2013 count guide w/supporting documents

7/30/2019 2013 count guide w/supporting documents

1/65

www.nrlca.org

NRLCAMAIL COUNT GUIDE

FEBRUARY 9 - MARCH 2, 2013 MAIL COUNT

REVISED DECEMBER 2012
http://www.nrlca.org/http://www.nrlca.org/


2/65

National Mail Count 2013 ................................................................................................................................... 3SECTION I - HOT TOPICS ................................................................................................................................. 3

DPS Letter Mail on routes serving more than one zone ................................................................................. 3Standards ........................................................................................................................................................ 3Route Conversions .......................................................................................................................................... 3Route Consolidations ...................................................................................................................................... 3High Option Election ....................................................................................................................................... 3Prepaid Parcel/Carrier Pickup ......................................................................................................................... 3Mail Count Form Changes .............................................................................................................................. 4Village Post Offices (VPO) .............................................................................................................................. 5

VPO Mail Count Procedures ....................................................................................................................... 5SECTION II - MAIL COUNT OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................... 8

Types of Mail Counts ...................................................................................................................................... 8National Mail Counts ................................................................................................................................... 8Special Mail Counts ..................................................................................................................................... 8DPS Flats Special Mail Counts ................................................................................................................... 8What Routes Will Be Counted Beginning February 9, 2013? ..................................................................... 8

Rural Route Inspection .................................................................................................................................... 8Inspecting Rural Routes .............................................................................................................................. 9Carrier Responsibilities during Route Inspections ...................................................................................... 9

Box Count .................................................................................................................................................... 9Stop Count ................................................................................................................................................... 9Family Count ............................................................................................................................................. 10Authorized Dismounts ............................................................................................................................... 10Preparing to Ride the Route ...................................................................................................................... 10Request to Repair Roads .......................................................................................................................... 11Mailbox Needs Attention............................................................................................................................ 11

Counting Your Own Mail ............................................................................................................................... 11Pre-sort Mail .................................................................................................................................................. 11Even Flow of Mail .......................................................................................................................................... 11Withdrawal of Mail ......................................................................................................................................... 12

Number of Withdrawals ............................................................................................................................. 12Required Duties of Carriers Who Do Not Receive the Withdrawal Credit ................................................ 12

Withdrawal All or Nothing ....................................................................................................................... 12Not Part of Withdrawal............................................................................................................................... 13

Cutting Straps or Plastic ........................................................................................................................ 13Obtaining Parcel Hampers ..................................................................................................................... 13

Pre-Count Conference .................................................................................................................................. 13Pre-Count Conference Items for Discussion ............................................................................................. 13

Pre-Count Conference Checklist ...................................................................................................................... 15Summary of Mail Count Principles .................................................................................................................. 16

PS Form 4239 ............................................................................................................................................... 16Should Disagreements Occur ....................................................................................................................... 17

SECTION III RURAL ROUTE COUNT OF MAIL PS FORM 4239 .................................................................. 18Column 1 - Letter-Size Mail........................................................................................................................... 18Column 2 - Sector/Segment Letters ............................................................................................................. 18

Column 3 - Delivery Point Sequence (DPS) Letters .................................................................................... 19How Is A Hand-Full Of Mail Handled If It Is Out Of Order During A Mail Count? ..................................... 20Column 4 - Papers, Magazines, Catalogs, Flats, Other Size Mail ................................................................ 20Column 5 DPS Flats ................................................................................................................................... 21Column 6 - Parcels ........................................................................................................................................ 21Column 7 - Boxholders .................................................................................................................................. 22Column 8 - Registered Mail, Certified Mail, Numbered Insured Articles, Express Mail, and OtherAccountable Mail, (Adult Signature) .............................................................................................................. 23Column 9 - CODs and Customs Due Received for Delivery ........................................................................ 24Column 10 - Postage Due ............................................................................................................................. 24

NRLCA MAIL COUNT GUIDE 1 DECEMBER 2012


3/65

Column 11 - Change of Address ................................................................................................................... 24Column 12 - PS Form 3982 PARS Label ...................................................................................................... 25Column 13 - Marked Up Mail Pieces .......................................................................................................... 25Column 14 - PS Form 3821 Completed ....................................................................................................... 26Column 15 Non Signature Scan Items .................................................................................................... 27Column 16 - Loading Time ............................................................................................................................ 27Column 17 - Other Suitable Allowance ........................................................................................................ 28

Step 4 Settlements that would include unusual conditions for Column 17 credit: .................................... 30Column 18 - Authorized Dismounts ............................................................................................................. 30Column 19 - Authorized Dismount Distance ................................................................................................. 31Column 20 - Letters and Flats Collected ...................................................................................................... 31Column 21 Carrier Pickup Requests & Prepaid Parcel Event ................................................................. 32Column 22 Carrier Pickup Items & Prepaid Parcels ................................................................................ 32Column 23 - Ordinary and Insured Parcels Accepted .................................................................................. 32Column 24 - Registered and Certified Accepted ......................................................................................... 33Column 25- Money Order Applications ........................................................................................................ 33Column 26- Return Receipts ......................................................................................................................... 33Column 27 - Weight of Locked Pouches Carried Daily ................................................................................. 33Column 28 - Reserved .................................................................................................................................. 33Column 29 - Waiting Time ............................................................................................................................. 34

Column 30 - Counting Time .......................................................................................................................... 34SECTION IV: PARCEL DELIVERY AND OTHER MAIL COUNT PROCEDURES .......................................... 34Form 3982-R Rural Box holder Non-Delivery Request (RBNR) ....................................................................... 35DPS Riffling Process and Error Retrieval ......................................................................................................... 35Edit Book- Column 17 Credit ............................................................................................................................ 35Regular Carriers Working Relief Day ............................................................................................................... 36DPS Flat Issues For Mail Count ....................................................................................................................... 37SECTION V: EXHIBITS AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION ................................................................. 40

Delivery Point Sequence Letter Implementation Procedures ....................................................................... 41DPS Flat Implementation Procedures-9-10-2011 ......................................................................................... 44PS Form 4239 with Explanations .................................................................................................................. 56PS Form 4241 ............................................................................................................................................... 57PS Form 4241-M ........................................................................................................................................... 58

Step 4, DPS Letters, More than One Zone ................................................................................................... 59Step 4, Forward Scans ............................................................................................................................... 60Mutual Understanding-Use of EOR Report ................................................................................................... 61Step 4, Certificate of Mailing ......................................................................................................................... 62Step 4, Equipment Change during Mail Count.............................................................................................. 63Rural Mail Count Information Check List ....................................................................................................... 64Mail Count Disagreement Form .................................................................................................................... 65



4/65

National Mail Count 2013In 2013, a National Mail Count will be con-ducted for eighteen (18) working days begin-ning Saturday, February 9 and ending onSaturday, March 2, 2013. All routes will becounted except those routes which both theregular carrier and management agree in writ-

ing not to count. The results of this mail countwill be effective at the beginning of the fourthfull pay period following the end of the countperiod (April 20, 2013).

SECTION I - HOT TOPICS

DPS Letter Mail on routes servingmore than one zoneA Step 4 settlement signed on December 11,

2012 clarifies the proper credit for DPS LetterMail when the route serves more than onezone.When a rural route serves more than onezone and DPS letter mail is received sepa-rately for each zone; all mail will be creditedas DPS letter mail provided the route com-pletes service to the other zone(s) prior to re-turning to deliver the original zone. If the routecontinually crosses between zones, credit thelarger amount of DPS letter mail (by zone) as

DPS letter mail and the other zone(s) in Col-umn 2, Sector/Segment Letters.Ref. Step 4 J06R-4J-C 11406137 Hillsboro, IL(see page 59 in this issue)

Standards DPS Letter standard for LLV routes: 43

pieces per minuteo LLV must be placed on route byFebruary 9, 2013 in order to qualifyfor new DPS letter rate

Prepaid Parcels Accepted: 90 secondsper event and 9 seconds per parcel

Dismount Distance (Walking Speed)standard: 0.00429 minutes per foot(2.647 miles per hour)

Route Conversions Auxiliary routes will be converted to

regular routes within 30 days of in-

creasing to 42 weekly standard hours.If increase is a result of a mail count,then the conversion will be effectivewith the mail count.

Regular rural routes may be convertedto auxiliary status if they decrease toless than 35 weekly standard hours

Route Consolidations Encumbered regular routes may be

consolidated and the excessing and/orreassignment provisions of Article 12will be applied when the route evalua-tion decreases to less than 37 weeklystandard hours

High Option Election

A regular carrier must have a minimumof ten years of service from his/her re-tirement computation date to be eligi-ble to elect the high option

Prepaid Parcel/Carrier Pickup In order to receive credit in Column 23

(Parcels Accepted), a carrier mustweigh, rate and affix postage to theitem.

