Pepe /m3648 -- it was constructive and helpful: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Good research :)

where in the collective bargaining agreement does it talk about mandating a clerk to work his day off. he is on the scheduled days only list, but is being mandated to work.
can't find a thing in the contract.
need help!

to "~@-@~", I found this in the ELM, it sort of what I was talking about. There is something in writing (I just dont know exactly where, I though it was in the ELM) that states the post office must have a room or area desiganted for breaks and lunches. The area must have things like a wash area, paper towels etc... Its a "Saftey and Health" thing. Think about it, thet cant expect you to eat in the hot case or at the window. There are rules and regulation's for eating areas. For example if you have ever worked at large P&DC, some have 24 hour cafeteria's. The reason I posted this comment is because usually someone knows more info or knows exactly where the information can be found. Someone from the custodial craft might know where to find this info.
to egark /m3644, Why post rude comments??? They do nothing constructive!!! Thanks for helping out. I'm sure you will post another other rude comment about my posting. FYI, people usually post comments to HELP peolpe, not put them down!!!!

 
ELM 18, June 2007
614 Food Services
614.1 Policy
The Postal Service provides food services, including provision of snacks and beverages, that cannot be conveniently obtained at reasonable prices from commercial sources and that are required for the health, comfort, or
efficiency of postal employees while on duty. The Randolph-Sheppard Act, as
amended in 1974, dealing with the operation of vending facilities by a blind vendor, applies to the Postal Service.
614.2 Employee Relations
Employee Services
614.2 Operation
614.21 Responsibility
Food service facilities in central lunchrooms and in satellite work areas —
manual, vended, or a combination — are under the control of the installation head. This responsibility may not be delegated to any employee committee.

Pepe /m3646 -- it would be different if you asked if every office had to had a lunchroom. But you specifically asked about the ELM. I don't know everything in the ELM, so I would have to look it up. Why do you possibly think it is somehow easier for me or anybody else to search the ELM than for you to do it?

As to "what is evidence" your point is meaningless because I answered the question.

Edited by author 06-24-2009 09:30 PM
egark /m3644 "Why didn't you check the ELM?" - Wow, thanks for the input.
egark /m3645 "what is "evidence" that a person is deceased?"
Why dont you look up the word "evidence" in the dictionary!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pepe /m3643 -- what is "evidence" that a person is deceased? I am a carrier, and I have had people lie to me that a person is deceased (argument with family member, for example), so I don't accept somebody telling me as evidence. I live locally, so if I see the obit in the paper, fine, otherwise I want a photocopy of the death certificate to CMA.

Pepe /m3643 -- "I thought all post offices were required to have a lunchroom according to the ELM. Anyone know if this is true?."

Why didn't you check the ELM?

Edited by author 06-22-2009 11:57 PM
To:::~@-@~, Here is some more info on deceased mail from the POM. Its more related to carriers and how they are to handle the mail. Interesting read and you will find out that most carriers dont treat this mail correctly to begin with. I thought all post offices were required to have a lunchroom according to the ELM. Anyone know if this is true?.

612.4 Postal Operations Manual POM Issue 9January 17, 2008
612.4 Mail Addressed to Deceased Persons
612.41 Delivery
The Postal Service should deliver as addressed any mail addressed to a
deceased person. Anyone who would normally receive the addressee’s mail
at that address may receive the mail. If there is evidence that an individual is deceased and the mail is not being picked up, then:
a. The carrier must:
(1) Complete a PS Form 3849, Delivery Notice/Reminder/ Receipt,
and leave it in the mail receptacle.
(2) Take the mail back to the office.
(3) Bundle the mailpieces and endorse the top mailpiece with the
current date, then place the bundle with other mail held for
customers. These actions begin the 20-day hold period.
b. The carrier must not:
(1) Make any further delivery to this address for this individual,
unless written notification is received or the 20-day holding
period has expired.
(2) Initiate a PS Form 3575, Change-of-Address Order, for a
deceased person.
Only if the Postal Service has received no written instructions after 20 days should carriers treat the mail as undeliverable.
612.42 Mail That Can Be Forwarded
Mail described in 612.41 may be forwarded to a different address, including
that of an appointed executor or administrator, if an order of request is filed at the Post Office.
612.43 Mail That Must Be Returned
Federal government checks addressed to a deceased person should be
returned to the mailing federal agency without attempting delivery. Other mail endorsed “Return to Sender if Addressee Is Deceased” should be returned
also without attempting delivery.

