3 Regions, 20 Districts

[tieguy]

I do the job I am compensated for every day. Still refuse to turn in sales leads, regardless of the additional compensation UPS promises, then does not deliver. You sales reps have to accept the fact that at some point, you'll have to go out and get your own sales leads. Until you are willing to help me do my job and work as my helper, I won't help the sales reps do theirs.

interesting argument. You realize its your job to get sales leads?

I never understood the argument against you submitting sales leads. You're on the route you see a new company moving in and you submit a lead. you get paid for the time you spend doing it, you get reward points for doing it, the volume creates jobs and helps pay for your beni's.

I guess another way to look at it would be to tell the business agent that you are not filing grievances because that is his job to do so?

 

[local804]

Hey 804, I hear 1 thing that will effect drivers is that all routes will be re-bid once a year, not the "once you win the bid, it's yours" system we're used to.

Well I think this could be a good thing. How many times do we bid on a route, then have a late pickup or the bulky one thrown on it? The garbage routes that no one wants and a newbie(5yrs or under) gets it and its a prime route after a few months. I think this could solve some of the favoritism problems and get guys/gals off of some routes they are stuck on. We have had years where only 1-2 routes have went up for bid and a few seniority drivers didnt have routes due to route cuts. Why would UPS from a business perspective cut the route that the runner is gunning at 22 sph? they wouldnt! Seniority will prevail in this system and I think its the way it should be.

 

[tieguy]

I do your job every time I'm on vacation I sleep late, stroll over to the Coffee shop and get a Latte and muffin, read the paper, and take a midday nap! LMFAO

hudsons a business agent?

 

[tieguy]

I really don't see the need for all the arguing. As a management person who has also been a driver, I am perfectly fine with admitting that the delivery drivers have nearly as important job as any. There are all types of roles that people play in order to get that package delivered that are very important, but ultimately the only person that the customer sees is the guy that delivers the package. That doesn't mean it's the only important job. Also, just because you are a BD guy and setup a contract with a customer doesn't mean you are the guy that is bringing us our work. You just happen to be the guy that benefitted from the sales lead and the good reputation of our brand. Certainly, we need guys like you to negotiate the contract with the customer, but it's unfair to act as if you did all the work to get the volume. Another thing to point out -- there really isn't a single job that I can think of at UPS that is "really hard." Almost all of us are replacable in some way or another - drivers, loaders, unloaders, IE, PE, middle management, BD, feeders, clerks, DMs, CMs, sorters, safety, security... - we may have our own personal specialization that make us better equipped for our own job, but that doesn't mean our job is so hard that no one else can do it. Granted, not all drivers could go and be a BD guy, but likewise, not all BD guys could go and be a driver (maybe an air driver, I guess ). For the most part though, we all are pretty hard workers and work tough as nails to get the job done.

I'm starting to rant too much, but I'm just getting annoyed by the petty and precocious argument that is going on in this thread. We all play an important role and we need all the different branches of our company (mgt and union) in order to be as successful as we are.

your rant seemed to go against the BD guy. The true rant should value everyones job and everyones contribution. I have done staff jobs before. I would rather be in operations. I found staff jobs to be much longer days then operations. The BD folks I have worked with have been out answering for operations mistakes all day and then sending me emails as late as midnight from home. They can have that job I don't want it.

 

[Brown287]

Is this annual re-bid a company wide thing. Or is this local specific? Wouldn't a change like that need to be approved by our locals?

 

[tieguy]

back on topic. The district realignments are interesting and in my case well thought out. For instance metro philly and metro DC combined. Collectively they should do well taking care of some of the bigger shippers located near philly and in delaware.

I'm interested to see how this realignment will get decision making closer to the grass roots. I don't see it.

Many of our upper management will be going through new training to learn the new concepts that come with this change in philosophy.

The buyout is mainly directed at divison through district level managers. Those managers have a short window to make a very important decision. It then appears there will be something like a player draft in march as region and district managers pick their staff. Its possible some divison and district managers will be looking for a job when the draft is done. At that point they will either have to wait on attrition creating a job or take a step down or possibly get a seperation packet. Logic would tell you that there will be litle attrition after the buyout.

