An Official website of the NJRLCA.
New Jersey Rural Letter Carriers' Association
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SCHEDULED RURAL CARRIER ASSOCIATE(RCA) SALARY INCREASES:
CURRENT 11/20/2022 11/19/2022 11/18/2023(CURRENT)
RATE 2.3% INCREASE 2.3% INCREASE 2.3% INCREASE
$19.06 $19.50 $19.94 $20.38
LEAVE:
Effective at the beginning of the first full pay period no later than six (6) months from the date of ratification; rural carrier associates shall earn annual leave based on the number of hours worked; one (1) hour accrued for each twenty (20) hours of work in a pay period, up to a total of four (4) hours maximum. Annual leave shall 10 be credited as earned. Rural carrier associates shall be granted annual leave in hourly increments. Rural carrier associates shall be granted annual leave in accordance with their personal wishes provided there is sufficient leave replacement coverage in the office.
MORE PART-TIME FLEX(PTF) POSITIONS:
The establishment of a part-time flexible rural carrier assignment is at the discretion of the Employer. However, the Employer is required to establish such assignments equal to ten percent (10%) of the number of K routes in the office, when the relief day of one or more regular routes is changed in accordance with Article 9.2.C.5. Additionally, a part-time flexible assignment will be established when hiring efforts have been unsuccessful following the regular carrier’s request for assignment of a leave replacement, provided the part-time flexible rural carrier will be assigned two (2) K routes.
*This language will immediately create approximately 1900 new PTF positions in existing formula offices.
CHANGES TO HEALTHCARE:
The Postal Service will make a bi-weekly contribution to the total premium for any non-career rural carrier employee who wishes to participate in the USPS Non-Career Health Care Plan (USPS Plan) self-only option, equal to the greater of (a) $125, or (b) the minimum required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and applicable regulations.
The Postal Service will make a bi-weekly contribution equal to 65% of the total premium for any non-career rural carrier employee who wishes to participate in the USPS Non-Career Health Care Plan (USPS Plan) for either self plus one or family coverage during the non-career rural carrier employee’s initial year of non-career employment.
After a non-career rural carrier employee’s first year of employment, the Postal Service will make a bi-weekly contribution equal to 75% of the total premium for either self plus one or family coverage.
Effective Plan Year 2023, the Postal Service will make a bi-weekly contribution equal to 75% of the total premium for any eligible non-career rural carrier employee who wishes to participate in the USPS Non-Career Health Care Plan (USPS Plan) for self, self plus one, or family coverage, regardless of year of employment.
TRAINING PAY:
A newly appointed leave replacement will work only in the assigned office for the first two full pay periods in that office. The leave replacement will serve only the primary assignment and may also deliver parcels on any rural route on Sundays and holidays in the assigned office during these pay periods.
(This change establishes some protections for newly hired RCAs. During their first 2 pay periods in the assigned office, the new RCA will not be required and will be considered unavailable to case and carry any route other than their assigned regular rural route. They may be used only for parcel delivery on other routes and for parcel delivery on Sundays and Holidays. The 2 pay periods begin after the new RCA completes the Academy and reports to the assigned office for on-the-job training. The newly hired RCA will not be utilized for any reason in any office out-side of their assigned office during the first 2 pay periods.)
In these examples - A Rural Carrier Associate(RCA) is paid $19.06 per hour straight time.
The route is evaluated at around 8.5 hours per day in the following scenarios.
EXAMPLE ONE
Works 4 days at 35 actual hours on route Works 2 hours on green card
4 days X 8.5 (34hours) X $19.06 = $648.04
$19.06 X 2 = $38.12
Total = $686.16
EXAMPLE TWO
Works 4 days at 39 actual hours on route Works 2 hours on green card (Because of going over 40 hours, evaluation is no longer paid)
40 hours X $19.06 = $762.65
1 hour (overtime) X $28.59 = $28.59
Total = $791.24
THIS IS HOW GOING INTO OVERTIME CAN BE BENEFICIAL, HOWEVER..
