No Accidents, No Sick Leave in Over 50 Years For Nebraska Rural Carrier
82-year-old Nebraska Rural Carrier has no plans on retiring
Brainard, NE, Rural Carrier Dwayne Raskey has delivered mail for 50 years without an accident. For that achievement, he has been named the recipient of the prestigious Joseph M. Kaplan USPS National Safe Driver of the Year award by the National Safety Council (NSC). Raskey was among 10 regional finalists for the award.
Raskey — the longest-serving rural carrier in the Central Plains District — was recognized at an NSC awards ceremony in Orlando, FL. The national award represents the “best of the best” for safe driving by professional drivers.
“I enjoy the people and enjoy the driving, that’s why I stay with it,” said Raskey of his job. His safety record behind the wheel has already been well documented. Earlier this year, he earned a rare 2 million mile safety award from the NSC.
Raskey says the keys to driving safely include being observant and driving according to the conditions. “If it’s muddy or snowy, you’ve got to slow down,” cautioned Raskey, whose route covers 96 miles on mostly gravel roads.
Brainard Postmaster Sherri Helman uses words like “dedicated, loyal, friendly, honest, and conscientious” to describe Raskey — who also hasn’t used a day of sick leave. “There’s never a day that he doesn’t come in with a smile on his face and a warm good morning greeting,” she said.
National Safety Council Honors Brainard’s Dwayne “Oley”Raskey (11/19/09)
Nebraska Rural Carrier Named USPS National Safe Driver of Year
National Safety Council Honors Brainard’s Dwayne “Oley”Raskey
BRAINARD, NE — Rural Carrier Dwayne “Oley” Raskey, who has faithfully delivered the mail for 50 years now without an accident, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Joseph M. Kaplan USPS National Safe Driver of the Year by the National Safety Council (NSC). Raskey was among ten regional finalists for the award.
Raskey received the award at the NSC Awards Ceremony in Orlando, Florida. The national award represents the “best of the best” for safe driving among professional drivers. Along with being the model of safety, Raskey is the longest serving rural carrier in the USPS Central Plains District, which includes Nebraska, most of Kansas and southwest Iowa.
“I’m honored to be selected for the award,” said Raskey, who attended the awards banquet with Jenny, his wife of 61 years.
Dependable as the sunrise, Raskey’s not only never had an accident, he’s never called in sick.
“My dad taught me that if you give someone your word you’ve got to stick by it, or if you’ve got a job to do you’ve got to do it,” said Raskey, whose nickname “Oley” comes from his Swedish ancestry.
“I enjoy the people and enjoy the driving, that’s why I stay with it,” said Raskey of his job. He’s so safe behind the wheel that earlier this year he earned the rare Two Million Mile Safety Award from the National Safety Council.
According to Raskey the keys to driving safely include being observant and driving the conditions.
“If it’s muddy or snowy you’ve got to slow down,” cautioned Raskey, whose route covers 96 miles on mostly gravel roads.
Brainard Postmaster Sherri Helman uses words like “dedicated, loyal, friendly, honest, and conscientious” to describe Raskey. “There is never a day that “Oley” comes in without a smile on his face and a warm good morning greeting.”
Raskey attributes his longevity to exercise, eating healthy and taking his vitamins. In his spare time he likes to work on his collection of antique vehicles or go polka dancing with Jenny.
“You’ve got to keep fit you know,” said Raskey.
source: USPS
Appeals Court Upholds Firing Of Postal Carrier For Unsafe Driving
From the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
Nels T. Beck seeks review of the final decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board (“Board”) sustaining the decision of the United States Postal Service (“agency”) to remove him from his position of Rural Carrier at the agency’s Waterloo, Iowa facility. Beck v. U.S. Postal Service, No. CH0752070525-I-1 (January 24, 2008). We affirm.
Mr. Beck was involved in an automobile accident on February 12, 2007, while delivering mail on his rural route. Mr. Beck ran a stop sign and hit a vehicle driving through the intersection. The driver of the other vehicle was thrown from it, and the passenger had to be pried out by the fire department. Mr. Beck was injured.
The agency proposed his removal as a result of his negligent driving which resulted in the accident. Mr. Beck did not contest the fact that he had caused the accident. He argued for mitigation of the penalty to something less than removal. The agency’s deciding official considered the Douglas factors in assessing Mr. Beck’s request for mitigation. The deciding official rejected Mr. Beck’s argument that he was not to blame for the accident, due to his driving a substitute vehicle with which he was not familiar, and the light conditions which he asserted kept him from recognizing the ice upon which he was driving. Because the offense was serious, and because Mr. Beck had previously been disciplined for unsafe driving, the agency determined that removal was the appropriate penalty. No lesser penalty would be proper, as there was no indication that some other sanction would deter such unsafe acts in the future.
Mr. Beck appealed his removal to the Board. The administrative judge assigned to his case held a hearing at which Mr. Beck and the deciding official testified.
Mr. Beck did not deny that he failed to observe safe driving practices. He repeated his reasons for a lesser penalty. The administrative judge found convincing the testimony of the deciding official that Mr. Beck posed a distinct liability to the agency, and was not a good candidate for rehabilitation. The administrative judge reviewed the deciding official’s assessment of the Douglas factors and concluded that the agency had demonstrated that removal was appropriate.
Mr. Beck sought review of the administrative judge’s initial decision by the full Board. The full Board declined his petition for review, and Mr. Beck timely sought review in this court.
We must affirm the final decision of the Board unless we determine that it is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise unlawful. 5 U.S.C. § 7703(c). When the final decision of the Board rests on findings of fact, we review those findings for substantial evidence.