Carriers are not required to go to thecustomers door to collect mail for anyreason other than a carrier pick up re-quest, which should include at leastone qualifying piece (Priority, Express,International, Merchandise Return Ser-vice, Parcel Return Service). Oneevent credit will be provided in Column21 even if the official pickup requestresults in no qualifying pieces beingcollected.

There will only be one credit in Column21 (Carrier Pickup Request/PrepaidParcel Event) per address.

Essentially, there are two events thatqualify for the 90 second credit provid-ed in Column 21; (1) Carrier Pickup no-tification and (2) acceptance of pre-


5/65

paid parcel(s) not associated with car-rier pickup. If both events are per-formed at the same address, only onecredit is given in Column 21.

If a customer leaves a note in the mail-box requesting the carrier come to the

door, the carrier is under no obligationto honor the request. Such requestfrom customers should be discussedwith local management. Mail collectedin this instance will be credited as ap-propriate in Column 20 (Letters andFlats) or Column 21 (Carrier PickupRequest/Prepaid Parcel Event) andColumn 22 (Carrier PickupItems/Prepaid Parcels or Column 23(Parcels Accepted). If a carrier goes to

the door and picks up a parcel thatqualifies under Column 23 with no oth-er qualifying piece(s) under Column22, then no credit is recorded in Col-umn 21.

If a carrier is instructed by their man-ager to dismount and go to a custom-ers door to collect pre-paid parcels;the carrier would receive credit in Col-umn 21 (Carrier Pickup Re-

quest/Prepaid Parcel Event) for theevent and the mail collected will becredited as appropriate in Column 20(obvious Letters and Flats) or Column22 (Carrier Pickup Items/Prepaid Par-cels or Column 23 (Parcels Accepted).

A sack of pre-paid parcels collected iscredited in Column 21 (Carrier PickupRequest /Prepaid Parcel Event) andColumn 22 (Carrier Pickup

Items/Prepaid Parcels). If the carrier isrequired to scan items contained in thesack at the delivery point, the carrierwould receive individual credit as ap-propriate. If the carrier is required toempty the sack upon return to the postoffice, additional credit is provided inColumn 17 (Other Suitable Allowanc-es).

If a carrier accepts a pre-paid parcel,Merchandise Return Service (MRS) ora Parcel Return Service (PRS) at themailbox or at the delivery point (suchas a business where a dismount anddistance is provided) credit is provided

in Column 21 (Carrier Pickup Re-quest/Prepaid Parcel Event) and Col-umn 22 (Carrier Pickup Items/PrepaidParcels).

When a carrier collects UPS ParcelReturn Service (PRS) whether or not inconjunction with a carrier pickup re-quest, credit will no longer be providedin Column 23 (Ordinary and InsuredParcels Accepted). The proper credit

will be provided in Column 20 or Col-umn 21 and Column 22 as appropriate.

Mail Count Form Changes

The Postal Service has revised PS Form4239, Rural Route Count of Mail, PS Form4241, Rural Delivery Statistics Report, andPS Form 4241-M, Rural Route EvaluationWorksheetto comply with the Interest Arbitra-tion decision dated July 03, 2012.

PS Form 4239 has been modified bychanging the header descriptions forColumns 21 and 22 to include prepaidparcels.

PS Form 4241 has also been modifiedby changing the header descriptionsfor Columns 21 and 22 to include pre-paid parcels. In addition, the electionboxes to convert an auxiliary route to a

regular route were removed. This ac-tion will be programmed to automati-cally occur when the standard hours ofa rural route reach 42:00 or morehours as a result of a mail count. Also,the fourth week is grayed out as mailcounts will be two or three weeks dur-ing the term of the 2010-2015 Agree-ment.



6/65

PS Form 4241-M has been modi-fied to include a new row to providethe distinction between the allow-ance factor for DPS letters with anEmployer-provided vehicle as-signed to a rural route; and to in-crease the allowance factor for Au-

thorized Dismount Distance (Feet)to .00429. Also, the header descrip-tions for Columns 21 and 22 werechanged to include prepaid parcels.

Village Post Offices (VPO)

In May 2011 the NRLCA was notified by theUSPS of their intent to implement the newconcept of Village Post Offices (VPO) in somecommunities where the local post office is be-ing discontinued.

According to the USPS, the community willhave an opportunity to retain their local com-munity name and zip code by establishing aVPO. Ideally, a general store or other suitablebusiness will enter into a contract with thePostal Service to provide limited servicessuch as selling stamps, offering flat rate box-es, and offering post office boxes.

Post office boxes will be setup using clusterbox units or rotary cabinets, either indoor oroutside. Rural letter carriers may be assignedto deliver to these boxes, pickup outgoingmail, and transport inter-office mail betweenthe administrative office and the VPO.

Upon initial assignment of a VPO to a ruralroute, there will be a familiarization period of30 actual work days where temporary com-pensation will be provided for the actual time

used to service the VPO. Actual time will berecorded on PS Form 8127 for regular ruralcarriers and on PS Form 1314-A for leave re-placements. Temporary compensation willcontinue until a base hour change is effectiveand the time is included in the route evalua-tion.

Once a rural carrier has become familiar with

the VPO as specified above, a manager willaccompany the rural carrier for six consecu-tive delivery days to complete a survey on theVPO recording the actual time used. A basehour change will be made to the route evalua-tion for this time. Any "banked" time accumu-lated towards an interim adjustment will not

be affected by this base hour change. Shouldthe results of this base hour change create ahigh/low classification option; the carrier willnot be given the opportunity to elect the high-er classification.

VPO Mail Count ProceduresDuring a mail count, the actual time spentseparating and casing the mail into the postoffice boxes will be recorded on a daily basisin Column 17, Other Suitable Allowance. This

time begins when the rural carrier unlocks thecentralized boxes and ends upon locking thecentralized boxes. In addition, the followingcredits will be applied as appropriate:

Column 6- Parcels (each contain-er/bundle of mail for the PO Boxes willalso be credited as 1 parcel)

Column 8-Accountable Mail Column9- Customs Due

Column 10-Postage Due

Column 15- Non Signature "Scan"

Items Column 17- Other Suitable Allowance

(Collection Box) Column 18-Authorized Dismounts Column 19 -Authorized Dismount Dis-

tance

There is no fifteen (15) minute minimum al-lowance provided to the route serving a VPO.

1. Will mail be cased at the administra-tive office?Answer: No. The mail will be given tothe carrier as a direct bundle and thecarrier will separate and case the mailinto the post office boxes at the VPOsite.



7/65

2. How will signature mail be handled?Answer: If the customer is not availablewhile the carrier is servicing the mail atthe VPO, the carrier will leave a PSForm 3849 and the customer will pickthe mail up at the administrative postoffice. Upon a customers request, the

carrier may be required to redeliver tothe VPO location on the next businessday.

3. How will VPO post office boxes becoded on the edit sheets?Answer: PO Boxes delivered by ruralletter carriers will be coded as De-tached PO Box Unit (DPOBU). Theseboxes will not be included as central(or regular) delivery boxes when calcu-

lating the route evaluation. During amail count, all time required to serviceVPO boxes will be credited as statedabove under Mail Count Procedures.



8/65

SECTION II - MAIL COUNTOVERVIEW

Types of Mail Counts

There are two types of mail counts: nationalcount and special count.

National Mail Counts

National mail counts are available to all ruralroutes during selected count years identified inthe current National Agreement between theUSPS and the NRLCA.Ref: Article 9.2.C.3.a.

Additionally, the Postal Service has the right toconduct a national count of mail for all ruralroutes during the last twelve (12) working daysin September of any year. Before the PostalService can schedule a September nationalcount, the Union at the national level must benotified at least thirty (30) days in advance ofthe commencement of the count.Ref:Article 9.2.C.3.a.(5)

Special Mail Counts

Special mail counts, pursuant to Article9.2.C.11, will be conducted during the lasttwelve (12) working days in September as aresult of one of the following conditions:

1. When circumstances have negated the va-lidity of the latest count and evaluation. Inthis situation, no salary adjustment is madeas a result of the count unless the evalua-tion of the route is changed by 120 minutesor more.

2. Whenever a 120-minute (2 hours) or moresalary adjustment is made on a route,whether due to a substantial servicechange or a route adjustment, and thedensity of the route after the change hasbeen increased to twelve boxes per mileor more or has been decreased to lessthan twelve (12) boxes per mile.Ref:Article 9.2.C.11.a

Special mail counts must be conducted duringthe last twelve (12) working days in Septem-ber. Salary adjustments will be made pursuantto Article 9.2.C.9.

DPS Flats Special Mail Counts

After a route begins to receive DPS flats andonce the route has passed any qualifications, amail count will be conducted in one of the threeperiods that follow. The route may be countedin the national count period set forth in Article9.2.C.3 or one of the following special mailcount periods.

