Out the Door in 45 Minutes
The Long Island District has decided they want Letter Carriers “OUT THE DOOR IN 45 MINUTES.” In some instances, local Management is telling the carriers that the Union agreed to the 45 minutes. Let me tell you nothing could be further from the truth. The Union has not agreed to 45 minutes of office time.
Management wants to rush you through your office functions to get you out of the office and deliver. This Branch fought that attempt by Management and filed many grievances throughout the island. Now Management is making another attempt to go around and tell every carrier to get out of the office within 45 minutes.
Management came up with this idea out of thin air and instructed the Postmasters at a recently quarterly meeting. They want to implement this for all the offices within the Long Island District. In our latest contract settlement National the Union did agree to some changes but not for a straight 45 minutes. The new contractual language changes were for minimum amount of time that would be guaranteed while performing certain office functions. The language goes on to state that the line items to withdraw mail (sweep), sign for accountables, vehicle inspection, personal needs and office work not covered under the old-line items would fall under line 21. Anyone that has undergone a Route Count and Inspection (RIC) in the past knows I am talking about Form 1838C. The Handbooks and Manuals have not changed and still state that if you take more time than the minimum for the function you get the higher time to complete the task.
The only way to change the office time for your route is to go through an RCI. Most offices here on Long Island have not gone through an RCI recently. In some offices the Union was able to negotiate a deal and was able to jointly agree to changes in those offices for both office and street times. In those offices the carriers were informed of their new office and street times. For Management to make a blanket statement about a 45-minute office time that is just not correct. In many instances, there is flat mail, Small Parcels and Rolls (SPRs) along with parcels. The SPRs and flat mail are not credited to your count, and you must notify Management of the additional mail. All this takes additional time which is not factored in, yet Management still thinks you can get out in 45 minutes?
One of the major problems with Management’s program is that the offices already have established office/street times. Many of the offices here on the Long Island District were inspected in 2019. Management wants you to forget that the only way to change your office time is to go through a Route Count and Inspection. In some offices over the past few years many carriers have bid for different routes. Those routes were not inspected yet with the new carrier on them and the established old times are not based on their ability.
The Handbook M-39 determines your office leave time not Management’s projected DOIS numbers or some other made-up number. DOIS is a tool for Management and not enforceable to the carriers’ leaving times. DOIS is only an estimate and does not include many office functions carriers perform.
The M-39 Section 122 states:
122.2 Carriers’ Leaving Schedules
122.21 Establishing Leaving Schedule
The leaving time for the carrier is determined by the following:
a. Workload. The normal workload for the route;
b. Availability of Mail. The time all the mail for the same day’s delivery is available;
c. Necessary Office Time. Time required to case this mail, withdraw, tray or strap out mail, obtain parcels, and complete other required office duties; and
d. Business Hours. Normal community business hours.
I must point out that there are also agreements from the National parties which state that DOIS Projections do not establish the office leaving time or the return time. Three such agreements can be found in the Material Reference System (MRS). They are as follows:
M-01624 clearly states in relevant part: that DOIS does not replace a supervisor’s ability or responsibility to make decisions. It is the Supervisors responsibility to review P.S Forms 3996 and assess any unusual circumstances.
MOU M1664 states in part: The Delivery Operations Information System (DOIS) is a management tool for estimating a carrier's daily workload. The use of DOIS does not change the letter carrier's reporting requirements outlined in section 131.4 of Handbook M-41, the supervisor's scheduling responsibilities outlined in section 122 of Handbook M-39, or the letter carrier's and supervisor's responsibilities contained in Section 28 of Handbook M-41. DOIS projections are not the sole determinant of a carrier’s leaving or return time, or daily workload.
MOU, M-1769 which states in part:
Projections are not the sole determinant of a carrier’s leaving or return time, or daily workload. Accordingly, the resulting projections will not constitute the sole basis for corrective action.
When you have the purple packs to deliver look at the printing on the papers to determine if they state WSH or WSS. If it states WSH then it goes in the case and remember the minimum standard for casing flat mail is 8 flats per minute. If the mail states WSS then it is a third bundle and does not get cased. However, you still have the right to cut the straps and tray out the mail. If you are just taking those strapped bundles straight out to the street you are cheating yourself out of office time you are entitled to.
When you are performing the office functions remember to take the time that is necessary to complete each function. When you have an accountable item, you still have the right to complete Form 3849 on office time. Sweeping mail takes time to do and when you are inspecting your vehicle use a buddy to help. After casing all your mail, the rate is 70 pieces per minute, and you get a minimum of 3 minutes to pull down the mail. Most offices get a 10-minute office break, 5-minutes personal time and some offices have a 5-minute washup time before they leave for the street. Even if your office does not have a local agreement 5- minute wash up you can still take a few minutes to wash your hands since carrier work is considered dirty work. Based on what I have written above, how is it possible to do it all in 45 minutes?
The bottom line is there is no agreement between the Union or the Postal Service stating that you must get out to the street within 45 minutes nor load your vehicle within 22 minutes. Your mail volume will determine your leaving time. Don’t play Management’s game. Simply tell them “You are doing the best you can.”
Don’t let Management intimidate you to rush through your office duties. Take the time that is necessary and work to the best of your ability.
I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year.