~@-@~ the form for recording short paid package findings is PS6141

it was actually suppose to be for inspecting media rate packages, but we use it for all we find short paid.

you can find it on blue page left column under forms.... click on number range and scroll down to find 6141. print a copy, then make extras.

A clipboard works well for holding the letters to customers and these forms ... keep it handy near the window, you'd be surprised how quickly you can fill up a page. if you have an increase in the % of packages that are being sent media rate, the district puts your office on alert and you will be required to fill out these forms. they may even ask for you to fax it once in a while to see if you are complying.

there was also a short letter that went with that, to send to customer, but I didn't see a form # on it. may have been something out of district.
there was also a small form that you date stamp and put into package before you reseal it that informs the receiving customer that it was opened and what the findings were (whether it qualified for media rate or not, etc)
there should also be a LARGE stamp that says INSPECTED something er other
that you stamp


when I do inspection on packages marked media or std and I can tell they are priority boxes flipped inside out.... I follow the same procedure as the other ones except I include a copy of the d.m.m. reference that talks about using priority products for priority shipping only.

hope this helps. it is important that WE ALL do this stuff to capture lost revenue. every little bit helps.

I've always said if EVERY post office catches only $1 a day, that is $37,000. worth of savings daily.


by the way... how long has the regular clerk at your office worked for the p.o? she should know about working off the clock. (whether the p.m. tells her to or not)

to oldtimer - didn't you fill out a 3971 for the surgery? Dang should have been off the whole day - hada friend who had a thing taken off her arm and it swelled up like a balloon -ya just never know - and by the way I tan and I don't need an appt to do so - they're usually open from at least 9am to 7pm -no excuse to do it during work hours!

-~@-@~ - wow the place is so small you can't have a break room? Hard to justify extra people I'd say.............and NO ONE should be working off the clock - how you think you can make it look like more people are needed if people work off the clock? No wonder excessing is happening LOL

3637/ Thank you so much for posting that. I put it into a Word Document and printed it out and am going to distribute it to the carriers tomorrow. I am also going to send a copy to our NIXIE clerk who can't seem to decide from day to day, how it is to be done. The last instructions from him was to write, RTS, initial it, by the clerks, not the carriers, and then use the rubber stamps, Undeliverable as Addressed. We then put it into a half tray with a sleeve with a sheet on it that they provided to us. But, that was wrong also.

As to marking out bar codes, we just received a directive from the main offices telling us that we are NEVER to mark out the "intelligent" code. But, we didn't get an example. Also, we were told not to mark out the code along the bottom and when we were told to mark out bar codes, we were to mark out all bar codes, black and flourscent, front and back. I am not sure that these people know what they are doing. I tried to figure out who the NIXIE clerk was who was telling us this, and they throw anyone in there who is breathing that day. They are so short handed that they are grabbing clerks from where ever they can and bringing then in early to the plant from the main offices. Non-trained. The trained guys retired.

As to the regular clerk who came in on her day off, off of the clock and ran reports, who do I report her to? Union? PM told her to do it, so not the PM. She has her head so far, well you know....

I have been told to leave the premises during my lunch hour, but she can come in and work? I guess that I will discuss it with the MPOO during our conferences. This is the very clerk who told me that NO ONE is to be on the premises when not on the clock. So, thanks for the information.

