Calling in Sick

vantexan

Well-Known Member
As long as you're willing to be abused, they will happily comply. I'd be bringing back everything that I didn't feel like attempting. When are you going to figure out that you are your own worst enemy? The only reward for working hard and doing a good job is zero recognition, the same pay, and MORE WORK!!
And when are you going to figure out that if a courier is at starting pay he doesn't have much choice but to take it? It's not just me and the dogs anymore either. But I can say it until I'm blue in the face, this isn't the environment you guys are used to and all your station wisdom doesn't apply. My coworker knows this, and we're getting screwed by him.
 

overflowed

Well-Known Member
I'm talking as a friend here. Don't get upset we are saying this stuff. I've done 300 mile rtes. I understand where you're coming from. I've been in the shoes you're talking about. I know you feel you are on your own. This is a billion dollar company man. You aren't on you own brother. They have the resources to make it happen. Do you want the OT? Then take it. If that's the case don't trip off it. I have a friend that was working 12 hours a day for at least a year or so. He started complaining about that and they halved the rte. Now he complains about not getting hours. Think about exactly what your looking for with these people. Don't pay us any mind. You need to do what you need to do. Think about your goals man. Whatever they are. Not a big deal till you make it.
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
I'm talking as a friend here. Don't get upset we are saying this stuff. I've done 300 mile rtes. I understand where you're coming from. I've been in the shoes you're talking about. I know you feel you are on your own. This is a billion dollar company man. You aren't on you own brother. They have the resources to make it happen. Do you want the OT? Then take it. If that's the case don't trip off it. I have a friend that was working 12 hours a day for at least a year or so. He started complaining about that and they halved the rte. Now he complains about not getting hours. Think about exactly what your looking for with these people. Don't pay us any mind. You need to do what you need to do. Think about your goals man. Whatever they are. Not a big deal till you make it.
I appreciate that, common sense. Too many late nights lately.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
In which town? He covers about 4 tiny coal towns, connected my roads that literally seem like they run forever, 8 stops an hour out there at some points and sometimes less

When I had my country run it didn't take long to figure out where people lived and where they worked. 9 times out of 10 they appreciated me indirecting their packages to their work. There were days when I would shave off 25-30 miles not having to run off chasers.
 

Nolimitz

Well-Known Member
Hammer, nail, struck on the head. end of story. Don't be a door mat. If they need to send two ccr to help cover so be it.

No, I get it just fine. What you don't get is you're allowing yourself to be walked all over and letting your manager take the easy way out.

Back when I actually cared about this company, I was at a station up North and would routinely volunteer to go cover a domicile almost 300km away, when someone called in. I'd jump in a van and follow the shuttle up there, help with the sort and then go on my merry way. The one thing I noticed almost immediately is that it seemed like stop counts didn't exist up there. They went out with what they went out with. Domicile employees aren't second class employees and do, in fact have stop counts but what a lot of managers will do is not send up a stop count sheet so most of them don't even know what they're supposed to be going out with.

Most people call in early in the morning, between 7-8. That leaves plenty of time for a manager to come up with a contingency plan but, in the case of you and your co-workers, there is no need for a contingency plan because your manager knows you'll just do it.

As a full-time employee, you cannot be forced to work more than an hour past your scheduled end time but so long as you and your co-workers allow yourselves to be taken advantage of, your manager will continue using your distance to the station as an excuse no to send help. That is what you don't get.
 

Nolimitz

Well-Known Member
I used to do vacation cover for a domicile rte, non-swing driver. Was expected to stay at my cabin with no comp. for housing. I get where you are coming from and I now will not do those rtes due to ever increasing stop counts and lack of help. It has become a fubar area at the station and they are always scrambling trying to find help. They have been thinking about adding more domicile folks to the area for years and have done nothing because the work gets done somehow...
 

bbsam

Moderator
Staff member
What?! You walked away from money when you left? I will take every sick day and any other day they won't want to pay me for, before I leave. I will leave nothing on the table. Not one minute worth.
Do you think with Express looking more and more like Ground that maybe they will get rid of paid sick time?
 

MAKAVELI

Well-Known Member
Do you think with Express looking more and more like Ground that maybe they will get rid of paid sick time?
It's required in California. Even if they did for other states, I think it would only backfire and create more sick calls.
 

Purplepackage

Well-Known Member
When I had my country run it didn't take long to figure out where people lived and where they worked. 9 times out of 10 they appreciated me indirecting their packages to their work. There were days when I would shave off 25-30 miles not having to run off chasers.

