Legal Question in Employment Law in Virginia

Working with out compensation

In the 1960s, Rural Letter Carriers were given preference in receiving sorted mail because they are compensated by the day and receive no compensation for waiting for mail, especially because of mismanagement or machinery breakdowns. Today, the opposite is the practice. Machines which sort mail break down, management ''forgets'' to schedule a qualified machine operator, or the operator goes to lunch while Rural Carriers are waiting on their own time without additional compensation. Often those hourly employees who delivery the mail, and are paid for every minute on the job, begin delivery hours before the ''last place'' rural carriers. Does labor law require compensation when two or three hours are at times added to the daily workday for the above mentioned reasons and not because of heavy mail? If this practice is not illegal, it seems that some form of rotation in the preparation of the mail should divid the waiting time among all delivering employees.


Asked on 8/19/05, 2:09 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: Working with out compensation

The U.S. Postal Service operates as a so-called quasi-private corporation. Its employees have a collective bargaining type agreement which governs their working relationship with their employer. The questions and issues which you have raised should be taken up with the person designated to represent employees under this agreement.

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Answered on 8/20/05, 9:27 am


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