You guys get rowdy sometimes, but I always come here when I want the real scoop and you guys always come through. Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Father's Day. :)

Speaking of "needs of the service" our last postmaster never approved my leave (annual or sick}, mainly because my being the only clerk in the office, she would have had to work a full 8 hr day instead of skipping out for lunch and taking every afternoon off. I had skin cancer surgery one morning and called her. She told me I had to be back after lunch to run the window. I tried to leave one afternoon for a doctor's appointment - disapproved - she had a tanning appointment!?!

/m3636 the regular clerk is working off the clock if they are coming in and doing ANYTHING. that is a big no no.

/m3636 regarding deceased mail, from DMM 507.1.4
Exhibit 1.4.1 USPS Endorsements for Mail Undeliverable as Addressed
Deceased
Used only when known that addressee is deceased and mail is not properly deliverable to another person. This endorsement must be made personally by delivery employee and under no circumstance may it be rubber-stamped. Mail addressed in care of another is marked to show which person is deceased.
regarding marking out barcodes, from Handbook PO-441 Rehandling of Mail Best Practices
2-2.7 Loop Mail
Loop mail is defined as mail having an incorrect barcode and/or ZIP Code
discovered at a destination for which it is not addressed.The clerk must process loop mail by pulling the loop mail bin from the throwback cases or from a locally designated area within the delivery unit. To prevent loop mail from reentering the automated mailstream, the clerk must obliterate all barcodes on the mailpiece so that the barcode reader will not read the barcode and return it to the original address. The clerk obliterates barcodes by using a black grease pencil or felt-tip marker to fill all the white spaces between the bars. However, the clerk must not obliterate the fluorescent orange identification (ID) tag on the back of the mailpiece.

Thanks for the advice.

We use the postage due on the presort standard/Parcel rates with return service and I figure out the postage but have never used it on the Click n Ships. Great idea. I have taken some labels that I bought myself and stamped them Postage Due and keep them at my counter. I will start slapping them on the offending packages as we can't figure out postage with the discounts as we don't know what they are. I had one guy try to send an Express the other day, postage paid, but when I went to put it into the computer as it was forgein, he had only paid for FC forgein, so they are getting sneaky with the computers. We had to remove the custom forms, re-do them and the postage and mail him his receipt under cover. We sent it off FC.

I will have to ask the PM for the form to send to the offending customers. Usually, even in our small office, they take in big garbage bags of Click n Ships and never check the postage. I am the only one doing it. It just came to my attention that we are to round up to the nearest ounce, so I have been letting a lot of mail go, not protecting the revenue. I am going to bring this up in my next meeting with the PM and if he says anything, bring it up with my weekly meeting with the MPOO.

You guys gave me great advice to the point where the union rep drives out to my office, the MPOO is on the phone, and we have a conferance twice a week.

So, I have another question. Is a clerk supposed to come onto the premises and run reports, for free, on her day off? I have been told that I can't even stay on the premises for lunch as we have no lunch room, but the FTR came in Friday just to run a report, stayed about five minutes, that I could have run. I think that the PM is fudging the numbers on the reports and he didn't want me to do it. We still can't justify a third clerk. He needs his numbers.

If you could find out the name of the form for short postage or the number, that would be a great help. Our PO is sinking fast and they are thinking of consolidating so we need all of the revenue that we can get.

I agree, there are not known and trusted customers.

As to deceased mail, no matter how I send it out, it comes back. Each time with different instructions, which I have kept and ran copies for the PM on Friday. I put them into his slot. He needs to talk to the plant manager.

There is supposedly a new stamp that has a finger with the words return to sender and deseased all on one stamp. We just got that memo not to mark out any bar codes, so that is a no-go.

As to noncancelled letters and flats, they are a regular occurence at our PO. Every three or four lettters come through with no cancellation. It is taking time from my throwing them to mark out the stamps and they wonder why we are taking so long.

/m3631 do you have a stamp that says postage due ? stamp the package a couple times with it and send it out. the clerks at the receiving office should see that and do the figuring.

there is a form to record short postage along with a letter to send to the offending customer. I can't think of what it is called but all offices in Oregon got them quite a while ago along with a stamp that says opened for inspection (to do media mail packages) I use that form for all offenders.