In my opinion the selling of our soul is now nearing completion. The old UPS partnership mindset is gone. We now have an outsider who will put much more value on profit and loss. I think we may actually find ourselves losing less profitable customers. Its a mindset we have to be very carefull with. Once we convince ourselves that its ok to lose certain customers because we don't make enough money on them we in my opinion get into dangerous terroritory. Interesting times are ahead.

 

[hurricanegunner]

Stop right there. I have worked as a helper and also tried to keep doing my job as an automotive supervisor. This is the attitude that brought down the UAW and a couple of auto manufacturers. Next time you get stuck, maybe I should say you know what, until you help me out maybe I will not call the tow truck and you can sit and contemplate what you are going to do for a living when people with your attitude run UPS into the ground. That is the difference between you and I. You think UPS is here to serve you, I think I am here to serve UPS!

Leave me sitting there in the truck; I'll get paid to do nothing until you send the tow truck.

 

[hurricanegunner]

interesting argument. You realize its your job to get sales leads?

I never understood the argument against you submitting sales leads. You're on the route you see a new company moving in and you submit a lead. you get paid for the time you spend doing it, you get reward points for doing it, the volume creates jobs and helps pay for your beni's.

I guess another way to look at it would be to tell the business agent that you are not filing grievances because that is his job to do so?

Wrong. It is not our job to turn in sales leads. You can ask us to, expect us to, beg us to, threaten us etc, but we don't have to.
And I'll never understand why management treats us like nothing more than beasts of burden and then asks us to do the sales reps jobs for them.

 

[Buffaloaf]

your rant seemed to go against the BD guy. The true rant should value everyones job and everyones contribution. I have done staff jobs before. I would rather be in operations. I found staff jobs to be much longer days then operations. The BD folks I have worked with have been out answering for operations mistakes all day and then sending me emails as late as midnight from home. They can have that job I don't want it.

Maybe it came off that way, but if it did I didn't mean for it to. Also, maybe another thing...If it did, maybe it's because I expect them to be more diplomatic about it -- after all, that's how management people are supposed to act

Also, I was probably a little embarassed for them because of their contribution to such a childish argument by both sides.

 

[Buffaloaf]

back on topic. The district realignments are interesting and in my case well thought out. For instance metro philly and metro DC combined. Collectively they should do well taking care of some of the bigger shippers located near philly and in delaware.

I'm interested to see how this realignment will get decision making closer to the grass roots. I don't see it.

Many of our upper management will be going through new training to learn the new concepts that come with this change in philosophy.

The buyout is mainly directed at divison through district level managers. Those managers have a short window to make a very important decision. It then appears there will be something like a player draft in march as region and district managers pick their staff. Its possible some divison and district managers will be looking for a job when the draft is done. At that point they will either have to wait on attrition creating a job or take a step down or possibly get a seperation packet. Logic would tell you that there will be litle attrition after the buyout.

In my opinion the selling of our soul is now nearing completion. The old UPS partnership mindset is gone. We now have an outsider who will put much more value on profit and loss. I think we may actually find ourselves losing less profitable customers. Its a mindset we have to be very carefull with. Once we convince ourselves that its ok to lose certain customers because we don't make enough money on them we in my opinion get into dangerous terroritory. Interesting times are ahead.

Tie, I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but how does it look for people that are trying to get promoted? At first I was hoping it would mean that they would need to replace some positions, but now that it's here and I saw the ~700 displacement number, that makes me feel like they definitely won't need to replace anyone. Thoughts?

 

[upssup]

Leave me sitting there in the truck; I'll get paid to do nothing until you send the tow truck.

My point exactly. I am sitting here just after the discussions on the realignment and how they talk about EVERYONE working together to bring new business to the table along with taking care of existing customers and I can tell you that this kind of attitude is what is not going to help this situation. I think it is sad that teamsters feel they have been wronged in some way by management. I was a union mechanic for UPS before I went into supervision amd I cannot understand how your job could be that difficult that you could have that sour attitude. If it is the management in place where you work, I can only believe that if they had to listen to you all day long thay could start to treat you in turn.

