Rural Letter Carriers deliver mail in what was traditionally considered rural areas of the United States. The rural carrier work force is comprised of the following categories of employees:

Regular Carriers (Designation Code 71) For administrative & reporting purposes, regular rural carriers who serve on an established rural route on the basis of triweekly, five, five-and-a-half, or six days in a service week, are considered full-time employees.

Part-time Flexible Rural Carriers (Designation Code 76) Part-time flexible rural carriers (PTFs) are those substitutes or rural carrier associates appointed following an assignment posting. These employees provide service on regular & auxiliary routes as directed by management.

Substitute Rural Carriers, Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs) & Rural Carrier Reliefs

The following employees provide service on established regular and auxiliary rural routes in the absence of regular or auxiliary rural carriers. This service may be as leave replacement and/or covering vacant regular routes pending the selection of regular rural carriers, as an auxiliary assistant or as an auxiliary route carrier:

* Substitute Rural Carriers (Designation Code 73) are those employees hired prior to July 21, 1981, with an appointment without time limitation.

* Substitute Rural Carriers (Designation Code 72) appointed via Form 50 to serve full time on a vacant regular route or in the absence of a regular carrier for more than 90 calendar days.

* Rural Carrier Associates (Designation Code 78) are those employees hired from a register or reassigned from rural carrier relief or auxiliary carrier positions, on or after April 11, 1987, without time limitation.

* Rural Carrier Associates (Designation Code 74) appointed via Form 50 to serve full time on a vacant route or in the absence of the regular carrier for more than 90 calendar days.

* Rural Carrier Associates (Designation Code 79) appointed via Form 50 after being assigned to the auxiliary route for more than 90 calendar days.

* Rural Carrier Reliefs (Designation Code 75) are those employees hired between July 21, 1981 & November 12, 1986, without time limitation.

Auxiliary Rural Carriers (Designation Code 77) Persons hired prior to 1981 to serve an auxiliary rural route without time limitation.

Temporary Relief Carriers (Designation Code 70) Temporary relief carriers (TRCs) are limited term, non-bargaining unit employees who provide service as a leave replacement or auxiliary assistant or provide coverage on auxiliary routes or vacant regular routes. The number of TRCs that may be hired within an area is limited to 15% of the total number of regular routes in that area.

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