A special count may be conducted either (1) inaccordance with the period established in Arti-cle 9.2.C.11.b of the National Agreement; or

(2) during the 12 working days in May begin-ning immediately after Mothers Day.

What Routes Will Be Counted Begin-ning February 9, 2013?

In accordance with Article 9.2.C.3.a.(1), a na-tional mail count will be conducted for eighteen(18) working days beginning February 9, andending March 2, 2013. All routes will becounted except those routes which both theregular carrier and management agree in writ-

ing not to count. The mail count will be effec-tive at the beginning of the fourth full pay peri-

od following the end of the count period.

Rural Route Inspection

A rural route inspection is the physical obser-vation of the official line of travel, identificationof safety hazards, condition of the boxesserved, adequacy and quality of service to thecustomer and the character and performanceof the carrier. This inspection is to be made bythe postmaster or a designee while accompa-nying the carrier on the route. This task mustnot be delegated to craft employees unlessdetailed to a higher-level assignment.An inspection must be conducted either duringor immediately prior to a National or SpecialMail Count.Ref: PO-603 Section 521

M-38 Section 511



9/65

Inspecting Rural Routes

The purpose of the inspection is to obtain cur-rent and accurate data, including route and de-livery conditions, number and types of boxesserved, minimum stops required to serve all

boxes on the route, location, time and frequen-cy of authorized dismounts, and the distance(in feet) required at each dismount. The routelayout is reviewed to see if any changes to theline of travel could improve the efficiencyand/or economy of service. Additionally, haz-ardous conditions, situations, and locationsmust be examined and appropriate action tak-en to eliminate or reduce the potential for anaccident.Ref: PO-603 Section 522

Carrier Responsibilities during RouteInspections

Rural carriers must travel their route and deliv-er mail precisely as they do the rest of theyear. They must inform the postmas-ter/designee making the inspection of any box-es that have remained vacant more than 90days. They should also assist in identifyinghazards and/or hazardous conditions on theroute and recommend actions to eliminate orreduce them to the extent practicable.Ref: PO-603 Section 524.1

If the carrier's normal vehicle will not accom-modate the examiner, he/she may be request-ed, but not required, to supply an appropriatevehicle. Management is responsible for thesafety of both the carrier and examiner, and forensuring the accuracy of all data collected.Ref:PO-603 Section 524.2

Box Count

All boxes currently being served and tempo-rarily vacant dwellings, apartments, and placesof business with a box erected, or served via adismount, which have been vacant less than

90 days, are counted as boxes. Do not countabandoned boxes, permanently vacant build-ings and dwellings, apartments vacant morethan 90 days, buildings under construction, ordwellings and businesses receiving deliverysolely through general delivery or a post officebox. Do not count collection compartments lo-cated in NDCBUs as boxes served.Ref: M-38 Section 515.1

Step 4 H1R-4H-C 12585Menlo, KSStep 4 H4R-4K-C 3738Polk City, IA

Step 4 E00R-4E- C 02161678Chanhassen, MN

Village Post Office (VPO) PO Boxes deliveredby rural letter carriers will be coded as De-tached PO Box Unit (DPOBU). These boxeswill not be included as central (or regular) de-livery boxes when calculating the route evalua-tion. During a mail count, all time required toservice VPO boxes will be credited as statedabove under Mail Count Procedures.

Stop Count

The stop count only effects routes that areserved by using a privately owned vehicle andthen, only potentially impacts the EMA. Theminimum number of stops necessary to serveall receptacles on the route; i.e., the number oftimes a carrier must move the vehicle in orderto serve all boxes on the route, are counted asstops.



10/65

Where boxes are grouped, the determinationof stops will depend upon the size of the box(s)and the distance between the boxes. As ageneral rule, 2 small boxes may be served with1 stop, provided the distance between the 2boxes is not greater than the width of a small

box. Each large box normally requires onestop.Ref: M-38 Section 515.2

Family Count

For Postal Service purposes, the term "family"is considered the same as "household." A sin-gle residence is a household consisting of onlyone family regardless of the number of resi-dents or their relationship. In multi-residentialbuildings, each occupied separate unit is

counted as a family. On routes utilizing a routeand box numbering system up to five familiesmay use the same box and use a commonroute and box designation.On routes utilizing a street name and number-ing system customers should erect individualmail receptacles.Ref: POM 9 Section 632.526Ref: M-38 Section 516

Authorized Dismounts

The total number of authorized dismounts arerecorded on a daily basis. For example, a car-rier is authorized to dismount at a school be-cause of volume. The school office is closedon Saturdays. The route is credited with a dis-mount Monday through Friday, but would notreceive dismount credit on Saturday. Whendetermining the dismount distance, all entriesmust be made on the basis of the number oftrips required by the carrier each day. As in theabove example, where the school office wasclosed on Saturday, on a heavy volume Mon-

day, the dismount may require two or moretrips. When a carrier dismounts primarily toprovide other services, such as delivery and/orpick up of accountable mail, COD, ExpressMail, etc., no dismount credit is authorized. Ex-isting time allowances for accountable mail in-clude time for dismounting to affect deliveryand/or pick up.Ref: PO-603 Section 535.12.vRef: M-38 Section 365

Preparing to Ride the Route

In preparation for accompanying the carrier onthe street, it will be necessary to obtain a cur-rent PS Form 4003 (Official Rural Route De-scription) route map, measuring device for

dismounts, and inspection worksheet for mak-ing notes concerning the route, carrier perfor-mance, and to ensure the line of travel and thelength of the route is correct. This work sheetcan also be used to record safety concerns,condition of mailboxes and to identify unnec-essary travel and roads that need repair. Foroffices using the Computerized Labeling Ad-dress Sequencing Service (CLASS), a currentCLASS edit sheet would be another valuablesource document to use during the inspection.This is the authorized sequence of delivery and

should reflect the line of travel on the PS Form4003. Differences would be easily identifiedand corrected to ensure accurate information isreflected in the CLASS data. The delivery data,regular boxes, and central boxes, entered inSection II Route Data (PS Form 4248 RuralRoute Inspection Report), should match theactive deliveries reflected on the summarypage of the CLASS Edit Sheet and the Form4003. Since the information contained in theCLASS database is provided to mailers forpreparation of delivery point sequence mail

and is also used to generate sort programs forthe Delivery Bar Code Sorters (DBCS), usingthe edit sheets as part of the inspection pro-cess makes good business sense.

As a result of the inspection, it may be neces-sary to submit a Form 4003 annotated "updat-ed as the result of inspection" to the districtoffice. Remember, the totals on Forms 4248,4003, and the CLASS summary sheet shouldagree.

The mileage check made during a route in-spection does not change the official routemileage. Route mileage can only be changedby the processing of PS Form 4003 as a resultof an official route remeasurement, or the addi-tion / deletion of mileage to the route.Ref: M-38 Section 623



11/65

Average daily mileage deviation for fueling upthe LLV must be added to the route mileage onPS Form 4241.Ref: PO-603 Section 535.23.hRef: M-38 Section 510Ref: 1988 LLV MOU

Request to Repair Roads

While conducting the inspection, note the con-dition of road and road shoulders for bothcity/town and private roads. Note any area indisrepair that could obstruct delivery of mail,cause undue wear or damage to the vehicle, orpresent a safety hazard. Management is re-sponsible for completing PS Form 4024 (Re-quest to Repair Roads), in duplicate. Retain acopy and mail the original to the appropriatehighway official or individual responsible for the

road. If necessary repairs are not made in areasonable time, management may withdrawservice.Ref: M-38 Section 517

Mailbox Needs Attention

Inspect the condition of all mail receptaclesduring the route inspection for possible irregu-larities. The use of an inspection worksheetcompleted on the route can aid in this proce-dure. By using codes, you can quickly identify

mail receptacles in need of repair without de-laying the carrier.

PS Form 4056 (Your Mailbox Needs Attention)is designed to notify customers of mailbox ir-regularities. Upon return to the office, thepostmaster prepares PS Form 4056 in dupli-cate, notifying the customer of the irregularity.The carrier delivers the original to the customerthe next working day, while the duplicate iskept on file for future reference by the post-master.

In the event locks are used on mailboxes, theslot for the mail must be large enough to ac-commodate the customer's normal daily mailvolume. Therefore, if the slot is not sufficient toaccommodate the normal daily mail volume,the carrier will be compensated in Column 17for the additional time to affect delivery.Ref: M-38 Section 517.2Ref:DMM 508.3.2.3

Counting Your Own Mail

If a carrier wants to verify the data collectedthey may count the mail presented to them.The time to verify or count the mail is withoutcompensation.

Time used by the carrier to count mail is rec-orded in Column 30. This time is recorded toensure it is not included in the actual time re-quired to serve the route.

Pre-sort Mail

Undeliverable non-preferential mail, includingletters, flats and magazines, is not to be heldback by distribution clerks or managers duringthe mail count.

