A question that has been asked a lot, I know. But kind of different

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Wife gave some excellent advice, especially in regard to saving for retirement. I know when you are 21 you think retirement is light years away but it will be here before you know it. Contribute as much as you can in to your Roth 401k. I have found that if I don't see the money (payroll deduction) I can't spend it.

 

[JL 0513]

The smaller the hub the more likely you can go fulltime quicker. A small hub or extended center has lower part-timer/ full-timer ratio.

I assume much of the country has hubs that work their seniority independently. Is this mostly true? In my area (southeastern Mass) we share our seniority among 5 hubs. One in southeastern MA, two on Cape Cod, Martha's Vinyard, and Nantucket. Wish this wasn't the case but it is. As a result, wait times are longer of course. And you end up placed outside of your home hub when a driving opportunity arises. I was placed on Cape Cod, 50 miles from home. So I have a 100 mile a day commute outside of driving for 9 hours a day. It's very nice on the Cape, but I'll be there for many years before a bid comes up at my home hub. 10+ years estimated. This was actually a best case scenario. Because in most cases, you are placed on one of the islands to start (2 year deal at least). This becomes a huge hardship. UPS does not pay any expense for putting you on a very high cost to live island. You have to shack yourself up in a one room apt. or roommate with others. All the while, you likely have expenses back home. That was what I expected and worried about. So Cape Cod was great in comparison.

 

[barnyard]

The smaller the hub the more likely you can go fulltime quicker. A small hub or extended center has lower part-timer/ full-timer ratio.

That is not always the case.

We had a PT guy at our center transfer to a center (he did a college transfer) closer to his home. When he researched it, he figured he had a 5+ year wait if he stayed and 1-2 years if he transferred. People that he thought would retire at 30 years, worked longer and he waited another 7 years after he transferred.

The OP could google search 'transfer' on browncafe and read about others' experience.

 

[bl04a]

Don't feed the troll, why would you feel sorry for someone wanting to "put their life on UPS" as you said? UPS can provide a person with a very secure, financial future. You may have to work hard for it but that's why its called work.

 

[browndingo]

I assume much of the country has hubs that work their seniority independently. Is this mostly true?...

Isn't seniority shared by everyone in the same local? I was told this once but I never verified it.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Isn't seniority shared by everyone in the same local? I was told this once but I never verified it.

This would depend upon how the local is set up. In Latham (Albany), NY, there are four centers which operate out of the same building. Seniority, by classification, is throughout all four centers. The local that I am in covers 3 centers roughly 90 miles away from one another. Seniority, by classification, is within each center; in other words, I couldn't go to Watertown or Potsdam and bump a less senior driver.

 

[browndingo]

This would depend upon how the local is set up. In Latham (Albany), NY, there are four centers which operate out of the same building. Seniority, by classification, is throughout all four centers. The local that I am in covers 3 centers roughly 90 miles away from one another. Seniority, by classification, is within each center; in other words, I couldn't go to Watertown or Potsdam and bump a less senior driver.

I see. It came up a few years ago at my small extended center when there were rumors of closing the center, which is in the same local as one other center about an hour away. The union told our guys if our center closed they would be slotted into the list at the other center by seniority. Maybe that was just in the case of a closure, though, because otherwise seniority is by classification within each center.