r/fromatoarbitration

They don't anticipate a negotiated settlement by the end of the week.

The Postal Service doesn't want to put the money on the table that would be necessary for a negotiated settlement.

Most of the proposals submitted were flat out rejected by the Postal Service.

Major issues, getting rid of mandatory overtime, start times, transfer rules, uniform program, hiring program, harassment on the workroom floor.... None of that is being discussed because the Postal Service has not accepted we have a problem.

So, the flavor of the month is excessive backing.

I was pulled into the office for non-disciplinary corrective action.

They told me I backed up more than 50 feet on a route on Monday. I asked, okay, where did it happen?

They told me they couldn't tell me where it exactly happened. Just that it happened on my route.

So, how does that help in any way?

The only thing I could think of is a dog charged me, and I slowly walked backwards to get away til the owner came out and got the dog.

Where can I find the language for blocking? I know I have read it, but I can't locate it.

Can a Nalc Steward request the “breadcrumbs” ( not sure what the actual program is called) of a scanner used by a 204b from a different station who was brought in to deliver both city and rural routes in the same day, putting that carrier into penalty in the receiving office?
They were not in 204b status at the time of this incident, but I will refer to this person as a 204b because they are “trained” and utilized as a 204b in our station on Amazon Sundays and whenever the Supervisor wants to leave early.

The reason for needing to see the “breadcrumbs “ is because there is no MDD end tour. The next day the clerk in that 204b’s home office input an End tour that is impossible to be true. This is also not a case of simply forgetting to end tour. Several employees can testify that the 204b was still working out past the false input ET.

What I am trying to figure out is how late was the 204b actually working and delivering, seemingly off the clock.
How did they log the 204b out?
What happens when an employee does not clock out?
Does it continue to stay logged in until an edit is made the next day by the clerk?
after an edit is made does that time that it was still logged in just disappear from TACs?
My station Supervisor who trained the 204b from the other station was the only manager on duty that day.
They both went through a lot of unnecessary steps trying to avoid a simple Art 8 grievance. It looks more like fraud and possibly coercion and collusion just to cover up a simple infraction.
What programs and information would you request?

Whats up with this "partial 99" thing that's been going on? They'll just say "you cant make your pivot? Okay I'll do a partial 99" whats up with that?

Let’s talk about the actual culture on the workroom floor and why we are losing so many good carriers.
Right now, if you are a solid carrier—if you maintain your route, deliver accurately, and actually get compliments from your customers—what is your "reward"? Management hands you a two-hour pivot that belongs to the guy who has been intentionally dragging his feet since 8:00 AM.

The old guard has created a toxic culture where "milking the clock" is treated like a badge of honor, and actually doing your job makes you a target.
Let me be perfectly clear: I am not talking about being a "runner." Running means skipping safety, skipping breaks, and violating the contract. I am talking about simply doing a fair, honest day’s work without intentionally wasting time just to hoard overtime or spite management.

Why are we constantly defending the dead weight? A healthy craft should applaud achievements. We should be recognizing carriers for customer compliments, route maintenance, and getting the job done safely. Instead, the current system punishes the efficient workers by making them carry the lazy ones.

If you are a carrier who is tired of doing your job plus half of someone else's, stop relying on the old guard to change things. They built this system to protect themselves. Do an honest day's work, protect the new carriers, and go home.

Protect the carriers. Expose the system.

I applaud every single commenter in here who is fed up with the old guard saying the exact same things and not helping anyone but themselves. When protecting the union's image becomes more important than your own family or your actual job, it’s time to take a hard look at your priorities.

They can downvote all they want. Every meaningless, complaining comment they make just proves the point of this movement. To the newer craft and the carriers who actually want change: help each other out. Support each other. Upvote the carriers you agree with. The same ten guys are going to downvote everything anyway because they are terrified of losing control of the narrative.

Let’s start talking about real issues, not just bitching about how CCAs "have it easier" than they did 20 years ago, or making up paranoid conspiracies about AI bots.
If we actually show National that we have a voice—and that they can't stop our vote or our decision to pull our funding if they fail us—they will be forced to listen. Let's stop defending the dead weight and start protecting the craft.

I’m just going to say the quiet part out loud, since the old guard on this page is too busy being angry and afraid of anything new.
You guys crack me up. You sit here acting like the ultimate union tough guys, but you are terrified of utilizing new resources, new technology like AI, or new ways to organize. That is exactly why you are the old guard, and why nothing ever changes. You complain endlessly but do absolutely nothing.

Let’s talk about the one thing that actually terrifies National. We all know this next contract is going to be a massive disappointment. What happens if the new generation of carriers simply cancels their memberships for one year?

If you want to sit here and cry about the rules of the subreddit, have fun. If you want to have a serious, unfiltered conversation about the reality of withdrawing from the NALC, how many carriers are already out, and why the government intentionally divided us into five different unions to keep us weak, you know where to find me.

Any three day steward training coming up anywhere? I'm in region 11

I would like to cancel the NLM mail that comes rubberbanded because when the clerks aren’t here, my customer are not getting their mail. Is there a way I can just get it from the DPS.

I'm not the steward but I contribute. There is a PTF that should be converted to regular. I've heard HR is not converting the PTFs to regular which is nonsense to me. The only thing I can think of is that they're finishing up doing route inspections in the state. So they maybe want to wait until that's settled in case a UAR would come into our station.

