Make yourself discipline proof! This podcast is dedicated to educating City Letter Carriers on all the things you forgot from Carrier Academy. We'll go over basic procedures and regulations, and dive deeper into how the mail system actually works. I do not speak for the USPS or NALC (or anybody else, for that matter!), this is not an official USPS or NALC podcast, and all opinions and advice are my own or my guests'. Submit feedback, questions, or topic suggestions to classesofmail@gmail.com .
This episode covers drive-out agreements, the acquisition of vehicles in an emergency, and payments for public transportation or car service. In the second section, we learn about management's obligation to make sure carriers are properly trained in processing undeliverable mail.
Yep. I got fired again from the Carrier Academy. And from being an on-the-job instructor. Tune in to hear the story. I'll also talk about the future of the podcast, which will look a lot like its past. Finally, I give out a few podcast recommendations.
I got to ask Brian Renfroe a question, and I got a sought-after answer! Skip to around the 33:00 mark to hear it. I also talk about the rest of my experience at my first ever NALC convention, the Region 1 Training. I'll tell you some of the things I've learned. I finish the episode by talking about my experience as a steward thus far.
Today we read more from the M-39, this time with a preamble where I talk a little bit about what's of interest to me. This will put us about 40% of the way through the M-39. The episode ends with a heartfelt thank you to my listeners. You're the best.
I've been waiting a long time to tell this story. You'll hear what led up to my being fired, what the pretextual reasons were, what the actual reasons were, and how the union handled it. It's a tale of frustration from beginning to end. I also share some thoughts on the union in general, and on my role going forward.
In this episode, we learn about collections routes and collections boxes, how management is supposed to evaluate new employees/CCAs, and management's rules and guidelines for street observations.
This section talks about scheduling, start times, and morning office duties. In this section, when it talks about morning leave times, NOWHERE does it mention a ONE HOUR OFFICE TIME! When it talks about loading your truck, NOWHERE does it mention a TWENTY MINUTE LOAD TIME! Listen in for more good stuff.
Today we will read PROOF POSITIVE that we are allowed to case our SPRs! And a bunch of other stuff, too, about the case and about casing. Reading the M-39 has been incredibly eye-opening and empowering, and we're just getting started!
It's time to turn the tables on management. We're going to read from the M-39, so we can learn all about the stuff management is supposed to be doing. I'll add commentary to what we read, talking about potential grievances, and emphasizing teachable moments. Let's hold management accountable!
We'll finish up the JCAM, and then talk about what's coming in the next seasons of Classes of Mail.
In this episode, we finally finish Article 41. We'll get to read about all the wonderful committees and task forces that are going to fix the cultural and technical problems of the USPS. Lucky us.
In this episode, we finally finish the contractual language of Article 41. However, there are SOOOO MANY memos at the end, I couldn't power through all of them. I'm going to need one more episode after this one to finally finish it off.
This is the fun section of Article 41, where we get to read a bunch of rules that cover how we deliver the mail.
Today I will read from my own LMOU. It's only effective for the Las Vegas area, but it has provisions in it that are similar to LMOU's around the country. This episode will give you an idea of the kind of things that are covered, and it may give you ideas for changes you can make in your own LMOU when the new contract is ratified.
One more section down, only a few more to go. This section talks about seniority and relative standing, and gives more details on the opt hold-down process
In this episode, we'll discuss all the things you have to do when you have your own route. I go over how to make changes in your edit book, how to manage your 3982's (pink cards) for forwards, and much more.
This episode is shorter than usual, because it turns out I was a sleepy head, and I didn't do a great job of reading. I'm going to publish it anyway, because we're so close to the finish line with the JCAM. This section spells out the rules concerning bidding on routes.
SIX big articles! We read about union and management cooperation, credit unions, local agreements, and a bunch of stuff in between. Enjoy!
I'll read and discuss a selection of M Documents from M-00001 to M-00150. Topics include the fact that there is no set pace for street delivery, how to qualify for a special route inspection on an overburdened route, and the circumstances under which you may be required to provide medical documentation for your sick leave.
These articles cover employee uniforms, tort and financial claims against USPS and employees, and the suspension and reinstatement of driving privileges.
In this episode, I tell a brief story about how I came to find the results of the various committees and task forces ensconced in the JCAM. The results are published, often, in the Materials Reference System, also known as the M-Documents. I will read a series of summaries for these M-Documents, to give you an idea what's in there.
These articles cover health benefits, leave for union duties, the right of the union to enter facilities, rules concerning bulletin boards, and higher level assignments like Carrier Technician.
How long should it take you to hit the street in the morning? Management can claim one hour all they want, but the real answers are in the M-41. Same for PM office time. Five minutes? Not hardly. We'll go over the actual provisions in the M-41 that detail all of our AM and PM office duties.
The Articles are getting smaller, so I decided to power through four of them. We cover the rights of stewards (17), we learn that we aren't allowed to strike (18), we learn that handbooks and manuals are contractually enforceable (19), and we talk about parking (20). Enjoy! Turns out I don't miss doing the accents.
We're 2/3 of the way through the contract! This episode covers discipline procedures, and is a must-listen for all stewards.
In this episode, I will get to learn how to merge two audio files. YOU will get to learn about a bunch of little things that longtime carriers probably take for granted, but new carriers struggle with. Guaranteed you'll learn something new. Also, I feel like this episode has more mouth noises. I tried to get closer to the microphone so I'd have richer sound quality, but it may have led to more unwanted noises. If you noticed it, drop me a line.
This Article covers the grievance and arbitration procedures. It is a must-listen for any stewards or prospective stewards out there.
I'll give you three guesses what this episode is about.
It turns out there is information available on what sorts of things the union is negotiating for on our behalf. It's a list of resolutions that were voted on at the national convention, and that list is printed in the Postal Record. I'm going to read that list to you, and talk about it.
Just as the episode title implies, I'm going to read Article 13. In the beginning of the episode, I talk about some changes to my recording setup and my episode schedule. To skip that, fast forward about two minutes.