If management wishes to remove plastic wrap,strings, bands etc., in order to properly countthe contents under cover or bound, manage-ment should only remove enough covering orbinding as necessary to maintain the integrityof the count. Management should not takemissent mail from these bundles unless this isthe standard practice in the office and it will befollowed all year, or until the next mail count.Ref:Step 4 H1R-4B-C 11305

Linden, Ml 48451

Ref: Step 4H1R-3P-C 19988Summerville, SC

Even Flow of Mail

Mail should be distributed to ensure a normalflow on the day preceding the count period andthe last day of the count period. The managershould not schedule extra clerk hours for theexpress purpose of clearing out mail volumeprior to the count, and clerk hours should notbe curtailed on the day the count should end.

All simplified address mail (boxholders), whichis available at the delivery unit, must be dis-tributed to the rural carrier during the count pe-riod unless a commitment has been made to amailer to deliver that boxholder mail on a spe-cific date other than the count period. Themailer's request must be honored on time val-ue mail.



12/65

Carriers who normally case mail upon return tothe office after completing their routes are tocontinue this practice on the day preceding thecount and during the count period. Carrierswho do not case mail upon return to the officeafter completing their routes will not do so on

the day preceding the count, nor during thecount period.Ref: PO-603 Section 534Ref: M-38 Section 526.4Ref: EL-902 Article 30.1.A

Withdrawal of Mail

If rural carriers are required to perform any ofthe withdrawal duties, they are entitled to thefive minutes per day withdrawal time allow-ance.

The withdrawal procedures established for themail count should be the same as that whichwill normally be followed the remainder of theyear.

Number of Withdrawals

Upon reporting, the carrier will sweep the dis-tribution cases of all letter and flat mail. Nomore than two additional withdrawals shouldbe made in the morning. Carriers will with-draw mail from distribution cases when a

clerk or mail-handler has not placed the mailon their case ledge. All carriers must makea final withdrawal of preferential lettersand flats from the designated distributioncase immediately before leaving for theirroutes.

Upon returning from the route, the carrier willobtain all letter and flat mail available from thedistribution case.Ref: M-38 Section 352.2Ref: PO-603 Section 212.1

Ref: Step 4 H95R-4H-C 96076679Largo, FL

Ref: Step 4 E00R-4E-C 02146601Spencer, IA

Required Duties of Carriers Who Do NotReceive the Withdrawal Credit

Carriers who are exempt from general mailwithdrawal requirements must make a finalwithdrawal of preferential letters and flats from

a designated case immediately before leavingfor their routes. Normally the final withdrawalwill be accomplished in conjunction with theloading operation.Ref: PO-603 Section 212.22

If employees other than rural carriers withdraw

mail, they must place it on the carrier's caseledge as describedin PO-603 Section 212.13. Some postmastersrequire rural carriers to dump sacks and doother things to prepare mail. In an official posi-tion letter, signed by William E. Henry Jr., itwas clearly stated that if rural carriers are notcredited with withdrawal allowance, theyshould not be required to dump sacks or per-form any of the other duties necessary for pre-paring the mail for casing.Ref:Henry Letter

Withdrawal All or Nothing

There is no provision for a partial credit for acarrier's withdrawal of mail. If a carrier is re-quired to perform a portion of the withdrawalfunction, such as dumping mail from sacks,then the carrier is entitled to the withdrawal al-lowance.Ref:Henry Letter

The time used withdrawing DPS flats and plac-ing the trays in the conveyance utilized forloading is considered withdrawal time and notincluded in loading time.

When management determines it would beoperationally advantageous to change thewithdrawal procedures currently used in a unit,the local NRLCA steward (or district repre-sentative if a local steward is not available)must be advised of the proposed change.

If management proposes a change in with-drawal and the majority of regular carriers in

the unit wish to perform the withdrawal func-tion, all carriers in the unit will withdraw allmail, provided they agree to assume the re-sponsibilities associated with daily unit volumerecording (DUVRS). The recording of volumemeans entering the daily linear footage of letterand flat mail received in a single entry in the"Remarks" section of PS Form 4240 (RuralCarrier Trip Report). In addition, they shouldrecord the number of box holder sets.Ref:Postal Bulletin 21631



13/65

Not Part of Withdrawal

Cutting Straps or Plastic

The cutting of straps or plastic wrappers is thecarriers' responsibility whether they receive the

withdrawal allowance or not.Ref: Pg 478 of NRLCA Magazine August 13, 1983

Obtaining Parcel Hampers

If the hamper is not located within 50 feet(round trip) the route will be provided additionalcredit under Column 17 for only the distancebeyond the 50 feet. The distance beyond 50feet will be credited at .00429 minutes per foot.Ref:Pre-Arb E95R-4G-C 99088097

Humble, TX

Pre-Count Conference

The pre-count conference is a joint conferencebetween rural carriers and managers. Regard-less of the type of mail count, a joint confer-ence must be held at least 15 days prior to thebeginning of the mail count. (Note: This yearthe pre-count conference must be completedno later than COB, January 25, 2013.Ref: M-38 Section 525.11

This is a very important event because it is

management's last opportunity to introduceadministrative changes in carrier procedures.Once the conference is completed, proceduresare locked in throughout the count and by ex-tension, the remainder of the year, unless cor-responding changes are made in salary for ad-ditional functions.

No changes in carrier work methods, casingequipment, or office procedures can be madebetween the date of the local conference andthe mail count unless these items were specifi-

cally discussed at the conference.Ref: M-38 Section525.14

Step 4 A00R-4A-C 09133135Colts Neck NJStep 4 G06R-4G-C 09148950Fort Worth, TX

It is not necessary that the carriers agree to theproposed changes; it is necessary only that theproposed changes do not violate Postal Ser-vice policy or the USPS-NRLCA National

Agreement.Ref: M-38 Section 525.14.a

This section does not limit a manager's right tomake operational changes at any other timeother than the period specifically stated.Ref: M-38 Section 525.14.b

It is additionally important to discuss countprocedures so that any potential areas of disa-greement can be identified and hopefully re-solved prior to the actual count.

Rural carriers are well advised to take a pre-count conference checklist with them to thelocal conference and make notes.

Any carrier on leave 15 days prior to the be-ginning of the count must be conferred with

before going on leave or immediately upon re-turn. If operational changes are planned whilethe carrier is on leave, the conference must beheld upon the carrier's return to duty, when allchanges must be explained.

Pre-Count Conference Items for Dis-cussion

1. Clarify mail processing procedures onthe day preceding the count and thelast day of count.

2. How to use rural template for themeasurement of mail.Ref: Step 4 H7R-1G-C 5107

Springfield, VT

3. Mail withdrawal procedures and record-ing of DUVRS if carrier is required torecord volume.

4. Carriers have the right to observe mailcount on their relief days or when theyare on annual leave.

5. Carriers have the right to count theirown mail for verification while in an on

duty status.6. Review of PS Form 4239 with an un-derstanding of definitions. Forms mustbe available to carriers daily, upon re-quest, before the mail is trayed orstrapped out.

7. Cut-off times for mail.8. Implementation of "Directs".9. Depositing of CFS mail, hold mail, get-

ting stamp box, etc.10. Clerk/Supervisor interruptions for offi-



14/65

cial business, being called to the phoneor counter, etc.

11. Collection boxes, collection compart-ments in CBU's, and parcel lockers.

12. Dismounts and dismount distance.Heavy volume days may require more

than one trip.13. Proper credit for collected mail:a. For more than 2 separations

Ref: Step 4 H7R-4B-C 29248Rochester, Ml

b. From collection boxes.c. From collection

slots/compartments.d. Bundled mail.e. Certified and registered mail.f. Express mail.g. Parcels collected on the route.h. Clarify appropriate credit when

collecting obvious letters andflats, pre-paid parcels, carrierpickup items, with or without acarrier pickup request.

14. Loading procedures, including time formoving vehicle if it is not loaded or un-loaded where it is parked.

15. Intermediate office procedures forroutes that work out of more than oneoffice.

16. Misthrows.17. Mark-ups.

a. Bundleb. Individual

Ref: PO-603, 535.12DMM 507.1.4.1

18. COAs and 3982 labels.Ref: PO-603, 535.12, as revised.

19. Credit for detached-label mailings.20. Locked pouch when transporting un-

sorted mail from one post office to an-other.

21. High Option/Leave Commitment.22. Safety Talks (actual time, approximate-

ly five minutes). If two safety talks aregiven in a single week, compensationmust be given for both.

23. Any required functions for Saturdaycloseouts must be credited.

24. Procedures and time values for USPSvehicles. Average daily mileage devia-tion for fueling up the LLV must beadded to the route mileage on PS Form4241.

