8 Drivers Skip Lunch 1 More Driver Can Be Laid Off

[But Benefits Are Great!]

Yeah priorities like a fair wage and decent working conditions which at the time were non existent. If you don't believe it ask the 10 year old kid today working 18 hrs. a day in Honduras for 35 cents a day. Or in Mexico,China,etc. or any other place where employees are treated poorly still to this day. Or for that matter ask some of the non-union workers in your own area. Ask them how great they have it. Ask a FedEx Ground driver I'm sure he can tell you how nice he is treated and how much money he makes.

The "forefathers crap" is what has given ungrateful, spoiled little boys like you the opportunity to work and earn what you do. I don't expect someone like you to "get it". But don't insult the sacrifices of those who came before you, who worked to give you what you have now and take for granted.

Bull . The conditions that existed creating the need for unions are long gone. So are the 50's.

I'm pretty certain very few FedEx drivers are up all night arguing about starting a revolution over when they take their lunch.

 

[outta hours]

Bull . The conditions that existed creating the need for unions are long gone. So are the 50's.

I'm pretty certain very few FedEx drivers are up all night arguing about starting a revolution over when they take their lunch.

You must not deliver to many warehouse areas. Many of those folks work in poor conditions for minimum wage. But no need for a union I guess.



You may be right about FedEx drivers I don't think they get a lunch break to argue about. They are too busy buying their own fuel,trucks,and paying someone out of their own pocket to run their route if they need time off.

 

[New Englander]

Bull . The conditions that existed creating the need for unions are long gone. So are the 50's.

I'm pretty certain very few FedEx drivers are up all night arguing about starting a revolution over when they take their lunch.

So you decided not to join the union and do not pay dues, correct?

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

So you decided not to join the union and do not pay dues, correct?

Where I am, you have no choice - to work at UPS, you have to be a Union Member.

But you know that - So, what, you going to do, the third grade "If you don't like the union, you shouldn't work here" bit?

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

You must not deliver to many warehouse areas. Many of those folks work in poor conditions for minimum wage. But no need for a union I guess.



You may be right about FedEx drivers I don't think they get a lunch break to argue about. They are too busy buying their own fuel,trucks,and paying someone out of their own pocket to run their route if they need time off.

Supply & demand. Capitalism.

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

It was our internet forefathers who laid down their lives so you could go online and complain about their crap.

Al Gore is my forefather?

 

[leastbest]

I sit EVERY day for lunch and usually play my guitar or banjo. One day during peak last year my center manager asked me when I had time to play the banjo. I told him I had lots of time for the banjo, it was the packages that were a problem.

My breaks are consistent. I can play during lunch. My poor dispatch causes me to brings stops back during peak.

 

[NaiveRapture]

People please take your lunch at lunch time any time after the 3rd hour of work. So what if you deliver after dark, if business will be missed let them know why. If you are taking your lunch at appropriate time and they have overloaded with business stops it is dispatches problem. Just communicate with them!! It works, and soon you will get a better dispatch. At least it did for me.

I DO care about delivering in the dark. I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid delivering in the dark. If that means I take my lunch from 5:20 to 6:20, wait 10 minutes, pick up a letterbox and come in, then that's what I'm going to do. The route that I'm most likely going to be on during peak, I will have pickups so hopefully I won't be out super late, but I will still take my lunch when it gets dark, to maximize the efficiency of my time.

I'm one of those "young guys" who runs a covered route much faster than the regular driver, but sometimes I swear I can't even help it. Even if I'm walking real slow, every stop, I still end up with a freaking hour to kill, on top of my lunch, waiting for a 6:30 letterbox. But like I said previously, during most of the year, I try to take my lunch in the middle of the day, not near the end.

 

[soberups]

I DO care about delivering in the dark. I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid delivering in the dark....

Where I live this time of year, the sun sets at 4:25 and on a cloudy day it is pitch black by 5:00. Working at night is something you just get used to. The dark doesnt slow me down at all; I've been on the same route for 15 years and the only flashlight I carry is a little keychain LED light that lets me see when I'm walking down a dark flight of stairs.

 

[dilligaf]

Where I am, you have no choice - to work at UPS, you have to be a Union Member.

But you know that - So, what, you going to do, the third grade "If you don't like the union, you shouldn't work here" bit?

I am going to LMAO because you HAVE to pay dues. Love it!

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

I am going to LMAO because you HAVE to pay dues. Love it!

I don't mind paying dues at all. Just like I don't mind wearing the browns at all. It's a package deal.

I'm not anti-union, I'm just not pro union, either.

You want me to be pro-union, wave the flag, follow in lockstep? Let me see the union do something about the embarrassingly pitiful starting wage for unloaders @ $8.50/hour while drivers make $30 plus complaining about their lunch break.

 

[trplnkl]

The lunch break issue is multi-problematic and importance of it differs depending on each individual. So, BBAG, IMO you have not much to say other than your own issue if you have one. If you don't have an issue with the meal time, one way or the other, why even comment?
1. On this thread we have people with the MT issue because they feel that if EVERYONE would take their contractual MT properly that the company would be forced into making adjustments in routes to keep business delivered on time and to lessen O9.5 days (also a contract issue). Regardless of what anyone else says, they are correct.
2. Others have an issue of not being able to get home within a decent hour to spend time with the family, an hour spent on MT is an hour later you get home. This is a legitimate complaint.
3.Others have an issue because they can't provide the service that the customer pays for if they take the meal before a certain time. Also legit.
4. All these issues are real and a problem from someone's perspective, whether it is your perspective or mine doesn't really matter.

