That can't be true, apples/oranges. The over 9.5 has nothing to do with trace in the contract. WORKING over 9.5 is the key. The only thing they can gig you for by not staying on trace is building up miles (their version of integrity issue). As long as you can give valid reasons for being off trace you're covered. The EDD does not know that ABC business closes at 3 everyday and it is three blocks away from you at 2:50 with 10 more business deliveries to go before you can get there on trace. You sometimes HAVE to break trace.
How can that be? You say "...building up miles" is the only thing they can "gig" you on? That WORKING over 9.5 is the key?
How about working as directed? I can just see this now in a grievance hearing:
"Did you run the area according to trace? No? Then how do you know you would've gone over? Are you smarter than us? You know what a 9.5 dispatch is?"
Also, miles doesn't equate to more time? How about I have a deteor of about 60 miles. If I drive 60 miles per hour, it takes me 1 hour to complete the deteor with nothing accomplished but driving miles. The package driver that delivers to my house (no, I'm not a p/c driver and haven't been for some years. Am a feeder driver) says he was running about 33 miles a day before the "new" PAS. If he runs "on trace", he now puts in about 100 miles a day. That doesn't take more time? He doesn't just "gig" em on miles, he "gigs" em on time every day too!
"Valid reasons for being off trace"? Like what? You give one but I don't see that as valid. A local business closes at 3 and it's 2:50 and you got 10 more businesses in between? Is that MY fault that EDD doesn't know that? Sounds like a call to dispatch is in order at that time. I never did and never would now make those kind of decisions when I had previously informed dispatch of these problems. This business closes at 3 every day and this is the first time you've made that known?
"You sometimes HAVE to break trace"? The sometimes you HAVE to break trace, is it approved by center manager? If not, I don't do it! PERIOD!
That's how you win grievances! By WORKING AS DIRECTED!!!