25. Delivery point sequence letters (DPS)

issues.a. Proper credit for missequenced,

missorted, missent MMM mailRef: Step 4 B95R-4B-C 02237945

b. Proper credit for oversized letter(over 6 1/8 inches) processedwith DPS letter mail.

c. Multiple zone creditRef: Step 4 J06R-4F-C 11406137Hillsboro, IL (see page 59)

26. DPS Flats (FSS) proceduresRef: DPS Flats Implementation Procedures, 1-29-2010

27. PS Form 5630, Shipment ConfirmationAcceptance Notice (SCAN.)

28. Prepaid Acceptance ScansUSPS Tracking Number Bar Codes(PVI label)

29. Adult Signature Services

a. Adult Signature Required:Requires the signature ofsomeone 21 years of age orolder at the recipient address.Requires verification of age bydelivery employee

b. Adult Signature RestrictedDelivery: requires delivery ofmail piece to addressee (or au-thorized agent) who is over 21years of age. Requires verifica-tion of age and identity by deliv-ery employee.

30. Carrier Pickup Standard.Ref: National Grievance Settlement

Q00R-4Q-C 08030088Washington DC

31. Service talks (actual time)32. Do Not Bend or Fold items that cannot

be cased with other mail.Ref: DMM 601.50

33. Additional time to pick up and returnscanner if not in conjunction with otheractivities and/or not within a reasonabledistance.Ref: Step 4 E00R-4E-C08212472

Mesa, AZ

34. Rural Boxholder Non-Delivery Request(RBNR).Ref: PO-603 322.23

35. Village Post Office (VPO) procedures, ifapplicable

36. Any other local requirement that hap-pens on a regular basis (daily or week-ly.)



15/65

Pre-Count Conference Checklist

The Pre-Count Conference was held on

The issues have been discussed and agreed upon as listed.

Post Office

Supervisor/Postmaster

(Signature)

Rural Carrier(Signature)

Route



16/65

Summary of Mail CountPrinciples

Procedures used during the mail count pe-riod must be the same as those used dur-ing the rest of the year.

No changes in carrier work methods, cas-ing equipment, or office procedures are tobe made between the date of the localconference and the mail count, unlessthey were specifically discussed at theconference.

Regular carriers may observe the mailcount of their own route on their relief daysor on days they are in an annual leavestatus. Any carrier who observes the mailcount must be in a non-duty status.

Regular carriers who are observing in anon-duty status may not participate in of-fice work.

The relief carrier is entitled to work his/herscheduled work days during the mail countperiod.

Mail must be counted in the facility wherethe carrier cases the mail, with the excep-tion of DPS mail, which is recorded fromthe End of Run Report (EOR). Either themanager or the carrier may verify thepiece count without additional compensa-

tion to the carrier for the time involved.Ref: MOU Use of End of Run Report Mail is credited on the day it is cased.

Mail flow procedures during the count pe-riod must be the same as the rest of theyear.Ref: Step 4 H1R-4B-C 11305

Linden, MI

On the day preceding the count period, allmail available up to the normal "cut-offtime must be delivered on that day.

All mail available up to the normal "cut-offtime on the last day is included in the

count and delivered. In Expedited Prefer-ential Mail (EPM) System offices, availablemail would be cased but not counted uponreturning to the office from the route onthe day prior to the start of the count.Conversely, in EPM offices on the last dayof the count, available mail would becased and entered on PS Form 4239 forthat day.

Refer to clarification by USPS delivery op-erations on how to color code standard flatmail with a requested in-home deliverydate that is entered at the destination de-livery unit.Ref. May 23, 2012 policy letter from USPSHeadquarters Delivery Operations on Non-

Machinable, Non-Barcoded Mail with Requested In-Home Dates Policy.

Prior to the count period, no extra effortshould be made to deviate from normalmail delivery or processing schedules.

Mail must not be curtailed on the last dayof the count period.

Withdrawal procedures in effect at thetime of the count should be the same forthe rest of the year.

Rural carriers always have the right to ver-ify the daily count of mail and all entries

made on PS Form 4239. If possible, disputes should be resolved

immediately.

Unresolved disputes should be thoroughlydocumented by collecting all of the rele-vant data.

Carriers should take the time to verify thedata recorded on PS Forms 4239 and4241.

Record mail associated with second tripsappropriately.Ref: Pre-Arb C95R-4C-C 98023318

(Mgt option) Bear, DE It is unacceptable for either manage-

ment or rural carriers to take actionsthat affect the integrity of the mailcount.Ref: September 15, 2006 directive from USPS HQ

April 7, 1999 Bothwell Letter

PS Form 4239

This form is designed to function as a combi-nation work sheet and mail count record.

(Note: Refer to Revised 4239 dated January 2012).This important daily record provides the basicsource of mail volume and time data, which istransferred daily to PS Form 4241 (Rural De-livery Statistics Report), and consolidated forthe two, three or four week period.(Note: Refer to Revised 4241 dated February 2012)

A separate PS Form 4239 is used to recordeach day's count data. The PS Form 4239 is



17/65

intended to be a work sheet and any other ad-ditional items such as facing slips, pads, etc.,should not be used. The PS Form 4239 is theonly official record of each days count data.The postmaster, supervisor, or mileage routecarrier responsible for conducting the count will

complete PS Form 4239 daily for each route.

When management completes the PS Form4239, upon request it will be shown to the car-rier before the mail is trayed or strapped out toallow verification. If a dispute is identified, eve-ry attempt should be made to resolve the disa-greement prior to delivery of that day's mail.The postmaster/supervisor, or carrier whoconducts the count, must sign the PS Form4239 daily. Remember, daily totals must betransferred to the PS Form 4241. Do not waituntil the end of the count period to completethe rural delivery statistic report.

Note: After PS Form 4239 (Rural Route Countof Mail) has been completed each day, thepostmaster retains the original and the carrierreceives a copy.Ref: PO-603 535.11.b

In the case of an Intermediate Office, a sepa-rate PS Form 4239 is completed for all ser-vices performed at the intermediate office andforwarded under cover to the head out office

daily. The postmaster at the head out office isresponsible for consolidating the data from allPS Forms 4239, subtracting the total officetime spent at the intermediate office from theroute time, and transferring all data to PS Form4241. PS Form 4241 is not completed at in-termediate offices.

Should Disagreements Occur

Many times there are questionable items andissues during mail counts. When there are dis-agreements between the carriers and manag-ers concerning the proper credit of an item,

every effort must be made at the time to re-solve the dispute. Carriers should makemanagement aware of each repeated occur-rence of disputed items. When there is a dis-pute pertaining to a mail piece, an attemptmust be made to resolve the issue before themail in question is delivered. If carriers are un-able to resolve the differences, documenta-tion of all information regarding the item(s)or issue(s) in dispute is critical. Include inthe documentation the issue in dispute, thenumber of articles and any other relevant in-

formation such as dimensions that will be help-ful in resolving the disagreement.Ref: Mail Count Disagreement Form



18/65

SECTION IIIRURAL ROUTE COUNT OF MAIL PS FORM 4239

Column 1 - Letter-Size Mail

Enter in this column all letter size mail includ-ing ordinary letters, cards, newsletter type mail,and circulars six and one-eighth (6 1/8) inchesor less in width which can be cased in the sep-arations of the carrier cases. Small magazinesand small catalogs six and one-eighth (6 1/8)inches or less in width and 3/8 or less in thick-ness are included in this column. Include de-tached address labels (specifically addressed)for sample merchandise, magazines, and cata-logs in the letter count. Note: The maximumthickness of 3/8 inch applies only to smallmagazines and small catalogs. Letter-size mail

is whatever fits in the width of the case separa-tion in use regardless of thickness. All de-tached address cards (with a specific address)for sample merchandise, shared mail, maga-zines, and catalogs are included in the lettercount.Ref: PO-603 535.12.a.1

The manner in which the address is orientedon the mail piece will be relevant for the pur-pose of recording a mail piece during a mailcount as a letter or flat. For the purpose of the

mail count, the width of the mail piece will bedefined as the dimension perpendicular to theaddress label.Ref: Pre-Arb Q95R-4Q-C 02102188

Washington, DC

One (1) piece is credited in Column 1 for eachPS Form 3982-R cased during mail count.Ref: PO-603 section 322.23

Do not include address cards received for se-quencing during the mail count in this category.Ref: Pre-Arb D95R-4D-C 01039476

Lugoff, SC

Do not include newspapers, boxholders, flats,and rolls even though they may be cased withletter mail. Count each direct or segmentedbundle (see PO-603, Section 225.4) distributedand tied out at mail distribution cases as oneparcel, and enter in Column 6. Do not countdirect or segmented bundles tied out at the

carrier case (see PO-603, Section 225.5) asparcels. Do not include registered, certified,COD, number insured, Express Mail, and other

accountable mail in this column. For accounta-ble articles, see Column 8.Ref: PO-603 535.12.a.2

Small catalogs and magazines with a thicknessgreater than 3/8 inch are not counted in thiscolumn.

