The thing is, in order to start earning leave, you have to be the SUB OF RECORD for that route. So working in an outside office that rca would not be the sub of record and would not earn leave. If he is working that much outside maybe he can transfer and become the sub of record.

Yeah, is there a sub of record? That person should be running the route or they should be fired.

There is no sub of record. Anytime that carrier needed time off for the past several years, the sub from my office (or a sub from another office) would cover it.

I know there are many gray areas in our contract but on page 22 of our contract section 5 says that an RCA carrying a vacant route more than 90 days, it doesn't say they have to be the sub of record. Is this spelled out somewhere else?? I would still push it. It doesn't cost a thing to file a grievance.

Edited by author 07-02-2009 08:35 PM
So let me get this straight.

If an RCA is holding down a residual vacancy does that mean the RCA needs to work 15 consecutive weeks at 6 days a week without a day off? If the RCA takes a day of LWOP does the 90 days have to start again?

Also, is it 90 actual days...which would be 13 weeks....or is it 90 working days which would make it 15 weeks?

It's 90 calendar days. LWOP doesn't break the streak. If the regular comes back and works a day it does break it.

When an aux route is eliminated, does the RCA get paid a lump sum for the annual leave accumulated?

They pay you for your annual, but you lose your sick leave if you don't make regular within a certain amount of time. I think its 90 days but I'm not positive.

/m19991 WestVirginia Carrier

The actual LAST day to use any leave over and above 55 days will change each year but is usually not Dec. 31. I believe for 2009 it was January 2. The leave years usually begins PP 02 and ends PP 01 of the next year.

When I left being on the Aux route I had 20 days of sick leave earned. I had been on the aux a long, long time. That time was banked until I made regular. It had been over 4 years since I left the aux. Then showed up on my pay stub. During the time I was waiting between getting the route and starting the regular route was when I found out that the post office kept track of every hour I had ever worked. I guess they keep track of every hour every employee has ever worked. That is how I came up with my idea of using that info to say that every 2080 hours an RCA worked would be counted as one year towards retirement. But no one but me thinks it is all that gret of an idea.

90 days /m19914
   
 "The thing is, in order to start earning leave, you have to be the SUB OF RECORD for that route."

I beg to differ.

Article 10

Section 5. Leave for Substitutes and Rural Carrier Associates

A. Substitutes and rural carrier associates shall earn leave
benefits when serving a vacant route, or when serving the
route during the extended absence of the regular carrier in
excess of 90 days. On the 91st day, the employee shall be
credited with annual and sick leave for the first 90 days.
These employees shall be granted leave in minimum units
of one day.

B. Rural carrier associates assigned to an auxiliary route shall
earn leave benefits based on the number of hours worked
when serving the auxiliary route in excess of 90 days. On
the 91st day, the RCA shall be credited with annual and
sick leave for the first 90 days.

One will note that there is NO reference to Sub of record, only to substitutes and rural carrier associates.

WVruralgirl
Thanks for the sick leave info. I have always been told the opposite is true. I have a sub in my office who is under the impression that she will lose her sick leave when the vacant route is filled. This will make her happy. Everyone I know wants to get credit for their sub time, and what you are saying is better than what we have, but remember our craft has a bad habit of asking for peanuts and then complaining because that's all we get. How many jobs out there require someone to be on call 6 days a week and receive nothing in return?? If our negotiators would start asking for gold plated contracts we might only get silver plated contracts, but its better than asking for peanuts and getting peanuts.

^*^*^* /m19910
Let us know what happens with your subs situation.

How long can a 403B be off their route before the route has too be put up for bid?

If you mean a 204B the answer is never. The reason is because that person has to have a route to go if they decide they want to carry a route again. Someone who is injured who is NOT a 204B their route can be held for up to two years unless directed by a doctor either way (they can carry their route again or they can"t).

/m19921 if you leave a route that has a leave earning status as a sub you do NOT lose your sick leave. It simply goes away until you are in a leave earning capacity again. There are subs in my office that served a route for over a year and then had to switch routes when the one they were on got taken by a regular. They are now in a leave earning capacity with their second route having served that route for over 90 days and their leave from their first route is back on their stub as is any new leave they earn during the pay period which is 4 hours of sick which is the same for everyone.