OIG recommends elimination of Christmas overtime pay for rural carriers
TweetCiting volume reductions, the USPS Office of the Inspector General says that the Postal Service should negotiate the elimination of the Christmas Overtime provision from its contract with the rural carriers union. The OIG report notes that over the last five years, December mail volumes (excluding parcels) have not been higher than other months. The OIG claims eliminating Christmas OT would save almost $3 million a year.
The chart shows the sharp drop in rural Christmas OT over the last several years. The report finds that reduction insufficient:
Christmas mail volume no longer supports the need for overtime and the associated NRLCA agreement supplemental Christmas overtime pay provision. Specifically, for five consecutive years, the December total delivered mail volume has been less than total delivered mail volume in the months of October, which had the highest mail volume for each of the years. In fact, during October 2004, total delivered mail volume was 5.4 percent higher than in December 2004. Four years later, the percentage difference had risen to approximately 10.5 percent.
The report admits that parcel volumes continue to spike in December, as shown on this chart:
The report suggests that “carriers could absorb any increase in parcel volume with their regular hours during the Christmas mailing season”, but provides no specific analysis to support that conclusion.
Rural Delivery Christmas Operations (Report Number DR-AR-10-003)
March 30th, 2010 06:37
Our parcel numbers double at Christmas which means I have to completely stop and get out twice as much.And I’m supposed to just absorb that happily into my regular hours?I swear,the Postal Service is run by a complete bunch of dumbasses who have no clue what it means to do the job everyday.What this ship really needs is mutiny.
March 30th, 2010 06:40
I say save more money and just eliminate postmasters…the stupidvisors do all the “work” anyway…
March 30th, 2010 07:26
I am a city carrier, and I 100% agree with you Debbi. Gettting rid of 1 3rd to half of upper manangement and their “bonuses (or pay for proformance)” would be a bigg step taking the PO out of the red
March 30th, 2010 07:44
The rural carriers I fish with laugh all the time laugh about how easy it is to beat their evalutions almost daily.
March 30th, 2010 07:56
How about the oig suggest we ask for are 75 billion dollars back everyday
March 30th, 2010 08:39
I am a rural carrier for 23 years. I haven’t received any Christmas overtime in years. My postmaster pays an RCA to take up the slack at Christmas. I think after figuring the RCA’s wage and mileage the postmaster is spending much more than she is saving, although she does deduct ema from me for the portion of the route I do not run on the days I receive help.
March 30th, 2010 11:11
IF THE PO GETS ITS WAY THERE WILL NO LONGER BE RCA’S AND THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY MORE OVERTIME AT CHRISTMAS.
March 30th, 2010 18:21
This is great! For years the USPS has killed themselves to “manage the mail” during this brief period; they maintain it only during this period when it will cost them OT. The count, which determines our pay for the rest of the year, is supposed to represent the “average” mail volume meaning some days you work under and some days you work over. Hourly employees have to “manage” their time to the volume – when the volume is less they have to figure out what to do with their “spare time” – you know, drive around with your buds smoking dope, hanging out at a bar, gambling, etc. Or, what they are supposed to do, return to the office and help those less efficient. I am happy the OIG is recommending this so it will force negotiations to eliminate this cash cow for the USPS and MAKE US HOURLY!!!
March 30th, 2010 20:49
THE RURAL CARRIERS ARE WHAT MAKE THE POST OFFICE>>>HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW MUCH MAIL THE CITY CARRIERS CARRY??? They just have a stronger union ours is lame! Save your union dues! I agee that the supervisors should be cut & let the Postmasters earn their money!
March 30th, 2010 21:01
Anyone in an as needed position (rcr,trc,ptf,etc),will not have a job if Sat del is suspended.I still see the usps having clerks work the mail and the window on Sat.If they are going to save money,they need to shut the doors on Sat operations completely.Here they go posting everyones jobs again.
March 30th, 2010 23:30
Most of the Rural carriers I know seem to be good republicans. They always say everybody is overpaid and the unions are the problem in this country and that someone should step in and say enough is enough. Well guess what. Potter must be a good republican. Now that he suggested this as a first step wait until you see what else he will try to do. Don’t turn to the evil unions for help.This guy is so great. Rush will probably praise him and you all now how we all like Rush. Just lower our saleries. We too want to be good republicans. And by the way , if we can get mexicans in here to do our job cheaper, its ok to replace us. After we like our jobs being outsourced so our company can make a bigger profit.
March 31st, 2010 10:59
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March 31st, 2010 16:58
how about we bring up the fact that we outsource to a company to deliver our packages 6 days a week, but they only deliver 2 and yet we still pay them for 6. how much money are we wasting there?