Rural Carriers Prohibited from Working Light-Duty Assignments
A Rural Letter Carrier petitioned for review of the initial decision that affirmed the Office of Personnel Management’s decision denying her application for disability retirement. The Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) found that the employee established by a preponderance of the evidence that she was unable to perform useful and efficient service in her position. MSPB determined that while the employee might have been able to perform less arduous duties, the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) prohibited consideration of rural carriers for light-duty assignments. Therefore, the MSPB ordered OPM to grant the application for disability retirement.
Merchant v. Office of Personnel Management (2006)
Article 13.3
“In the rural carrier craft, at any local installation, regular rural routes shall not be considered for any light duty assignment.”
source: National Bargaining Agreement between U.S.Postal Service & National Association of Rural Letter Carriers.
April 24th, 2006 at 11:15 am
if rurals are prohibited from light duty, what do they do if they get hurt on the job?do they just automatically get a disability retirement? and at what percentage of their wages?why shouldn’t they be able to continue working at othjer things if able to?
April 24th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
i have several friends in various states the have been hurt and are doing light duty and are still considered rural carriers.does this mean that they will be removed from doing light duty?where do they go from there?
May 27th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Rural Carriers, as employees of all other crafts, are given light-duty assignments when their disability is from an on the job injury or illness. Only when it of from an off the duty source is it managements perogative to give it or not. The light duty assignment given them cannot be running a rural route; it must be something other than running a route. City Carrier are seldom given a light duty assignment running a route, unless it is a drastically cut or extremely easy route. Otherwise they are given work doing something else in the Post Office!
November 28th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
I think when its prudent for management they call it limited duty instead of light duty.
December 11th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
I had enough of Rural Carrier Union acting collusion with USPS mangement. I believe it is time decertify Rural Carrier Union. They refuse, to pay by the hour becuase they want us to work for FREE. They refuse to supply trucks, becuase they are sociapathes. They refuse to supply benefits. Even when management does defy the “rules” the Union refuses to take action.
January 16th, 2007 at 3:49 am
Rural Carriers unable to fully recover from work related injuries must be placed in another craft…they can’t stay in their craft. (See MOU 6 in their CBA)Regular Carriers only
February 7th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
great commentary Steven, I also feel the same way especially out in AZ where we have a sell out as the Az steward, god only knows what benes he gets in his back pocket from the USPS and how he continues to ignore potential confrontations generated by management just to incite the carriers. This type of harrasment is done by voice infliction, demeanor, heavy handed comments, these managers are immune, from anything or any body including the opm
May 8th, 2007 at 1:51 am
I am a Reg Rural Carrier. After I had surgery I was not allowed light duty and was told I would never qualify for light duty because of Article 13.3 Now I have no sick leave left and used all annual leave but I have finally returned to work.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Great comment by Steve and myself as usual, the NRLCA is sold out in AZ as a result of the Az Steward. It is unconcianable that as a RR Carrier and senior to others that I could not get Sun, Mon off because the routes were posted with assigned relief days, in an organization where everything is based on seniority the route has priority over the seniority of the RR carrier, therefore if you loose Sat as part of formula, you cannot not bump (not a good word) a junior RRcarrier from their Sun-Mon, but you must give up your Sat relief day when sub are not hired by USPS, only in AZ and the Nrlca would approve such an postion
July 11th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Sr,.will not dicipline management in the LHC postal facility because unless they see blood and guts they will not do anything about the hostility by local supervisors such as Steve Gertls and Debbie Tinnell and the postal inspection will also not step in for any type of corrective action to local supervisors.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Wow…I am a very lucky girl…I was on light duty for just over 2 years. I cased my route then performed other office duties. When my restrictions started to be lifted I cased my route, cased an AUX route and ran it. All within my restrictions. I guess it is all in the hands of management….also the PO did not elect to post my vacant route even though it was vacant for 2 years. I am now back to work FT. I guess some PM think they have to prove something by kicking the employees around..mine does not. Not only was my PM fair…nobody grieved the fact that I was carrying a AUX…everyone understood my situation….just as I would do for them in the same situation. Hang in there.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
GETTING HURT AT THE POST OFFICE IS LIKE FALLING INTO THE OCEAN WITHOUT THE COAST GUARD, A LIFE LINE AND HUNGARY SHARKS IN THE WATER ESPECIALLY IF YOUR CA2 IS NOT A TRAUMATIC INJURY BUT ONE OF REPETITIVE MOTION. DECERTIFY THE RURAL UNION PLEASE