USPS Mail Carriers Pushing Back Against Planned Pay Cuts

Rural letter carriers across United States, including in Oklahoma, are dealing with a new work structure that they say affects their hours and pay.

After significant pushback and delay, rural mail carriers will see their first severely cut paycheck on May 26. 

The union protecting those carriers, The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, has filed a level four class-action lawsuit, but the planned pay cuts are still scheduled.

"It's aggravating," a rural mail carrier said. The mail carrier has chosen to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation and possible job loss. "We weren’t trained on the scanners. We didn't get any formal training on the scanners to know how they work and what needs to be done. It’s infuriating."

RRECS, or the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System, puts carriers on a time schedule with scanners tracking every move. 

That data goes into evaluating performance, and ultimately compensation. 

The anonymous mail carrier said they are experiencing close to a $13,000 pay cut, and are working six days a week twice a month now. 

"There are going to be other mail carriers like myself who have to work another job," the mail carrier said.

That mail carrier said part of the pay reduction is due to lower mail volume, but one way to help is by opting out of paperless billing, if possible. 

News 9 reached out to the USPS for a response to these changes: 

“The compensation system for rural letter carriers is a nationally negotiated pay system codified in the parties’ National Agreement. The current modifications to the compensation system were the result of a previous interest arbitration proceeding and mandated by an interest arbitrator. The parties worked jointly for years to implement these new provisions and will continue to share data and information throughout the implementation process.”