Evaluated Hours vs. Actual Hours vs. Paid Hours

Summary of Compensation Terms for Rural Leave Replacements

Standard Hours / Evaluated Hours: Standard Hours are determined by an Inspection and a mail count. The Standard Hours are used to determine the route Evaluation, according to the Table of Evaluated Hours in the contract (Article 9.2.C.6.). The time represents the average weekly mail volumes of that route, combined with all other required duties and responsibilities specific to that route. It includes time for the number of boxes served and for the number of miles driven. Time allowances for selling stamps, maintaining a stamp stock, processing undeliverable-as-addressed mail and other office duties, are also included. All carriers (both Regular career carriers and Leave Replacement employees) are paid for performing all of these functions as part of the route’s daily, evaluated pay.

Actual Hours: This is the time actually spent by the carrier doing the route, on any given day. The ELM defines actual work as all time which management suffers or permits an employee to work. This includes such things as steward time, travel time, meeting time and training time.

Paid Hours: RCAs, RCRs, TRCs (and PTFs) are paid based on the evaluated hours of any regular or auxiliary route served if their actual weekly work-hours do not exceed forty (40) hours. They are paid on the basis of actual hours worked if their weekly hours are in excess of forty (40), or whenever they are serving as auxiliary assistants. They receive no ‘daily’ overtime. They receive ‘weekly’ overtime over 40 hours.

Examples: Joe Carrier is an RCA.

Actual work-hours under 40:

1. Joe works 36 actual hours in week 1. The daily evaluated hours of the route worked, multiplied by the number of days worked are 32 hours. Joe will be paid 32 hours.
2. Joe works 37 actual hours in week 2. The daily evaluated hours of the route worked, multiplied by the number of days worked are 39 hours. Joe will be paid 39 hours.
3. Joe works 37 actual hours on three different routes in week 3. The cumulative daily evaluated hours of these routes equals 46 hours. Joe will be paid 46 hours. None of the hours are FLSA overtime rate.

Actual work-hours over 40:

4. Joe works 42 actual hours in week 1. The cumulative evaluated hours are 37. Joe will be paid 42 hours. Two of those hours are paid at the FLSA overtime rate.
5. Joe works 52 actual hours in week 2, on three different routes. The cumulative evaluated hours of the routes worked are 42 hours. Joe will be paid 52 hours. 12 of these hours are paid at the FLSA overtime rate.
6. Joe works 42 actual hours in week 3, on three different routes. The cumulative evaluated hours for these routes are 45. Joe will be paid 42 hours. Two of those hours are paid at the FLSA overtime rate.
7. Joe works 37 actual hours through Thursday, as in example #3 above. He will be paid the 46 cumulative evaluated hours of the routes worked, unless he is called into work on Friday. Friday’s hours push his actual weekly workhours up to 44 hours. The cumulative evaluated hours of all routes worked through Friday, are now 50 hours. He will be paid 44 hours, with 4 of them paid at the FLSA overtime rate.