Productivity

The Postal Service has a new thing and it's call productivity. Every morning we hear from our supervisors that we have to get our productivity up. Productivity is a new word for an old saying which is foot per hour. Now we as professional carriers know that there is nothing about foot per hour in any of our manuals but management still want to get us to perform with these standards. The only thing in our manuals which the M. 41 is 18 & 8, which means that we should be able to throw up 18 pieces of letter mail and 8 pieces of flats in a minute. So if your supervisor comes up to you and tells you that your foot per hour is down tell him that you don't know what he means. Ask him to explain himself, that you only know 18 & 8. That is the only casing standard you know. Please don't get into an argument with him over it just ask him to explain to you and your shop steward, it's not worth getting up all upset over.

Management may try to threaten you with discipline if your casing standard doesn't improve but if your doing your job as a pro you shouldn't have any problems. There is an step 4 settlement (m-00386) which states. Management may not charge or impose discipline upon a carrier merely for failing to meet 18 and 8 casing standards. Any such charge is insufficient. Under the memorandum of understanding of September 3, 1976 the only proper charge for disciplining a carrier is unsatisfactory effort.

What they mean by unsatisfactory effort is a carrier who is constantly walking away from his case, one who is always going to the bathroom, or walking away and talking to other carriers, one who leaves his case to go and buy breakfast or one who keeps going out side to have a smoke break which by federal law is illegal.

In summary, as long as you do the best you can and do not engage in unacceptable conduct, you shouldn't worry about being disciplined for failure to make casing standards.

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Last Updated July 9, 2000 by JAIME GARCIA, JR