Hold Downs
It is important to know the criteria of an opted hold-down for a vacant duty assignment. This information, which can be found in Article 41, is important and crucial for Full-time reserve carriers, full-time flexible carriers; unassigned full-time letter carriers, PTFs, and CCAs. CCAs may opt for hold-down assignments 60 calendar days from the date of their first appointment as a CCA.
The 5-day break in service at the end of a 360- day appointment will not end an opted hold-down for CCAs. This is important as it helps to guarantee CCAs their 40-hour weeks.
It is the responsibility of Part-Time Flexibles and CCA to find out who is on vacation the following week prior to the schedule being posted. One should look at the vacation chart. It should be posted in the office for all to see. Put your hold-down request in writing on a buck slip. Always make a copy for yourself and keep it in a safe place in case of later reference. Give your request to whoever handles the vacations or hold-downs. Depending on where you stand in seniority or relative standing, you may want to put in several requests so you have a few choices.
You can also bid on a hold-down when a Carrier is sick or injured. Remember, when you bid on a hold-down, you stay on the assignment through its entirety; even if the opt started out as a vacation hold-down and the Carrier got sick before returning to work.
Article 41, Sec. 2b Of the National Agreement and the J-Cam states in part:
Full-Time Reserve Letter Carriers, and any Unassigned Full-Time Letter Carriers may exercise their preference by use of their seniority for available craft duty assignment of anticipated duration of five (5) days or more in the delivery unit within their bid assignment areas, except where the local past practice provides for a shorter period.
Part-Time Flexible Letter Carriers may exercise their preference by use of their seniority for vacation scheduling and for available full-time craft duty assignments of anticipated duration of five (5) days or more in the delivery unit to which they are assigned.
A Letter Carrier who, pursuant to subsections, has selected a craft duty assignment by exercise of seniority shall work that duty assignment for its duration.
An employee who opts for a hold-down assignment assumes the scheduled hours and non-scheduled day of the opted assignment. (Note: days off are “assumed” only in the sense that a hold-down carrier will not work on those days unless otherwise scheduled. In other words, a hold-down carrier is not guaranteed the right to not work on non-scheduled days)
A Part-Time Flexible and City Carrier Assistant employees may be removed from a hold-down assignment only in the instance when a Full-Time Carrier does not have eight (8) hours work as Full-Time employees are guaranteed forty hours of work per service week. In such situations, the Part-Time Flexibles’ and City Carrier Assistants hold-down is not terminated rather the employee is temporarily bumped on a day to day basis. Bumping is still a last resort.
(See J-CAM Pages 41-10 thru 41-15)
Please check your local agreement in regard to bumping rights. For example, If a Carrier is called in on his/her non-scheduled day off, that Carrier has a right to work his/her own assignment. If a utility Carrier is bumped to another route in his/her string, he/she may bump the employee who opted to cover the hold-down assignment as long as the route is one in the utility Carrier’s string and none of the other routes in the utility Carrier’s string is available.
Remember, a hold-down is five (5) days of more, and may include a holiday.
Auxiliary routes are not available as hold-downs because they are not full-time assignments.
Any employee who opts and is awarded the higher level Carrier Technician position is eligible for higher level pay (see Article 25) after five (5) days. CCAs please refer to Q & A regarding this matter. Please note that Article 25 does not apply to CCA employees.
If you have any questions regarding hold-downs, please see your shop steward or full-time officer.
