Attendance

You know IF the company would just follow the contract without playing games and treat the hourlies fairly you would not see the complaining we all see on here. Lifer, you know that as well as anyone. The pure simple fact is that from time to time a manager comes across a situation that he/she doesn't like and then looks for ways to get around the contract. THAT is what makes hourlies feel like they are working for the enemy, someone they can not trust. I don't know of anyone that thinks Hoffa signs their checks, most do however realize that it is the Union that we have hired to protect us from cheating management. We pay our dues to have someone with a little more weight than ourselves to see that the contract is upheld on our behalf. All management are not cheating, prevaricating , thieves, neither are all hourlies. The grievance process should be used to balance out the fairness of the application of the contract, not as a tool to "get even" or "get the last word".
Another fact is, mangers are NOT always the final say in matters where the contract ,signed by both UPS and the Teamsters, is the final say. I admit that I have seen drivers abuse language in the contract to circumvent the intent of the contact, just as I have seen management tell lie after lie to get what they want. Then there is the retribution that comes when one or the other doesn't get their way. Sad to say, this is what brings about the US Vs. Them attitudes that run wild in many centers across the country. If all that you have posted here in the past concerning your tenure at UPS is true (I have no reason to doubt you), I can see how you would have a hard time not understanding how a driver or loader can get the feeling that they are being taen advantage of by an enemy. Not all managers are bad people, all are not good either. Should anyone be expected to have to look for other employment when there is a signed agreement?
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
I agree with your premise that there are management and drivers that manipulate the contract. There is grievance machinery in place to deal with this. The first part of the process is to bring the issue to management (I personally think it should be the manager) and try to settle the issue. If that does not work - file a grievance.

My thought is not so much about us vs them as it is about hating the job, the boss, the company etc. Why! Why! would someone go through this day after day????

You know there are folks out there that literally hate going to work for UPS. Life is short - shouldn't you do something you enjoy doing if for no other reason for your health and happiness? Won't this translate into happiness for your family as well?

We have some posters that 90% of their posts exude hate and contempt. It has to be eating their insides up. (By the way you are not one of them (trpinkl!!!)
 

JULAKA

Active Member
Quit and go work at Burger King. It is so simple. If UPS managment is making your life a living hell, then just quit. It's their company, not yours, and if you are unhappy then get the hell out.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
"You know there are folks out there that literally hate going to work for UPS."

A true statement as long as we agree that just as many are management as are hourly.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
"If UPS managment is making your life a living hell, then just quit. "

And to management:

If UPS hourlys are making your life a living hell, then just quit!
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
"You know there are folks out there that literally hate going to work for UPS."

A true statement as long as we agree that just as many are management as are hourly.


I agree 100% - That is why I used the word "folks"!

I try to avoid using the term "hourly" - I think it promotes a class distinction and an "us vs. them" mentality. I required my management team to use the term non-management. For some reason I have felt that the term hourly was used (sometimes) in a very derogative way.
 

trickpony1

Well-Known Member
My thought is not so much about us vs them as it is about hating the job, the boss, the company etc. Why! Why! would someone go through this day after day????

It's all about this thing called "pension".
We unhappy hourlies can't simply walk away from our pensions like the unhappy management seem to be doing in droves.
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
It's all about this thing called "pension".
We unhappy hourlies can't simply walk away from our pensions like the unhappy management seem to be doing in droves.

Well....that answers that question!

However, once you become vested you get what you earned...right?
So you won't lose it ????
 

trickpony1

Well-Known Member
Well....that answers that question!

However, once you become vested you get what you earned...right?
So you won't lose it ????

Once vested we won't lose it, however, we must wait until some ungodly age of 61 or 65 to get the full benefit otherwise we can get it now but at a greatly reduced rate....what a deal.

If we could get the full amount now many of us would be out of here.
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
I guess this works for both sides.... The golden handcuffs as they say.

I do remember that at a certain point right before I retired - there was no way I would leave no matter what happened. I think I had 2 years to go to get to 55.

The more positive I seemed to be as I made my way from 50 on, the less pressure I felt. It was a catch 22 in reverse!

I highly recommend looking at the glass as half full instead of half empty. Granted.... it is not easy at first, but soon it seems to just take over and everything works out OK!

I say this from experience!!!!
 
I guess this works for both sides.... The golden handcuffs as they say.

I do remember that at a certain point right before I retired - there was no way I would leave no matter what happened. I think I had 2 years to go to get to 55.

The more positive I seemed to be as I made my way from 50 on, the less pressure I felt. It was a catch 22 in reverse!

I highly recommend looking at the glass as half full instead of half empty. Granted.... it is not easy at first, but soon it seems to just take over and everything works out OK!

I say this from experience!!!!
Lifer, I can't disagree with this, however you must realize, doing this is easier for a manager than a driver. In the manager position when the clock strikes 5 pm, you can (on most days) leave the building to your sups and go to the house and play with the baby's Momma. When you are a driver, you have to finish the load so generously provided by the company before you can even think of going home. Not to mention the wear and tear on your body that managers don't have to face day in and day out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that managers have it easy, I am aware that the stress is sometimes unbearable. The flexibility of the daily routine is just easier to utilize in management than in hourly.
I have a feeling that if all managers operated their centers as it seems you did yours, this forum would read like a lovefest for UPS, unfortunately that just isn't reality.
edited to add:
I prefer to see the glass half full, unfortunately I see the package car as half full also.
 
I like to think that my overall outlook is positive, in fact I work at trying to keep it that way. Sometimes it is quite a task, sometimes it's a piece of cake. I don't however live in a fairy tale where the grass is always green and the birds are always singing. I see things everyday at UPS that just are not right, things that if they were here to stay, I couldn't keep going. I know from time to time, my posts are pretty negative, but I just tell it like I see it. When I talk bad about sups or managers, it's usually in a composite type of scenario and doesn't really reflect on one person. We have a couple of OCS that really know the score and do their best to be fair to all drivers, on the other hand we have one FT and several PT sups that couldn't find their own butts with both hands and a flashlight. I suspect this is pretty common across the company. We also have some drivers that don't deserve to wear brown and draw a paycheck.
All in all, when I see, hear of or read about something I think is wrong, that's how I will post about it and the other way around too. It's just more fun to *itch about stuff than to sing about others.
 
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