 

[SB1982]

It then appears there will be something like a player draft in march as region and district managers pick their staff. Its possible some divison and district managers will be looking for a job when the draft is done. At that point they will either have to wait on attrition creating a job or take a step down or possibly get a seperation packet. Logic would tell you that there will be litle attrition after the buyout.

At this point do you believe a voluntary severance package would be offered to all managers to see if they had any takers before they "un" voluntarily sepearated people.

 

[Hubrat98]

Tie, I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but how does it look for people that are trying to get promoted? At first I was hoping it would mean that they would need to replace some positions, but now that it's here and I saw the ~700 displacement number, that makes me feel like they definitely won't need to replace anyone. Thoughts?

I reacted the the same way. Initially optimistic but now very pessimistic. I'm wondering if I should even bother submitting my letter of intent. They haven't scheduled a panel interview around here in over two years. Is being a part-time supervisor a career?

 

[Buffaloaf]

I reacted the the same way. Initially optimistic but now very pessimistic. I'm wondering if I should even bother submitting my letter of intent. They haven't scheduled a panel interview around here in over two years. Is being a part-time supervisor a career?

We did interviews last December and was even introduced to our district manager by my division manager during their MIP meetings. I had a lot of hope that maybe something might come up, but that hope has quickly been dampened. I would say with a degree and job experience, no it's not a career.

 

[FAVREFAN]

hey, stock price up 5.7% this morning and I'm up almost $5000.00

should I sell???

Don't sell fool. We are just at the beginning of the economic recovery. Although UPS stock has been a pig since it reared its ugly head to the public in Nov. 1999, it actually is attractive at these levels. With the nice Div. payout I would say hold and add anytime it dips below $60. Just my humble opinion.

 

[FAVREFAN]

In my opinion the selling of our soul is now nearing completion. The old UPS partnership mindset is gone. We now have an outsider who will put much more value on profit and loss. I think we may actually find ourselves losing less profitable customers. Its a mindset we have to be very carefull with. Once we convince ourselves that its ok to lose certain customers because we don't make enough money on them we in my opinion get into dangerous terroritory. Interesting times are ahead.
__________________
I totally agree Tie. Since he took over everything has become numbers. He counts all the pennies. Bean counter to the extreme. I think this will help UPS make a big run on profit in the near term but as we drop/lose unprofitable accounts, in the long term, we will start to get a bad rep. and lose volume. I look forward to the next CEO and hopefully he/she has been a career UPS lifer. Best of luck to you and all of us at UPS in the coming year.

 

[tieguy]

Wrong. It is not our job to turn in sales leads. You can ask us to, expect us to, beg us to, threaten us etc, but we don't have to.
And I'll never understand why management treats us like nothing more than beasts of burden and then asks us to do the sales reps jobs for them.

duplicate database error.

 

[tieguy]

Wrong. It is not our job to turn in sales leads. You can ask us to, expect us to, beg us to, threaten us etc, but we don't have to.
And I'll never understand why management treats us like nothing more than beasts of burden and then asks us to do the sales reps jobs for them.

hmmm database error? I should not have to explain the basic employee / boss relationship. If the boss says its your job to submit sales leads then its your job to do so. You can however quit this job and these unreasonable demands and save yourself the stress of doing something you're paid twice to do.

 

[tieguy]

Maybe it came off that way, but if it did I didn't mean for it to. Also, maybe another thing...If it did, maybe it's because I expect them to be more diplomatic about it -- after all, that's how management people are supposed to act

Also, I was probably a little embarassed for them because of their contribution to such a childish argument by both sides.

I wouldn't know I rarely act professional on this site.

 

[hurricanegunner]

hmmm database error? I should not have to explain the basic employee / boss relationship. If the boss says its your job to submit sales leads then its your job to do so. You can however quit this job and these unreasonable demands and save yourself the stress of doing something you're paid twice to do.

No thanks Tie! I'll stick around and do my 30.