In this case, there is no dispute as to the facts. Mr. Beck repeats his contention that removal was an excessive penalty, and he argues that his previous discipline for unsafe driving should not be considered in assessing the penalty for the February 2007 collision because that discipline was under grievance procedures when the deciding official proposed his removal.
On the propriety of the removal penalty, the issue boils down to whether the deciding official’s assessment of the Douglas factors amounts to reversible error. We perceive no error in the agency’s decision to remove Mr. Beck. Furthermore, we find no error in the agency’s reference to his earlier unsafe driving event. The Supreme Court has ruled that when considering the appropriate penalty for an offense, an agency may refer to other previous disciplined offenses even though they are under grievance when the agency is considering the appropriate penalty. Gregory v. U.S. Postal Serv., 534 U.S. 1 (2001).
Because the Board’s decision is not arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise unlawful, we affirm.
see case PDF
COSTS
No costs.
Arbitrator Denies Rural Letter Carriers Fletters Grievance
The National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) objected to the Postal Service’s insistence that “fletters” (Flats and Letters) be processed on flats automation equipment when they can just as easily be processed as letters. As a result, they said mail is being improperly presented to rural carriers for delivery.
Former NRLCA President Gus Baffa’s Letter to USPS Contract Administrator Andrea Wilson (2/27/03)
The method of presenting certain mailpieces, mailpieces that the United States Postal Service has unofficially identified as “fletters”, to rural carriers constitutes a violation of, but not limited to, the USPS/NRLCA National Agreement MO-38, and Handbook PO-603. The Postal Service is consciously and by design diverting mail from the mailstream that is compatible with letter automation equipment to equipment intended to process oversized letter mail and flat mail. Although not strictly limited to the AFSM 100 flat sorting machines, the occurrence of the contractual violation is most commonly associated with the AFSM 100′s. This processing irregularity resuls in mail that is not properly presented to rural carriers. The Association seeks an appropriate remedy including an immediate cessation of this practice.
In a long-awaited decision, National Arbitrator Dana Eischen denied the Association’s class action grievance challenging the Postal Service’s practice of commingling letter-sized mail with flats when mail sorted on flat-sorting machines is presented to rural carriers for casing. We are extremely disappointed with the outcome and distressed at the limited analysis Arbitrator Eischen gave to the issue in the final four pages of his decision. Arbitrator Eischen did not acknowledge and ignored altogether most of the arguments advanced by the Association in support of the grievance. RuralInfo.net
Arbitrator Dana Edward Eischen’s 11-13-07 award on the merits of the NRLCA’s National “Fletters” grievance
As I understand it, the Association’s fundamental position is that the language of P0-603 Chapter 2, §212.13, 212.2,222 and 223, supra, and “past practice” thereunder, evidence a mutual intent of the parties, albeit by implication, that the Postal Service is contractually barred from presenting to rural carriers for casing Post-Wells machine -processed “fletters” which are “commingled” in flat tubs with other machine-processed flat-sized mail pieces. [Handbook P0-603 was jointly adopted by the parties in June 1991, as the successor to Handbook M-37, issued in May 1983. That handbook, in Sections 211,222 and 223, described the letter and flat presentation and casing provisions in virtually identical language to that in P0-603. (Postal Service Exhibit 7.) The prior version of Handbook M 37 was issued in December 1965 and likewise contains the same letter and flat presentation and casing requirements. (Postal Service Exhibit 8.)].
Below is the actual excerpt from the file.
Photo: Postal Rural Carrier’s Speedy Delivery
Submitted by ” Postal Pete ”
In Hodgenville, Kentucky , local officials investigate an accident in which a rural carrier backed into a couples living room. The carrier who had delivered a parcel used the front yard to turn around and struck the accelerator instead of the brake while in reverse. Postmaster Bob Hummer stated that the accident was under investigation by the postal service.
Rural Mail Carrier Convicted of Possession of Stolen Mail
The following is a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas:
SEPT. 21, 2007
(HOUSTON, Texas) – A federal jury has convicted a former rural mail carrier for possessing stolen mail, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.
Diana Quinones, 49, who had worked for the United States Postal Service since October 2001, was convicted of possessing stolen mail Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007. The jury’s verdict comes after three days of trial testimony and approximately three hours of deliberation.
During the trial, which began Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007, the jury heard testimony establishing that Quinones was assigned as a rural mail carrier at the Cypress, Texas, Main Post Office, located at 16635 Spring Cypress Road and delivered mail along Route 43. Beginning in September 2006, complaints were received at the post office regarding the non-delivery of mail along Route 43. In response to the complaints, special agents of the U. S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General initiated an investigation involving the placement and monitoring of undercover test packages for delivery along Route 43. In January 2007, Quinones was observed removing a test package from the post office without authorization. Later that day, as Quinones was preparing to leave the post office for the day in her personal vehicle, agents found the same package with the contents removed. However, the item contained in the package was never recovered. Quinones was immediately relieved of duty following the discovery of the package.
Quinones was originally charged with both theft of the mail and possession of stolen mail. The jury acquitted Quinones of the theft of the mail charge alleged in the indictment.
United States District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt, who presided over the trial, has set sentencing for Dec. 17, 2007. Quinones faces a maximum of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for the possession of stolen mail conviction. Quinones was released on bond after surrendering to federal authorities following her indictment in February 2007 and has been permitted to remain free on bond pending her sentencing.
The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertram Isaacs and Special Assistant United States Attorney Tammie Y. Moore.
Photo: Old Rural Postal Delivery Wagon
According to the description: “This is located in the ACTUAL post office office building on the OTHER side of L’enfant Plaza” in Washington, DC.
Photo: Rural Carrier Vehicle With Mailbox Mounted On Top?
