And when challenged, managers will offer a dozen reasons for such changes, always hastening to state that the changes actually had nothing to do with the fact that a route inspection was going on. Management's excuses may sound like good intentions gone awry-but NALC stewards have a duty to remain skeptical. If need be, the steward should be prepared to file a grievance about how the supposedly irrelevant changes have violated the contract by interfering with the performance of a fair and equitable mail count and route inspection.

Regional Arbitrations Protect Carrier Rights

This article details some of the ways management has tried to affect route inspections both directly and indirectly. In a series of regional arbitrations, NALC representatives have been able to counter management's arguments and protect the rights of letter carriers. Stewards should note that these cases by no means address all the tactics that management has employed to affect the results of route inspections. Therefore, local NALC representatives need to be especially alert during times when route inspections are being performed. Check in with the carriers who are experiencing inspections; ask questions and then follow up with management if anything seems unusual.