious hour or two they get when they are done
under evaluation. This system no longer works for approx. ½ of the
craft the way it was intended. The evaluated system has always been
based on the incentive it provided. It created efficiency.. It worked
for both sides... The USPS and the rural carriers. And, again, I say,
“How we looking now?” Is it still working for you? Even after this
massacre of a mail count?
Some say hourly will not solve all
of our problems... Some say we will be micromanaged like the city
carriers are... NEWS FLASH!!!!! We are being micromanaged now... Anyone
ever heard of RDOIS?? If you haven't go to work tomorrow and ask your
postmaster... He will know exactly what you are talking about and
probably has been tracking you through it on his computer. Ever heard
of ERMS? Ask your PM about that too.. Ever had them push you to go
faster? Ever had them tell you that you weren't working to standards?
Ever had them harass you over 2080? Ever heard the words “thats
included?”
We have allowed all of this to happen by not even
considering that the evaluated system no longer works for us. We have
allowed ourselves to end up with manipulated mail counts time and time
again.
Are you mad about this mail count?? Are you mad because your mail volume suddenly disappeared?? NEWS
FLASH!! You haven't seen anything yet until you get counted in a May
mail count under FSS.... You think this mail count is a massacre.. We
will need gallons of vasoline for that one.
Do you think
quitting the union is the answer? Go ahead... And the next time you
don't like a contract that is presented, guess what?, you will have no
say.. Some say lets go to the media, or even Congress... Sounds like an
idea, but what exactly are you going to tell them? The USPS manipulates
the mail flow during a mail count... The very first question any of
them are going to ask is what proof do you have.... Does anyone out
there have solid substantiated proof that the USPS is manipulating mail
flow? If you do, send it to me and I will contact Congress and the
media... We can all say we know they do it. But without some kind of
proof, anyone we go to will laugh us out of the building.
If
we really want to make a change, we, meaning ordinary rural carriers
will have to start something to make a change at the ground level.
Ordinary rural carriers, like myself and all of you have two very
important rights in this association. One, you get to vote on contracts
like we did when they offered us the extension... Yea, we ended up with
about the same thing, but there was a little improvement that came out
of us voting that thing down. Two, you get to vote on the delegates
from your state that you send to represent you at the National
convention. These two things are basically the only power ordinary
rural carriers have. So, what can we do to change things?
We change the delegates we send to the national convention.. Plain and simple...
I
hear time and time again how we keep electing the same old delegates
who vote in the same old people over and over again. Let me ask you
this.... Did you vote on your delegates last year? Did you even know
what they stood for when you voted? I see time and time again a blurb
in my state paper that says vote for me.... but nothing that tells me
why I should vote for them. Guess what, I don't vote for them. If I
don't know how they feel about important issues in this craft, then
they don't get my vote.
So, my point is, for those of you that
are tired of all the same old crap, the same old people, are you ready
to do something about it? Are you ready to do something more than just
gripe on a message board? Are you ready to step up to the plate? The
first thing we need to do is get people to vote for their delegates in
the first place. The 2nd thing we need to do is get the word out about
the delegates in your state. If we don't get carriers start voting we
may as well get used to the BOHICA fests. Over and over again.
Myself
and a few others are working on something to help us do just this. It
will require collaboration from many people. It will require carriers
from every state. If people do not step up for this, a few of us cannot
do it... It will not be possible. And the same old song will continue
to play.
For those of you who want to hear that same old song
over and over in your head every day, do nothing. Keep griping while
doing nothing... We will keep checking back to see how thats working
for ya..... But for those of you out there that want to do something
but don't know where to turn.... Stay tuned. We are working on a plan
and will provide more details in the future...
Think about
it... Its time to make a commitment to something.. It is time to do
something. I will spend my free time trying to make this thing work if
you will step up to help me.. Stay tuned...
AND
Never
doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has..
The title of this article alone is a slap in the face...
ADDING UP THE RURAL ROUTES. On Saturday, Feb. 23, the Postal Service
will begin counting more than 70,000 rural routes. Significant changes
in mail volume, standard credits and mail make-up have prompted USPS to
conduct this largest rural count ever. A half-hour video, The
Importance of Accuracy, hosted by USPS Delivery Operations Manager Jim
Kiser, highlights the important steps that must be followed to conduct
an accurate rural count. The video will be shown on PSTN-19 at 2 p.m.
today, tomorrow and Friday. Employees assisting with the count should
view the video at least once.
What I wouldnt give to be able to see that video...
While they work so hard to reduce our
evaluations, do the local postmasters and managers not understand
that it will hurt their office budget? I have always understood that
a good rural mail count helped the office budget. They highlight the
"Importance of accuracy". How accurate can it really be
when the USPS holds all of the cards. They have the ability to offer
price breaks to the mailers, they have the ability to manipulate the
mail flow from the plants, they have the ability to intimidate and
harass carriers with threats of their jobs, They have the ability to
send out USPS mailings ahead of the count to insure we do not have
credit for a full year of the numerous mailings the USPS sends out.
They began spouting their expected route cuts and potential savings
from this count months ago.
We received a response from a National
union officer concerning Advo/Valasiss mailings, although not an
official response, it was a response none the less. It called us
"egocentric" for believing that the postal world revolved
around a rural mail count. This response assured us there was no
"collusion" between Valassis and USPS to change our
mailings. Maybe, maybe not, but my guess would be yes looking back
on the USPS track record. But, if they did, we will never be able to
prove it.. And, it looks like our National union is not interested
in even looking into it. Like I mentioned above, the USPS holds all
the cards.. How many more national mailings can be manipulated
through price breaks or DMM changes? My point is that we are
fighting a losing battle. We have no trump card.
BOHICA my friends. Bend Over Here It
Comes Again... Orders from USPS Headquarters will be carried out
like the Gestapo. They will intimidate, harass, and flat out
manipulate to make their projections a reality. In this poker game
we are playing, we dont even hold a pair. Will we ever get tired of
holding the losing hand time and time again?
