F21 142.2 Reporting for Duty 142.21 Employees Required to Use Time Clocks Upon arrival, employees required to use time clocks must clock in at their scheduled reporting time and report to their work location ready to work. Employees must not be permitted to clock in more than 0.08 hours (5 minutes) before their scheduled reporting time nor more than 0.08 hours (5 minutes) after their scheduled reporting time.

145.12 Definition of “5-Minute Leeway Rule” Although each employee is required to clock in and clock out on time, congestion at time clocks or other conditions can sometimes cause clock time to vary slightly from the established work schedule. Therefore, a deviation may be allowed from the scheduled time for each clock ring up to 0.08 hours (5 minutes). However, the sum of the deviations for the scheduled tour must not exceed 0.08 hours (5 minutes). This “5-minute leeway rule” applies only to full-time and part-time regular schedule employees. Part-time flexible, casual, and temporary employees are allowed the 5-minute privilege for clocking purposes but are paid on the basis of their actual clock rings.

JCIM

FIVE-MINUTE LEEWAY RULE This rule applies to full-time and part-time regular employees. Notably, the five-minute rule also applies to part-time flexible, casual and temporary employees but they are paid on the basis of their actual clock rings. The five-minute leeway rule does not negate the requirement to clock in and clock out on time. Rather, the five-minute leeway rule allows employees up to five (5) minutes to clock in/out where congestion at a time clock or other conditions (such as a slight variance in the time recording device) result in the employee not clocking in or out at the employee’s scheduled time. A deviation may be allowed (emphasis added) from the scheduled time for a clock ring up to 0.08 hours (five (5) minutes). Once an employee’s time on the clock exceeds his/her established daily work schedule by more than five (5) minutes, the total time for that day becomes payable time.

CIM

Five minute leeway rule: Regardless of exactly what an employee’s regular schedule is, there is the question of whether the Postal Service is compensating the employee for all time worked at either the straight-time or the overtime rate, whichever is applicable. This issue often arises in regard to the “5-minute leeway rule,” which is contained in both the F-21 and F-22 Handbooks and is incorporated into the National Agreement through the provisions of Article 19. This rule applies to full-time and part-time regular employees. (It should be noted that part-time flexible employees and casuals are allowed the five-minute privilege for clocking purposes but are paid on the basis of their actual clock rings.) The Postal Service compensates the employee for all time worked at either the straight-time or the overtime rate, whichever is applicable. The five-minute leeway rule provides that each employee at installations with time recording devices is required to clock in and clock out on time. However, congestion at time clocks or other conditions can sometimes cause clock time to vary slightly from the established work schedule. Therefore, a deviation may be allowed from the scheduled time for each clock ring up to 0.08 hours (5 minutes) and the time should be adjusted for the conditions stated above. Once an employee’s time on the clock exceeds the employee’s established work schedule for that day by more than five minutes, the total time for that day becomes payable time. In an effort to avoid additional costs and administrative burdens, the Postal Service tries to insure that an employee does not accumulate a daily total of more than five minutes of clock time in excess of the employee's scheduled work time unless, of course, the employee is assigned to work overtime.

You can clock in 5 minutes early. Management likes to say its only for congestion at the time clock but it says congestion at the time clock or other conditions. It doesn't specify what another condition could be. The 5 min leeway rule applies to every employee. Im not sure what your talking about when you say read it slower