Undeliverable non-preferential mail, includingletters, flats, and magazines, is not to be heldback by distribution clerks or managers duringthe mail count. If management wishes to re-

move plastic wrap, strings, bands, etc. in orderto properly count the contents under cover orbound, management should only removeenough covering or binding as necessary tomaintain the integrity of the count. Manage-ment should not take undeliverable mail fromthese bundles unless this is the standard prac-tice in the office, and it will be followed all year.

"According to the file, distributors in this localoffice normally discarded non-preferential mailof no obvious value when it was recognized asbeing undeliverable rather than distribute it tothe rural carriers. The parties at Step 4 agreedthat the discarding of mail in this manner is in-consistent with postal procedure and should bediscontinued. If discontinuance of this activityresulted in an increased workload for the carri-ers, the carriers were entitled to a recount, ifthey desired."Ref: Step 4 H.1R-4B-C 11305

Linden, Ml

Column 2 - Sector/Segment

Letters

Enter in this column all mail up to 6 1/8 inchesin width that is processed on automatedequipment in sector/segment order.

Where Sector/Segment is introduced, the finalscheme must be jointly verified, and mail mustbe processed using this scheme no later than



19/65

30 days prior to a scheduled mail count.

Credit as Sector/Segment Letters the smalleramount of DPS letter mail (by zone(s)) re-ceived when a route continually crosses be-tween zones.Ref. Step 4 J06R-4J-C 11406137 Hillsboro, IL(see page 59 in this issue)

Column 3 - Delivery PointSequence (DPS) Letters

Enter in this column all mail up to 6 1/8 inchesin width that is processed on automatedequipment as Delivery Point Sequence mail.

Note: All DPS letters, for both LLVand POV vehicle routes, will be en-tered in this column. The appropriate

time allowance factor will be auto-matically determined based on thevehicle data entry (EMA or Govt.Veh.) on the PS Form 4241.

LLV must be placed on route byFebruary 9 in order to qualify fornew DPS letter rate

Exception: If fewer than 2,400 pieces of DPSmail are averaged per week during the entiremail count period and/or the route was not val-idated before the count as meeting the 98 per-

cent quality threshold, mail processed as DPSwill be cased and recorded as sector/segmentin Column 2 on PS Form 4241 (Rural DeliveryStatistics Report), or if it does not qualify assector/segment mail, recorded in Column 1,Letter Size.Ref: 11-1-2012 letter from USPS HQ, DeliveryPoint Sequence Letter Implementation Procedures(see pages 41-43 in this issue)

The end of run report piece count (or futureequivalent report) from the automated equip-

ment used to process a zone's DPS letter mailwill be utilized when recording volume during amail count.Ref: End of Run Report

During the mail count, if the DPS mail is notwithin 50 feet (round trip), the route will be pro-vided additional credit under Column 17 foronly the distance beyond the 50 feet. The dis-tance beyond 50 feet will be credited at .00429minutes per foot.

Ref: Pre-Arb D95R-4D-C 01037982Louisville, KY

Note: Casing of DPS mail will not change mailcount procedures or time standards applied toDPS or other mail.

If multiple runs are received, only one run maybe counted as DPS. Management will deter-mine which run is DPS. Other runs may becounted as sector/segment if they qualify.

If a route serves multiple zones and receivesDPS letter mail separately for each zone, anddoes not complete service to the other zone(s)prior to returning to deliver the original zone,only the larger amount of DPS letter mail iscredited as DPS Letter Mail in Column 3. Thesmaller amount(s) of DPS letter mail (byzone(s)) would be credited in Column 2.Ref Step 4 ]06R-4]-C 11406137 Hillsboro, IL(see page 59)

If carriers take DPS mail directly to the street,all the DPS mail they bring back, because it isout of sequence or otherwise not deliverable(hold mail, forwardable mail, missorted mail,etc.), is recorded in Column1, Letter Size. Thefact that the carrier may elect to case that mailduring the mail count does not change the re-cording procedure. DPS mail, which wouldhave been brought back by the carrier, is rec-

orded in Column 1, Letter Size.

The mail pieces recorded in Column 1, LetterSize, are not deducted from Column 3, DPSLetters.

Inverted DPS Letters: 1 additional DPS letter iscredited in Column 3 DPS Letters for every 4DPS Letters received inverted. Appropriatecredit will be added to the DPS total by round-ing down to the nearest whole number.Ref: Pre-Arb E00R-4E-05035960

Prior Lake, MN

A rigid article received in DPS letters will becounted and recorded under Column 6 as aparcel if the rigid article exceeds any one of thedimensions in Part 535.12.d.(1) of the PO-603.Ref: Pre-Arb F91R-4F-C 96020182

Sun City, CA

Credit for DPS letters received for a closedschool or business, whether cased or taken to



20/65

the street, will be credited in the followingmanner:

1. Credit will be given in Column 1, Let-ters, for each piece when there areseven pieces or less.

2. Credit will be given in Column 6, Par-cels, for one parcel when there are

eight pieces or more.3. These mail pieces will not be deductedfrom Column 3, DPS Letters.

No additional riffling time should be credit-ed to identify and/or hold this mail.Ref: Step 4 J00R-4J-C04168408

Plainfield, IL 60544

How Is A Hand-Full Of Mail Handled If ItIs Out Of Order During A Mail Count?

If, during the process of riffling their DPS mail,

a carrier notices that a hand-full of good DPSmail is out of sequence in their tray (most likelya sweeping error), the carrier extracts thehand-full and places it in the appropriate loca-tion. Riffling time will be provided in Column17, Other Suitable Allowance to routes receiv-ing DPS letter mail without separator cards.This time includes identifying and handling er-rors associated with programs such as Un-planned Events and Mail History Tracking Sys-tem (MHTS). Routes utilizing breaker cards donot receive riffle time, but should be credited

with the time associated with UnplannedEvents and MHTS handling.Ref: 11-1-2012 letter from USPS HQ, DeliveryPoint Sequence Letter Implementation Procedures(see pages 41-43 in this issue)

Column 4 - Papers, Magazines,Catalogs, Flats, Other Size Mail

Enter in this column newspapers, flats, maga-zines, catalogs, rolls, and other non-letter sizemail that can be cased for delivery using carri-er casing equipment. This includes catalogscased with other mail or cased separately. Thisdoes not include those items specifically refer-enced in Column 6, Parcels.

Exceptions: Count simplified address articles,including mail with detached labels, as box-holder mail and enter in Column 7. Count eachdirect or segmented bundle distributed and tiedout at mail distribution cases (see PO-603

225.4) as one parcel, and enter in Column 6.Do not count direct or segmented bundles tiedout at the carrier case (see PO-603, Section225.5) as a parcel. Do not count registered,certified, COD, numbered insured mail, Ex-press Mail, and other accountable mail in thiscolumn. For special delivery articles, see Col-

umn 8.

The manner in which the address is orientedon the mail piece will be relevant for the pur-pose of recording a mail piece during a mailcount as a letter or flat. For the purpose of themail count, the width of the mail piece will bedefined as the dimension perpendicular to theaddress label.Ref: Pre-Arb Q95R-4Q-C 02102188

Washington, DCStep 4 Q00R-4Q-C 03096526Washington, DC

Normally a CD enclosed in a magazine doesnot define the mail piece as a parcel. To definea flexible mail piece containing a rigid item re-fer to the references below:Ref: Arbitration Award (Eishen)

E95R-4E-C 990099528Step 4 F00R-4F-C 03096043Riverside, CAFlow chart for rigid item inside a flexible Mail piece

Catalogs are counted as flats if they will fit intothe empty separation to which they are ad-

dressed. When flat separations are used, cata-logs that will fit into the empty flat separationsare credited as flats. Therefore, a catalog maybe aflat or parcel depending on the size of thecatalog and the size of the separation to whichit is addressed.Ref: Step 4 R8-C-0108/C8R4FC19357

Gallipolis, OH

Boxes of checks are counted as flats providedthe box does not exceed any one of the follow-ing dimensions: 5 inches in height, 18 inches inlength, or 1 9/16 inches in width.

A flat item that contains a rigid article may beconsidered a flat or parcel depending onwhether the mail piece can be cased with othermail without damage to the mail piece.

When determining if the mail piece can becased, some re-positioning of the rigid item(s)inside the mail piece may occur. You are notrequired to take extraordinary efforts to reposi-



21/65

tion the item(s) within the piece for casing. Ifyou cannot case it the item is considered aparcel in Column 6.Ref: Step 4 E00R-4E-C 03203190

Fall City WA

Helicopter Flat credit is ONLY for flats pro-cessed on UFSM 1000. On Form 4239, each

entry in Column 4 for flats received from UFSM1000 equipment should be circled. Prior to to-taling Column 4 on Form 4239, total the circledentries, and place the resulting number in theComments section of Form 4239. Multiple thisnumber by .175 (17.5 percent) and round tothe nearest whole number. This calculationshould be written out in the Comments section.Transfer the result of this calculation to Column4 as a separate entry and place an asterisknext to this entry. This will signify that the routehas received the additional credit for the flat

volume.Ref: Pre-Arb E95R-4E-C 99103123

Oregon City, OR

Column 5 DPS Flats

The NRLCA National Board does not be-lieve the imposed DPS Flat implementationprocedures are fair, reasonable, and equi-table; therefore the issue has been ap-pealed directly to National Arbitration. Inthe meantime the following procedures will

be followed:

Record number of DPS flats received duringcount. The parties have agreed that the end ofrun report will be used as a data source to rec-ord the number of DPS flats on PS Form 4239during a mail count.

