The city letter carrier work force is composed of the Career Workers and Part-Time Flexibles. The Part-Time Flexibles become regular employees when vacancies for regular jobs occur, such as a result of retirement, transfer, or death of regular city letter carriers. Of course, the Part-Time Flexible Employees also receive health benefits and fringe benefits.

Meanwhile, the rural letter carrier work force is comprised of the Career Workers and Reliefs. They are as follows:

A. Career Workers

1. Regular Carriers

Regular rural letter carriers serve on an established rural route on the basis of triweekly, five (5), five-and-half (5 1/2), or six (6) days in a service week. They are considered as full-time workers.

Part-time Rural Carriers. PTF (or Part-time flexible rural carriers) are those substitutes or rural carrier associates employed after an assignment posting. They provide service on regular or auxiliary routes as determined by the management.

B. Substitute Rural Carriers, Rural Carrier Associates, and Carrier Reliefs

The following workers take the place of rural carriers on vacation, or covering vacant regular routes pending the appointment of regular rural carriers.

1. Substitute Rural Carriers —(Designation Code 73)— Substitute rural carriers are the ones employed before July 21, 1981 with an appointment without time limitation.

2. Substitute Rural Carriers —(Designation Code 72) They are the ones hired 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.

3. Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs) —Rural Carrier relief or auxiliary carrier positions on or after April 1, 1987, not having any time limitation.

4. Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs)—(Designation Code 74) They are the ones hired via Form 50 to serve full time on a vacant route or without the regular carrier for more than 90 calendar days.

5. Rural Carrier Associates (RCAs)—(Designation Code 79) They are those appointed via Form 50 after being assigned to the auxiliary route for more than 90 calendar days.

6. Rural Carrier Reliefs (RCRs)—Designation Code 75) They are those reliefs appointed between July 21, 1981, and November 12, 1986, without time limitation.

C. Auxiliary Rural Carriers—(Designation Code 77) Employees appointed prior to 1981 to serve an auxiliary rural route without time limitation.

D. Temporary Relief Carriers—(Designation Code 70)

1. Temporary relief carriers are those with limited term, non-bargaining unit employees who provide service as a leave replacement or auxiliary assistant or provide coverage on auxiliary routes or vacant routes.

2. TRCs will be employed in accordance with such procedures as the Employer may establish.

3. TRCs employed from the annuitant ranks (Designation Code 70-1) will be hired for terms not to exceed 359 days, with a break in service of at least 6 days between appointments, and will further be limited to 180 work days within such calendar year.