MSP Scan Points

One of the provisions of the NALC/USPS Tentative Contract Agreement posted on November 25th, 2020 is a MOU (memorandum of understanding) eliminating MSP Scan Points (Managed Service Point Scans) no later than 60 days from the contract ratification. According to the NALC Bulletin announcing the tentative contract, the MOU reads:

MOU Re: Managed Service Point Scans – No later than 60 days from the ratification date of the 2019 collective-bargaining agreement, Managed Service Points (MSPs) will be removed from the street delivery portions of city letter carrier routes.

(It should be noted the MOU states the MSPs will be removed from the STREET DELIVERY PORTIONS, and not necessarily from the postal unit scan points.)

At one time, MSPs were an effective tool that allowed management to track the time and location of letter carriers along their routes. The program consisted of eight to ten barcodes placed along letter carrier routes, that when scanned by the carrier’s scanner, would record the time and location. The information was intended to improve the time of day consistency of mail delivery to customers.

But the MSP scan points were a point of frustration and contention between carriers and management, as management would often discipline carriers for missing even one scan. The contention grew more severe when the MSP scanning information became obsolete with new GPS-equipped scanners that could track the steps of every carrier throughout the day. Yet, the discipline often continued even though the data was no longer being used as intended. Certainly, the elimination of MSP scan points will be welcome news to letter carriers, and perhaps supervisors who will have one less report to conduct.