Be Aware: How Management Can Falsify Your Clock Rings

Every day, supervisors make edits or instruct Lead Clerks to make edits to clock rings in the USPS Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS) to correct issues like missed clock-ins or changes in assignment. When done properly, these corrections are routine and legitimate. However, in the past, the NALC has uncovered serious cases in some areas where supervisors have intentionally falsified letter carriers’ clock rings. Most notably, managers have been found changing end-of-tour times to make it appear as though employees finished working earlier than they actually did. These fraudulent edits have ranged from just a few minutes to several hours, resulting in letter carriers not being paid for all the time they rightfully earned.

But the consequences go beyond just pay. In many cases, management has also altered clock rings to make it look like carriers spent less time on the street and more time in the office or on other improper functions. This dishonest manipulation doesn’t just impact wages, it directly affects the data used in route evaluations. When street time is reduced on paper, even though the carrier was out delivering mail, management uses that inaccurate data to argue that certain routes take less time than they actually do. As a result, during route inspections and adjustments, these falsified numbers are used to justify increasing the length of existing routes or even eliminating routes altogether.

This means that clock ring falsification isn’t just a threat to your paycheck, it’s a threat to your assignment and your job.

Thankfully, NALC representatives in affected areas have identified these violations, filed grievances, and recovered pay for many letter carriers. However, preventing these problems before they start is just as important. That begins with awareness.

Letter carriers should track their hours daily, not just weekly. Keeping a personal log of your actual start time, end time, and time spent on the street can help detect discrepancies. If your paycheck does not match the hours you worked, even by a small amount, it’s a red flag worth reporting. Please make sure you are also checking on the Virtual Timecard app via USPS LiteBlue to confirm your hours worked.

Be alert for suspicious practices such as being told not to clock out, being handed a PS Form 1260 for no legitimate reason, or noticing missing or altered clock rings. If time has been disallowed, management is required to complete PS Form 1017-A and provide a factual basis for removing that time. Failure to do so is a contractual violation.

Understanding how management may manipulate TACS data empowers you to protect your hours, your pay, and your route. Altering your recorded street time today could be used against your assignment tomorrow.

If something doesn’t add up, speak with your Shop Steward or Branch 6000 Full-Time Officer immediately so we can investigate further and file grievances as necessary and when appropriate. Every minute you work should count, not just for your paycheck, but for the future of your route. Every minute, every mile, every route, it all matters.

If any Steward needs additional assistance on reading TACS Reports, please go to our website at www.nalcbranch6000.com under Steward Resources, and read the NALC Guide to Identifying Intentional False Editing of Clock Rings. This detailed guide released by the National NALC will greatly assist you in reading and identifying inaccurate clock ring edits, and the proper filing of such grievances if necessary.