On July 18, the NRLCA filed a Step 4 grievance concerning the Postal Service’s increased use of lengthy “tests” involving new delivery services and other rural carrier functions on rural routes. Despite repeated efforts to determine the Postal Service’s position on the appropriate duration of such tests without building any new duties/functions into rural route evaluations, the Postal Service failed to respond to our several inquiries. Accordingly, the appropriate national-level Step 4 grievance was initiated.