Houston rural letter carriers frustrated after learning paychecks will be delayed
HOUSTON - Rural letter carriers in Houston are frustrated after learning many of them will not be receiving their full paychecks this Friday.
In a memo sent to them through their National Rural Letter Carriers Association app, the organization stated they learned of a Postal Service payroll error this pay period affecting more than 45,000 rural carriers across the country. In an emailed statement, the union said it was 54,000 workers.
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"Some are partial paychecks that are missing, some are entire paychecks," newly-elected Union President Don Maston said in a statement. "The union has been in ongoing discussions with the USPS on this issue. All impacted rural carriers will be able to receive 65% of their gross pay via no-charge money order this Friday (65% of gross pay is roughly equivalent to the average net take-home pay)."
Memo sent to rural letter carriers about the recent payroll issues at USPS
"Why do you just want to give me 60 percent?" asked one rural letter carrier who spoke to FOX 26 anonymously. "Just give it here. You're already giving us some of the money. Might as well just give everybody what you owe them. Every dollar that you make right now, you want to make sure that you get it. Rent is due on the first."
The worker checked her account on Tuesday and noticed an amount of $0.00 was pending for this week. Many of their fellow carriers had similar or significantly smaller amounts of their average paychecks pending in their accounts.
They received a notification from their union Wednesday morning about the issue. The worker says this is the second time in the last three years they did not receive their paycheck.
Some of their coworkers do not plan on coming to work this Friday without being fully compensated.
"If that check is not there on Friday, there will be no carriers at the job," they tell FOX 26.
When asked if the money order workers are receiving soon is considered a loan, an NRLCA spokesperson says it will be considered a salary advance only. Workers will not be required to pay it back until the Postal Service has repaid them the correct amount.
According to their website, the NRLCA is a union within the U.S. Postal Service representing around 133,000 bargaining unit members in rural and suburban areas. Rural letter carriers currently serve roughly 80,353 routes throughout the U.S. and deliver to 47.8 million delivery points for a total of 3.9 million miles per day. The average distance driven for a rural route is 46 miles per day, but can range anywhere from 1 mile to 186 miles.
The union's National Board recently announced they are aware of the efforts to decertify the NRLCA. If this happens, the organization says they will no longer be able to represent rural letter carriers, putting salaries, protections, and benefits for the workers at risk.
"We take any and all attacks against this union seriously, and we will not sit idly by to see what happens," the organization stated in an online announcement.
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FOX 26 reached out to the USPS Press Office for a comment. A spokesperson from the Houston location tells us they are aware of the concerns and working on a resolution.
"You've got to do better," says the worker to USPS. "You (USPS) got your check, why can't I get my check? We're working in 115-degree heat for hours at a time."