What really made it look stupid to me was the fact that the route had been the same forever. I mean, if the route efficiency hasn't been figured out in 50 years, it surely isn't going to be when one "supervisor" tries to reinvent the wheel.
They tried that "lawn-cutting" rule in my neighborhood, and I told my carrier that he was "officially" no longer allowed to cut across the lawn. Unofficially, I told him he could cut to his heart's content. The point being, he was a very good carrier and deserved the 45 seconds he'd save by cutting across. The USPS, however, did not.
None of the above applies to anybody who isn't white and/or hetrosexual,though. The only non-white carrier I ever saw get fired was a Philapino shop steward who got caught stealing government checks and trying to use them to frame a white woman carrier who wouldn't join the union. Even then they kept him on the payroll all the way through his trial and up to his sentencing. Hell,union dues even paid his way to the convention.
Of course not - its beginning to look like its the white folks, particularly white males, that have to work twice as hard to gain half as much. Why they can't judge folks strictly on their job performance is beyond me.
Sorry,I didn't explain the reason why they do this. They do it to try to find a excuse to add stops to the route. This is why they try to pick a day when the weather is almost perfect,and the mail load is light. If they can intimidate the carrier into running and rushing on this one day,they hold him to this time when the mail is heavy and it's 102 degrees outside. The supervisors are always desperate to eliminate having to authorize any overtime hours because they get paid cash bonuses for coming in under budget. If they can add 100 stops to each route while still paying for he same man hours of labor,they are heroes. I can GUARANTEE you that route has changed in the last 50 years,and I can guarantee you it will change again.