MIARAP........the process is not perfect but at least we are getting the regular carrier times for the route. this union had a decision to make over a year ago. in a declining mail volume environment, how do we save the post office 2 billion dollars, eliminate the contracting out the post office seeks, protect our carriers from layoffs and keep our wages and benefits? 2 billion........think about it. to achieve those kind of concessions, if you do the math = 20,000 positions eliminated. since we have 14,000 te's that would be let go first, that means 6,000 ptf's with under 6 years would also be laid off or on the rolls with no hours except their guarantee. or, the union could have forfeited 4 weeks annual leave from every carrier or 4 weeks of annual and sick leave combined. or, the union could have bargained 1/12 of our salary away. most carriers could not afford to go 1 month without pay. i don't like what is happening to our excessed members any more than anyone else and i think the post office should be more concerned with excessing employees over great distances (my preference is no more than 50 miles away from home and definitely not over 100) let alone 500 miles. even if they add to your route, it should show in the next round of adjustments. we are also subtracting from the overburdened routes when warrented. please, do not give up on YOUR union, become more involved, find local solutions to problems because in the end, if the company fails, we fail. if it succeeds, we succeed. hopefully, someday, management will be forced to give concessions as well and the carriers will not be the employees that have to feel such an unfair burden to save the post office in the future.