Like it or not, UPS relies on the driver that wants to get home at a decent time, the driver that is too service oriented to take a chance, or the one that tries to make bonus time, to force the proper contractual language for MT. Trust me, if it were not for outside concerns (union, civil suits or government) enforcement of contractual meal times, no one would ever get to take a break until all packages are delivered.

disclaimer: I know it isn't this way in all centers/hubs.

 

[705red]

I don't mind paying dues at all. Just like I don't mind wearing the browns at all. It's a package deal.

I'm not anti-union, I'm just not pro union, either.

You want me to be pro-union, wave the flag, follow in lockstep? Let me see the union do something about the embarrassingly pitiful starting wage for unloaders @ $8.50/hour while drivers make $30 plus complaining about their lunch break.

I'll give you that $8.50 is a joke to start at ups, but how many jobs do you know of were you can go from $8.50 to $16.10 an hour in under a year?

And than within 36 months from that be making $30 plus topping out at $32 an hour and change?

How many fulltimers voted against the contract to help out the ptimers?

This is not a slam at mt ptime friends here on this site, but how can you expect a ftimer to risk everything for a ptimer when they wont even take the time to help themselves?

In 97 everyone stood shoulder to shoulder together in unity, and here we are 11 years later and we couldn't be farther apart!

I remember were i came from the ptime ranks and i also had to suffer for 5 years to get this ftime job and than another 2 and a half to see top out pay for a total of 7 and half years, now the newbies see it in under 4 years!

 

[sortaisle]

Over here in Spokane, if you take your lunch after 5 hours, you show up on a report and get into a little bit of trouble. They say it's an integrity issue.

 

[sortaisle]

I don't mind paying dues at all. Just like I don't mind wearing the browns at all. It's a package deal.

I'm not anti-union, I'm just not pro union, either.

You want me to be pro-union, wave the flag, follow in lockstep? Let me see the union do something about the embarrassingly pitiful starting wage for unloaders @ $8.50/hour while drivers make $30 plus complaining about their lunch break.

I don't get it. You're a cover driver, yet you don't think package car drivers are worth $30 an hour? There is no other delivery company that puts their drivers through the same time commitments than UPS does. FedEX doesn't slap their ground drivers with air that would cause you to break trace to make it on time. They don't even have air on their cars. They have Fed Ex Express for that. DHL HAD their own air drivers as well. If a Fed Ex driver had to run their routes like we do, my guess is they would be overwhelmed. 8.50 is a low starting wage....yeah I guess so, but everyone has to start from the bottom. It's a labor job. There is little or no skill whatsoever involved, so why should UPS pay us more to do an entry level job that doesn't require a serious education to do? And drivers have every reason in the world to complain about their lunches. UPS dispatch is a joke from time to time. UPS signed an agreement about lunches between the 3rd and 5th hour, yet they don't dispatch it so it's feasable. Sounds to me like perfect grounds for bitching.

 

[cachsux]

Bull . The conditions that existed creating the need for unions are long gone. So are the 50's.[ quote]

Conditions are long gone? So you mean you`ve never had the sup who wanted to make you his punching bag because he didn`t get laid last night and missed his last three anger management meetings. Or how about that mgr who drank to much cough syrup and friend-ed up royally and now needs a fall guy to cover his ass and whatdya know there`s the BBag like a deer in the headlights. Or maybe you yourself made an honest mistake that didn`t have any repercussions and you owned up to it but hey they need some schmuck to fire and since your volunteering. Or maybe you need one too many days off to deal with your family situation so they give you lots of days off to deal with it.

The difference BBag is at every non union job out there you be tossed with no hope of a comeback faster than you`ll reply to my post. In the union job your no fan of you have representation that will tell Mr. Anger Mgmt or Mr Tylenol with Codeine to knock there crap off and they`ll also point out that none of the other drivers who made the same screwup as you were fired so why should you be the first. Are unions perfect? No,but neither are the companies they represent us at but it would sure fire be a worse situation without them.

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

It would appear that several of our co-workers will have the opportunity to take their lunch whenever they please in January. Most likely in the comfort of their homes. Hope it does not get as bad as the FNN (Feeder News Network) is predicting, but I have a feeling there will be some major changes. Thank you for busting your butt for 12 hours a day the last month. Now for a little Christmas gift, go ahead and stay home everyday.

 

[over9five]

...as the FNN (Feeder News Network) is predicting....quote]


FNN!!! That is awesome, never heard that before!!!

 

[HEFFERNAN]

What'dyabringmetoday???
FNN (Feeder News Network)


Is the Biggest Loser on that channel ??
I think its on after Touched By A Teamster .


This could become a thread all its own. Too funny

 

[HEFFERNAN]

Is the Biggest Loser on that channel ??

Obviously I was going with the weight gain/weight loss theme !!!!!
Not the Loser theme !!

I don't want any Feeder drivers parking their trailer on my Jeep !!!!!!