EXAMPLE THREE
Works 5 days at 37 actual hours on route Works 2 hours on green card
5 days @ 37 hours X $19.06 = $705.22
$19.06 X 2 = $38.18
Total = $743.40
EXAMPLE FOUR
Works 5 days at 40.5 actual hours on the route Works 2 hours on the green card (Because of going over 40 hours, evaluation is no longer paid)
40 X $19.06 = $762.40
2.5 hours X $28.59 = $71.46
Total = $833.86
THIS IS HOW GOING INTO OVERTIME CAN MAKE YOU LOSE MONEY!
EXAMPLE FIVE Works five days at 37 actual hours 5 days X 8.5 X $19.06 = $810.05
EXAMPLE SIX Works five days at 40.25 hours on route (Because of going over 40, evaluation is no longer paid) 40 hours X $17.78 = $762.40
.25 hours X $28.59 = $ 7.15
Total = $769.55
See how $40.50 was lost because of going 15 minutes into overtime.
Important Notice: During the Christmas Overtime Period, compensation for any work on an auxiliary route will be based on actual hours worked rather than the standard route evaluation.
We emphasize the utmost priority on safety. Rushing to maintain a workweek under 40 hours is not an acceptable approach. Your life and job depend on consistently making sound decisions with each task, every day. Your family relies on your commitment.
Please ensure a steadfast commitment to safety and prudent decision-making throughout your responsibilities. Your dedication to these principles is paramount. Thank you for your cooperation."
Leave replacement carriers—PTFs, RCAs, and RCRs—have always been able to volunteer to work in offices other than their assigned office. Their first responsibility is to their assigned route(s) and their assigned office. There are two situations where a leave replacement can be required by management to work in another office.
The first situation involves an emergency as outlined in Article 3.F of the National Agreement. This language allows management “to take whatever actions may be necessary to carry-out its mission in emergency situations; i.e., an unforeseen circumstance or a combination of circumstances which calls for immediate action in a situation which is not expected to be of a recurring nature.” The implementation of Article 3.F cannot violate other terms of the National Agreement, state or federal laws. This language is typically enacted in situations such as severe weather conditions or fires. It could apply in a situation where there are normally sufficient leave replacements in the office and illness strikes a large group of the current employees. It does not apply to foreseen circumstances such as lack of coverage due to failure to hire.
The second situation involves unavailability of a leave replacement as outlined in Article 30.2.D.5. “The Employer may schedule a leave replacement from another office before selecting a regular carrier not on the relief day work list to work in accordance with Article 8.5.A.2.” This is a very specific situation and only applies when all available relief carriers in the borrowing office are working and the relief day work list has been exhausted. This language can apply to foreseen circumstances such as lack of coverage due to failure to hire. Any other situation where a manager requires a leave replacement to work outside their employing office, that cannot be resolved locally, should be grieved and held in abeyance pending National Case J10R-4J-C14186093.
Q. A neighboring office has asked my manager if I am available to work. The regular carrier on my assigned route is on the relief day work list. The manager said he will require the regular carrier on my route to work so I can go to the neighboring office to work. Is this proper?
A. No, your first responsibility is to your assigned route.
A regular carrier can be called in on the relief day work list; however, the assigned relief carrier can only be required to work any route in the delivery unit. Ref: Article 8.5.B
Q. Can I be required to cover routes in the neighboring office so the carriers can take annual leave. No, the relief day work list is not used to schedule annual leave. The only time you can be required to go to the neighboring office is when the relief day work list is used.
Q. Half of the carriers in a neighboring office have fallen ill due to COVID-19. I have never worked in that office. Can my manager require me to work there?
A. No, the MOU “RE: Temporary Workplace Changes to Promote Social Distancing COVID-19” states, “Any work performed by RCAs and ARCs outside their employing offices should be limited to locations where they routinely worked prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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