Do not include sequenced flats provided direct-ly from mailers in the DPS flat volume.

Each mail piece in DPS flats tray (regardless of

its characteristics) will be counted and record-ed in this column.

Loading time will include the time spent by thecarrier traveling to the DPS flats staging areaand resume after the DPS flats are placed inthe conveyance and the loading process con-tinues.

The time used withdrawing DPS flats and plac-

ing the trays in the conveyance utilized forloading time is considered withdrawal time andnot included in loading time.

The verification of the DPS flats is included inthe DPS flats standard. In those instanceswhen the route is not provided the withdrawal

allowance, DPS flats will be provided to thecarrier.

Closed business for DPS flats (4 or less piecesreceive a single flat piece count, 5 or morepieces a parcel credit). No deductions fromcolumn 5, DPS flats, will be made.

Missent, Missorted, PO Box mail, Forwards,and Undeliverable as Addressed DPS flatsbrought back to the office will receive credit inColumns 1, 4, or 6, as appropriate. No deduc-

tions will be made from Column 5.

Multi-Point errors and Missequenced errorsthat are identified, delivered and tracked by thecarrier will receive addition credit in Columns 1,4, or 6 as appropriate. No deductions will bemade from Column 5.

NRLCA Position: Only one run of DPS flats perday will be credited in column 5 and carried tothe street. Any additional runs will be creditedas raw mail in columns 1, 4, or 6, as appropri-

ate.

In the event that you receive multiple runs ofDPS flats on the same day, document the is-sue and contact your district representativeimmediately.

Column 6 - Parcels

(A) A parcel is any rigid article that exceedsany one of the following dimensions:(a) 5 inches in height.

(b) 18 inches in length.(c) 1 9/16 inches in width.

Examples: A rigid article that measures 4 x 15x 1 3/4 is recorded as a parcel, because the 13/4 thickness exceeds the 1 9/16 criteria.However, a rigid article that measures 5 x 18 x1 9/16 is recorded as a flat because none ofthe dimensions exceed the stated criteria.(This includes articles properly prepared and



22/65

endorsed "Do Not Fold Or Bend" in accord-ance with Domestic Mail Manual). Ref: PostalBulletin 22213 (8/16/07)

(B) In addition, any non-rigid article that doesnot fit in the letter or flat separations (whereflat separations are used) with other mail isconsidered a parcel. (This includes articlesthat have not been prepared in accordancewith DMM 601.5.0, even though the mailerhas endorsed them "Do Not Fold OrBend.") These non-rigid articles should becarried and credited as parcels, providedthat they do not fit in the letter or flat sepa-ration (where flat separations are used)with other mail without damage to the arti-cle.Ref: Step 4 H7R-4M-C 29824

Bay City, MIPostal Bulletin 22213 (8/16/07)

(C) The carrier has the option of handling odd-size articles either with flat mail or sepa-rately, regardless of how it is credited.

(D) Parcels with detached labels do not belongin this column. They are counted as box-holders in Column 7. Only specifically ad-dressed samples too large to be cased areincluded in the parcel count.

(E) Each direct or segmented bundle distribut-

ed and tied out at the mail distribution cas-es (see PO-603 225.4) is counted as aparcel. Direct or segmented bundles tiedout at the carrier case (see PO-603 225.5)are not counted as a parcel.Ref: Step 4 H1R-5B-C 8286

Issaquah, WA

(F) Registered, certified, COD, numbered in-sured, Express Mail, and other accountablemail are not counted in this column. (Forspecial delivery articles see Column 8.)

Include in Column 6:

Directs tied out at distribution cases.Directs are not to be broken by the carrier.

Samples with a specific address directly onthe mail piece which meet the parcel sizerequirements.

A postage due parcel is credited as a parceland a postage due item.

Credit is given in Column 6where a second

delivery attempt is required only in accord-ance with the Postal Service's parcel rede-livery regulations.Ref: PO-603 section 332.11

For the purpose of the mail count, the widthof the mail piece will be defined as the di-mension perpendicular to the address la-

bel.Ref: Pre-Arb Q00R-4Q-C 03096526Washington, DC

A rigid article received in DPS will becounted and recorded under Column 6 asa parcel if the rigid article exceeds anyone of the dimensions in the PO-603Section 535.12.d(1).Ref:Pre-Arb F91R-4F-C 96020182

Sun City, CA

All parcels for Village Post Office (VPO)post office boxes will be recorded in thiscolumn.

Each container/bundle of mail for theVPO post offices boxes will also be cred-ited as one parcel.

Column 7 - Boxholders

Enter the daily number of boxholders (families,boxes, or deliveries, as appropriate) taken outfor delivery on the route. This includes all sim-plified address mail, including samples withsimplified address (DMM 602.3.2.1).

When samples are received with detached ad-dress labels (specifically addressed), enter thetotal number of samples. (See PO-603 Section535.12.a, Column 1, for recording the labelcount.) Include simplified address, detachedlabels (no specific name or address) in thiscolumn. The number of pieces of boxholdermail must not exceed the number of families orboxes (as appropriate) on the route for eachmailing. Include in this column all boxholders,whether cased or not.

Boxholders are counted only when they aredelivered.

Examples:1. An 18-day mail count begins February 9

and ends March 2. A boxholder is re-ceived in the office on February 8 with arequested delivery date of February 11.This boxholder would be delivered onFebruary 11 and would be included in



23/65

the count.2. Conversely, a boxholder received in the

office on March 1, with a requested de-livery date of March 4 would be deliv-ered on March 4 and would not be in-cluded in the count.

Column 8 - Registered Mail, Certi-fied Mail, Numbered Insured Arti-cles, Express Mail, and Other Ac-countable Mail, (Adult Signature)

A. Enter the number of articles receiveddaily for delivery in this column. Entriesin this column preclude entries for thesame items in Columns 1, 2, 4, 6, or10.

B. On high-density (L) routes where multi-ple accountable items are received forone address, a clerk will enter the itemson PS Form 3883. The route receivescredit for one accountable article perpage or partial page completed.Ref. B06R-4B-C 10247793

Deep River, CT

Example: If a route received 10 ac-countable articles of which five were fordelivery to one address, the routewould receive credit for six accountable

items: one item each for the five articlesfor delivery to individual addresses, andone item for the five articles entered onPS Form 3883 (Firm Delivery Book forAccountable Mail) for delivery to theone address. Under no circumstancesuse a PS Form 3883 for delivery of onlyone accountable item.

C. When a PS Form 3883 is authorized foruse on high-density (L) routes, addi-tional credit is allowed for handling re-turn receipts on items listed in the book

(see Column 26).

D. For each accountable mail piece, in-cluding Express Mail and SignatureConfirmation in Column 8, an additionaltime allowance of twenty-eight (28)seconds is incorporated for scanningthe mail piece. This includes any timeassociated with scanning of the PSForm 3849 and the data entry of recipi-

ent names.Ref: MDCD MOU 1-15-2003

E. During the mail count, if the accounta-ble cage (or location where accounta-bles are cleared) is not within 50 feet(round trip) the route will be provided

additional credit under Column 17 foronly the distance beyond the 50 feet.The distance beyond 50 feet will becredited at .00429 minutes per foot.This credit will not exceed more thanone round trip per day to return ac-countable mail/receipts in the after-noon.Ref: Pre-Arb D95R-4D-C 01037982

Louisville, KY


Accountable articles found in DPS mail willalso be included in Column 8.

Accountable mail for Village Post Office(VPO) post office boxes will be recordedin this column.

Restricted delivery items; the clerk pre-pares PS Form 3849, the carrier receivesfull credit for the piece(s)Ref: Step 4 H1R-2B-C 16713

Kennett Square, PA

Adult Signature Services Adult Signature Required:

Requires the signature of someone 21years of age or older at the recipientaddress. Requires verification of age bydelivery employee

Adult Signature Restricted Delivery:requires delivery of mail piece to ad-dressee (or authorized agent) who isover 21 years of age. Requires verifica-tion of age and identity by delivery em-

ployee.

Management shall not alter a route's mailcount by withholding Express Mail from theroute during the mail count.