But we're not in a bid cluster and I'm wondering if this is OK to hold up these PTF's from converting.

Should I wait until all the inspections are done or should I start pushing the stewards to get this resolved?

I’m seeing a lot of CCAs and PTFs asking the same questions right now about being abused on the schedule and getting screwed out of their conversions.
Management is currently running two massive scams across the board, and they rely entirely on newer carriers not knowing the contract.

Game 1: The Rented Mule
They are taking CCAs, refusing to put it on the schedule, and shipping them out to other offices four days a week. They are treating you like a rented mule, ignoring the "occasional basis" language in the contract, and banking on the fact that you won't ask for your mileage or travel time on the clock.

Game 2: The Phantom Inspection
You have routes that have been residual for 6+ weeks. The senior PTF is supposed to be converted. Instead, management holds the conversion hostage, waving their hands and claiming, "We can't convert you, there are route inspections happening somewhere in the state," or making up phantom Article 12 withholding excuses. It's pure spite to keep you cheap and flexible.
Stop letting them lie to you. They cannot vaguely gesture at a route inspection in another zip code to deny your conversion.

If you are a CCA or PTF dealing with this, I just dropped the full, detailed breakdown of exactly what your rights are and how to fight these two specific scams over on r/USPSGhostCarriers.

Protect the carriers. Expose the system.

Hello, my local management just posted notices that they are going to change our start time to 1.5 hours later (from 7:30 to 9) at the end of this week and i was wondering if it's possible start the grievence process for it before the event occurs.

People talk about Corey Walton like he hasn’t done enough for carriers, but many of us would not even have the level of awareness and education we have today without From A to Arbitration. That podcast gave carriers a place to learn, question, prepare, and stand up for ourselves when too many people felt ignored.

And it wasn’t just words.

Not long ago, after one of our own passed away by suicide, Corey publicly gave out his personal phone number and told carriers to call him anytime if they needed someone to talk to. That matters. In a time when morale is low and people feel burned out and isolated, that kind of humanity matters.

You can disagree with people politically, strategically, or personally. That’s part of any union. But passion, integrity, consistency, and genuine care for carriers are hard to fake over years of work.

Some people are trying to divide this community even further. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Carriers are frustrated for a reason, and this election matters.

If you want change, accountability, stronger education, and leadership that actually connects with carriers on the workroom floor, vote for CLC.

We have a TERRIBLE 204B in our office... threatens, yells, tries to punish for no reason. Recently found out she pleaded guilty to a 2rd degree felony and is on felony probation (very recent charge) and yet still allows her to be unstable and bossing us around. This job is INSANE. Can't have a violent felony to get hired but can have one and be a 204b...

Hey everyone, looking for insight from other carriers/union folks. This is redacted for privacy, but the core facts are accurate.

I’m a city carrier in a medium-sized associate office. I was issued a 7‑day suspension for an at‑fault vehicle accident. Later, that 7‑day was reduced to a Letter of Warning through the grievance process.

Here’s where things went off the rails for me:

- I clearly told my union reps that I did NOT want my case settled. I wanted the discipline challenged on just‑cause grounds, not resolved by a deal that still left discipline in my file.
- Despite that, the grievance was settled anyway. I was informed after the fact. I still don’t know who actually made that decision.
- My written statement contains personal working notes, footnotes, symbols, hashtags, etc. I use those to separate fact from conjecture and to organize my thoughts.
- It appears that details from that draft statement were discussed outside the proper grievance chain, including with someone I believed was representing me but later learned was not in any official representational role.
- I now know my 7‑day suspension is still showing in my OPF, and I am not convinced the settlement actually fixed my record in a way that prevents it being used as live prior discipline in the future.

On top of that, the grievance file showed:

- Management citing old Letters of Warning that were supposed to be expunged or no longer live.
- Information request issues (incomplete responses, no time granted to interview key witnesses, no repair tags/receipts despite claiming vehicle damage).
- A fact pattern that looks a lot like other cases where arbitrators have at least reduced discipline or thrown out management’s use of non‑live prior discipline.

I recently drafted a letter to my branch and regional leadership asking for:

- A written explanation of why my grievance was settled after I explicitly said I did not want it settled.
- Identification of who made the final decision and whether my objection was documented anywhere.
- Clarification about who had access to my statement and whether anyone outside the proper grievance chain saw or discussed it.
- Confirmation of exactly what is currently in my OPF and what status my 7‑day suspension has going forward.

I’m not saying I was guaranteed to win at arbitration. There was a real accident. But I strongly believe this was a case that deserved to be tested on the record, win or lose, instead of being quietly managed into a settlement that still leaves me exposed.

My questions for the sub:

1. Have any of you had a grievance settled against your expressed wishes (i.e., you told the union “do NOT settle this” and they did anyway)? How did you handle it?
2. For those familiar with discipline/arbitration: based on the issues above (bad prior‑discipline usage, info request failures, questionable damage claims), would you view this as a decent case to take all the way, even if the likely outcome was “reduced/neutralized discipline” rather than “no discipline at all”?
3. Any advice on how to push for a corrected OPF entry and clear written limits on how this discipline can be used in the future?

I’m not trying to burn the union down. I want a union I can trust. But right now I feel like my instructions as the grievant were ignored, my statement wasn’t kept in a tight circle, and my record is still vulnerable.

Any perspective from stewards, branch officers, or other carriers who’ve been down this road would be appreciated.