USPS Handbook EL-804

Safe Driver Program

(4/30/09) "This is in response to your e-mails of March 19, 2009 regarding the seniority of clerks who are excessed into the carrier craft and the right of a level 6 clerk to exercise a preference on a withheld Carrier Technician withheld assignment."

The training requirements are contained in the EL- 804, Safe Driver Program. This training is given once the clerk is officially placed into the carrier position and a Form 50 is processed. Failure to successfully complete the training can result in termination of Postal employment. 

This is in response  regarding the seniority of clerks who are excessed into the carrier craft and the right of a Level 6 clerk to exercise a preference on a withheld Carrier Technician withheld assignment.

Clerks who are excessed to withheld assignments in other crafts start a new period of seniority. The date of reassignment is therefore their seniority in the receiving craft. However, upon return and/or retreat to the clerk craft in their former installation, they receive the seniority they had at the time of reassignment augmented by the time in the other craft. Senior clerks who elect to go in lieu of junior clerks identified to be excessed do not have retreat rights.

The position of Carrier Technician has been determined nationally to be the equivalent grade of a Level 7 clerk. Since the contract requires that we excess out of craft and/or out of installation to withheld same or lower level assignments, a Level 6 clerk even if they met the time requirements of the job would not be eligible to select a withheld Carrier Technician assignment.