In accordance with the PO-603 Section342.21, a rural carrier "...must deliver ExpressMail to a customer whose residence or place ofbusiness is on the carrier's line of travel. Man-



24/65

agement, however, shall not circumvent payingthe additional compensation by not allowingthe carrier to deliver Express Mail during themail count period, if during the rest of the year,the carrier has been delivering Express Mail tothe customer."Ref: Step 4 H1R-5D-C24517

Moses Lake, WA

Pre-Arb H95R-4H-C 01032651Calhoun, GAStep 4 G06R-4G-C 09229735

Tomball, TX

Column 9 - CODs and CustomsDue Received for Delivery

Enter daily the number of articles received fordelivery.

For each accountable mail piece in Column 9,an additional time allowance of twenty-eight(28) seconds is incorporated in column 9 forscanning the mail piece.Ref: MDCD MOU 1-15-2003

CODs and Customs Due mail for VillagePost Office (VPO) post office boxes will berecorded in this column.

Column 10 - Postage Due

Enter the number of postage due articles takenout for delivery. Do not include postage dueitems in Columns 1, 2, 3, or 4.

Postage Due mail for Village Post Office(VPO) post office boxes will be recorded inthis column.

A carrier can receive a double credit for apostage due parcel.Example: An ordinary parcel with postage duewould be credited as a parcel in Column 6,

Parcels, and in Column 10, Postage Due.


Number of bundles of postage due (with asingle due amount).

If postage due mail was not bundled prior tothe mail count and a change in the proce-dure to bundle postage dues for the same

delivery address was not discussed duringthe pre-count conference, postage dueitems bundled during the count will becounted as individual postage dues.Ref: Step 4 H7R-2J-C 389

BowlingGreen, KY

"Review of this case revealed before the count,the postage due mail was not being bundled,and this procedure was not discussed duringthe pre-count conference. It was not until Sep-tember 10, 1987, that the procedure waschanged. Therefore, the carrier shall be credit-ed with 58 pieces of postage due mail on hisevaluation and shall receive compensation if itis warranted."

Other than for ordinary parcels that do not fit inmail receptacles, carriers are NOT required totake postage due mail to the door.Ref: Step 4 H8R-2W-C 11821

Hilton NY

Column 11 - Change of Address

Enter the number of forms listed below that thecarrier is required to process in accordancewith PO-603 Section 241 during the mail countperiod.

PS Form 3575, Change of Address

PS Form 3575-Z, Employee-generatedChange of Address

PS Form 3546, Official Change/Correctionto Mail Forwarding Change of Address Or-der received and entered during the countperiod. PS Form 3546, initiated by the car-rier, is creditable as a forwarding order,provided that it is not a duplication of a pre-vious action.

There must be no accumulation of change ofaddress orders at the start of the count period.

Credit is received in Column 11 for PS Form8076, Authorization to Hold Mail, that is re-

ceived from the patron (substitute forms mayalso be included). In order to receive credit forspecial orders and hold orders, the carriermust be required to transfer the information toPS Form 1564-B, Form 3982 or any other typeform used for this purpose.

Do record PS Form 3575-Z, Employee Gener-ated Change of Address, in this column.



25/65

Donot record the entry of a new or additionalcustomers name of PS Form 1564, AddressChange Sheet.

COA credit is 15 seconds for PS Form 3982label in Column 12. Credit of 2 minutes (by giv-ingcredit in Column 11) if carrier is required to

write on PS Form 3982 or completion of thelisted forms.

Column 12 - PS Form 3982 PARSLabel

Credit is given on the day the 3982 Label isreceived by the carrier.Management should distribute/print the labelsas they are received in the delivery unit. Creditis only given for either the 3982 Label or the3575/3546 COA card, not both.

Column 13 - Marked Up MailPieces

(A) In this column, record the number of piecesof all classes of mail marked up. Markupsare mailpieces undeliverable as addressedthat require the carrier to endorse the mailwith the reason for nondelivery specified inDMM Section 507, Exhibit 1.4.1. Do notrecord mail missorted to a route as a

markup. Do include missorted and missentmail in the original count of mail. This ap-plies where routes have been adjusted, ter-ritory has changed, or the mail is routed tothe wrong carrier.

(B) In instances where mailing addresses havebeen changed from rural routes and boxnumbers to street names and numbers,mail is not credited as a markup on theroute where the territory transferred to orfrom. This is considered a hand-off andcredit is given in the original count of mail.

(C) A markup credit is provided for the follow-ing categories of undeliverable mail:

(1) Mail Individually Endorsed by theCarrier. Credit a markup for eachpiece of mail in the following catego-ries:

(a) Deceased (DEC) -This endorse-ment is used only when it is known

that the addressee is deceased andthe mail is not properly deliverableto another person. This endorse-ment must be made personally bythedeliveringemployee and, underno circumstances, may it be rubberstamped. Mail addressed In Care

Of another must be marked to indi-cate which person is deceased.

(b) No Record Mail. Credit as a markupeach piece of mail given to the car-rier under the provisions of PO-603Section 242.4

(c) Other categories as defined in Do-mestic Mail Manual (DMM)507.1.4.1 unless listed in PO-603Section 535.12.j.3.b (bundled

markups).

Credit a markup for any mail piece where themanager requires the carrier to correct errors(spelling, numbers) prior to its being sent toCMU/CFS or returned from CMU/CFS.

Credit one markup for transcribing the non-delivery request information on the PS Form3982-R or annotating or discarding the formwhen receiving a reinstatement of delivery.Ref: PO-603 322.23

Credit one markup for all additional bundles ormail pieces that management requires the car-rier to endorse, to include MMM mail.Ref: Step 4 B95R-4B-C 02237945

North Reading, MA

Credit a markup for each piece of mail whenmanagement requires barcodes to be blottedor marked out.

(2) Each of the following Carrier En-dorsed Bundles is credited as one

markup:

a) Insufficient (IA). Mail without num-ber, street, box number, route num-ber, or geographical section of cityor city and state omitted and correctaddress not known.

b) Attempted Not Known (ANK). Ad-dressee is not known at place ofaddress.



26/65

c) In Dispute (DIS). Mail is returned tosender by order of the chief fieldcounsel when it cannot be deter-mined which of the disputing partieshas the greater right to the mail.

d) No Such Number (NSN). Nonexist-

ent number and the correct numberis not known.

e) No Such Street (NSS). Addressedto nonexistent street and correctstreet not known.

f) Unable to Forward (UTF). Mail un-deliverable at address given; for-warding order expired.

g) No Mail Receptacle (NMR). Ad-

dressee has failed to provide a re-ceptacle for the receipt of mail.May be a PO Box or Caller Service.Ref: H95R-4H-C 01032651

Calhoun, GA

h) Refused (REF). Addressee has re-fused to accept mail or pay postagecharges.

i) Temporarily Away (TA). Addresseetemporarily away and period forholding mail expired.

j) Unclaimed (UNC). Addresseeabandons or fails to call for mail.

k) When carrier is required to returnmail from a full mail box a secondtime.Ref: Step 4 F95R-4F-C98086042

West Sacramento, CA

l) Vacant (VAC). House, apartment,office, or building is not occupied.

Used only on First, second, fourthand endorsed third-class mail ad-dressed to Occupant, Resident, etc.

m) Illegible (ILL). Address not reada-ble.

n) Undeliverable Bulk Business Mail(UBBM). UBBM with a specific cus-tomer name and address. When a

piece of UBBM with a specific nameis undeliverable-as addressed,place the mail to one side of thecase ledge or in another designatedlocation at the case. After complet-ing casing of all mail designated fordelivery that day, bundle this mail

and mark the top piece UBBM, putyour initials and route number on it,and leave it on the case ledge.

o) Other Undeliverable Bulk BusinessMail. UBBM addressed to Occu-pant, Resident, or using the excep-tional address format (John Doe orCurrent Address). Normally, thistype of mail is undeliverable onlybecause the delivery point is vacantor the address is incorrect. Place

undeliverable UBBM marked occu-pant, resident or current resident toone side of the case ledge, or inanother designated location. Aftercompleting casing of all mail desig-nated for delivery that day, bundlethis mail and mark the top pieceOther UBBM, put your initials androute number on it, and leave it onthe case ledge.

p) Excess Boxholder Mail. Place all

excess box holder mail into the ap-propriate container (sack, hamper,tray, etc.); endorse a facing slip InExcess of Requirements; initial theslip; and attach it to the containerwith the excess boxholder mail.

Do not credit as a markup parcel post en-dorsed only to indicate that an attempteddelivery notice was left.

Column 14 - PS Form 3821

Completed

Enter only the number of completed PS Forms3821, Clearance Receipt.

Section 431.4 of the PO-603 states, "CompleteForm 3821, Clearance Receipt, showing thenumber of receipts and undeliverable articlesreturne

Date post:	04-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	postaltexan
View:	217 times
Download:	0 times

2013 count guide w/supporting documents

Documents