On a normal country route that works, I do it myself sometimes. As I've been on his route I can say that's almost not possible most times, some of these "towns" have about 5 streets in them with no buisness. Hard to explain unless you live around there, which most of us don't but let's say when the coal boom dropped off so did the need for all of these tiny towns
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
And when are you going to figure out that if a courier is at starting pay he doesn't have much choice but to take it? It's not just me and the dogs anymore either. But I can say it until I'm blue in the face, this isn't the environment you guys are used to and all your station wisdom doesn't apply. My coworker knows this, and we're getting screwed by him.

You have made this your problem, van. It's their problem. You're a great employee. They don't care.
 

dezguy

Well-Known Member
And if the swing goes past 14 hours? Do you have a similar rule in Canada? 300 kilometers is what, 166 miles? So you were doing 330+ miles roundtrip before even starting his route? What kind of mileage did his route have? Bottom line, we deal with it here, my coworker knows it, but apparently it's ok as long as he's sticking it to the company too. And where did you get that hour past your end time rule? Is that a Canadian thing? In the States if you're fulltime they can draft based on seniority. Remember that 14hr rule? If needed they can work you up to 14 hrs work and break combined. Where I'm at that would put me past 1 a.m.. Last time I did that was during the UPS strike in '97.
It was a 10 hour shift. around 2 1/2 hours out and back from domicile meet then 5 hours of deliveries and pickups on a route that averaged 200km.

Here, ft cannot be forced to work more an hour past scheduled end time unless you want to.

At the end of the day, nothing will ever change so long as you and your co workers fix the problem for your manager. As I said earlier, you manager loves it because he/she doesn't even have to do anything, you guys take it upon yourselves to fix the problem and he/she sits back and collects a paycheque.
 

Rhoderunner

Well-Known Member
You've done this route for awhile now I take it. You're pretty sure exactly how many deliveries would make a full day for you correct ? Well here's my 2 cents.....take that number of stops from your shuttle driver and have him return to the station with whats left !! As others have stated, make management fix the problem. I know, easier said than done but sometimes drastic measures are called for.
 

1fedexFAILURE

Well-Known Member
You have made this your problem, van. It's their problem. You're a great employee. They don't care.
I agree and am sure your a great employee as we all here have probably been..I learned some time ago not to care as much..it used to tick me off when someone would call in also but at this point.. It's all a new ball game..now those 5 are just another day off unless I need them for a sick day..if someone calling in sick makes me work longer.. So be it.. I go with the flow and take the overtime..sometimes I like it better than others.. But none the less.. If I have something I really need to do I know how to be off that day myself..maybe you should try a sick day yourself van when you for certain this guy is gonna call in.. Then they would be forced to fix the problem..
 

It will be fine

Well-Known Member
I agree and am sure your a great employee as we all here have probably been..I learned some time ago not to care as much..it used to tick me off when someone would call in also but at this point.. It's all a new ball game..now those 5 are just another day off unless I need them for a sick day..if someone calling in sick makes me work longer.. So be it.. I go with the flow and take the overtime..sometimes I like it better than others.. But none the less.. If I have something I really need to do I know how to be off that day myself..maybe you should try a sick day yourself van when you for certain this guy is gonna call in.. Then they would be forced to fix the problem..
That's the best plan. Talk to this guy and say, "look we all know you're just taking long weekends before retirement. Shoot me a text the night before so I can do the same next time." Then they'll need 4 people to cover all that area and maybe they'll hire one.
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
It was a 10 hour shift. around 2 1/2 hours out and back from domicile meet then 5 hours of deliveries and pickups on a route that averaged 200km.

Here, ft cannot be forced to work more an hour past scheduled end time unless you want to.

At the end of the day, nothing will ever change so long as you and your co workers fix the problem for your manager. As I said earlier, you manager loves it because he/she doesn't even have to do anything, you guys take it upon yourselves to fix the problem and he/she sits back and collects a paycheque.
It was a 10 hour shift. around 2 1/2 hours out and back from domicile meet then 5 hours of deliveries and pickups on a route that averaged 200km.

Here, ft cannot be forced to work more an hour past scheduled end time unless you want to.

At the end of the day, nothing will ever change so long as you and your co workers fix the problem for your manager. As I said earlier, you manager loves it because he/she doesn't even have to do anything, you guys take it upon yourselves to fix the problem and he/she sits back and collects a paycheque.
Our routes drive twice as far or more and often go more than 10 hours on route. The swing coming from the station is up against the 14 hr rule(assuming there's one available)and yes they can make us work up to 14 hrs to get things covered. It's a different animal out here but then again we don't see the mgr more than 2-3 times a year, don't work a real sort, don't put up with station drama. It's a tradeoff but still, I wouldn't screw my coworkers over if it were me.
 
Top