Can supervisors fire you?

[sonyatx]

I recently got a new supervisor, who makes things difficult.

My number one issue is that he constantly threatens to write you up for everything. He wants us write down the last 4 digits of bags tags and sometimes that is extremely hard. I get between 250 - 300 bags. I do not get missed bags, but he still expects us to write them down. If he sees we don't have alot wrote down, he screams write up.Also if we are a little late he says he will let it slide this time, but next time it will be a write up.

Well I went to my manager and explained how I hate being threatened with write ups. He said he would take care of the situation and did.

My question is how much power does a supervisor have? Mine is a jerk and argues with everyone, even the managers.

I always thought the managers and up were the only one with power to write up.

THANKS,
Sonya

 

[dilligaf]

We had a sup fire a driver. The driver was at work the next day.

 

[RockyRogue]

I recently got a new supervisor, who makes things difficult.

I no longer work for UPS, so I'm going to get flamed for jumping into this one.

Yes, you're right. Only managers can terminate your employment. Supervisors can write you up. I was written up by a part-time supe. Enough of those write-ups and you get a little paid (or not) vacation (a day, two days, a week, it depends) but you'll come back. The paid depends on the steward involved and what you did to warrant the write-up(s). I was written up for a service test that I failed. A steward told me it was null and void if I pursued a grievance because the contract was violated somehow. I considered it but decided against a grievance. He and I actually became good friends. We met for coffee a couple weeks ago. He, too, has left UPS.

As far as new supervisors, they all do that kind of thing. Its their way of making the operation 'their own.' They'll do that until somebody complains enough. -Rocky

 

[dilligaf]

You shouldn't get flamed for that Rocky. It was to the point.


Ok nevermind, you are probably right.

 

[RockyRogue]

You shouldn't get flamed for that Rocky. It was to the point.

Ok nevermind, you are probably right.

LOL. There are people that feel I don't belong on this forum because I no longer work for UPS. If I have something to contribute, I think I will. I'll deal with a flame if it happens . -Rocky

 

[trplnkl]

this is not a flame, just an observation of the inaccuracies in Rocky's post. A sup can take you out of service until the manager decides to terminate you. If you fail to grieve either one, you are fired. Actually, neither are binding terminations until the grievance process has ran it's course.So, in reality even a center manager can't fire you, only the panel/arbitrator can.

 

[dilligaf]

I would say that counter-points should always be welcome. Flames are not. Good point Trp.

 

[dilligaf]

Basically, anyone can fire you. For most though, it's a waste of time and energy on their part.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

who says Sonya is part of the union though? Does that not change the playing field, depending?

 

[RockyRogue]

this is not a flame, just an observation of the inaccuracies in Rocky's post. A sup can take you out of service until the manager decides to terminate you. If you fail to grieve either one, you are fired. Actually, neither are binding terminations until the grievance process has ran it's course.So, in reality even a center manager can't fire you, only the panel/arbitrator can.

Wow. Good point. I did not know this. I had an idiot for an unloader one night who decided to send up an open box of screws / bolts / nuts / whatever. It was shipped to a bottom belt (a slide at this hub). Lo and behold, several hundred of these little buggers went down the slide, with the sort manager watching the whole thing. I was already hopping mad from a leaker earlier in the evening and now this. I killed the belt, yelling for a tote to slide down to get the stuff. The sort manager grabbed his radio and made as though to make a radio call. He said, "Hey, Ken, one of your Einsteinian sorters just sent an open box of screws / nuts / bolts down a slide! He's being pulled from service." I saw him clutching the radio, so I thought it had gone out over the air. I was hopping mad, cursing the unloader, the open and the lousy night. The sort manager thought the open was FUNNY! He thought it would be a real kick to pretend to make such a radio call. The part-time supe on the aisle was right behind the sort manager with his own radio. He knew it didn't go out. He told me, "Easy, easy. It didn't go out over the radio. He was making a joke. He could have pulled you right out of service, no questions asked. He knows it wasn't your fault. Ease up, man."

I would say that counter-points should always be welcome. Flames are not. Good point Trp.

Indeed. I always welcome corrections. My posting was my understanding. Apparently, I was wrong. -Rocky

 

[trplnkl]

who says Sonya is part of the union though? Does that not change the playing field, depending?

You're going to have to expound on that a little. If Sonya is doing hourly work (which it sounds as she does) it doesn't matter if she is in the union or not, the same rules apply. So, no the playing field still has the same dimensions.

 

[Catatonic]

LOL. There are people that feel I don't belong on this forum because I no longer work for UPS. If I have something to contribute, I think I will. I'll deal with a flame if it happens . -Rocky

Absolutely you belong.
You bring an experience to the site that most of us can't relate to ... worked here and left and still working other places.
You can relate what is good about UPS and what is not and advise whether it is worth it.
You're welcome here friend ... even if you are from Texas.

 

[pickup]

LOL. There are people that feel I don't belong on this forum because I no longer work for UPS. If I have something to contribute, I think I will. I'll deal with a flame if it happens . -Rocky

Your input is valued for the reasons that hoaxster stated in addition to the fact that you don't need to omit details in order to hide your secret identity because there is nothing they can do to you. (Whaddya gonna do, fire me?)

 

[UnconTROLLed]

You're going to have to expound on that a little. If Sonya is doing hourly work (which it sounds as she does) it doesn't matter if she is in the union or not, the same rules apply. So, no the playing field still has the same dimensions.

Do you think union and non-union people are treated the same? I have no exp in a right-to-work state, which is why I posed this as a question. I am curious.

 

[over9five]

Sonya, I give you BIG credit for going above this sups head and complaining about him. You did the right thing, and not a lot of people would!

 

[sonyatx]

I am not in the union. When I started working I turned in my paper, but somehow it never made it to the right person. I never really made an effort to to try again. I only worked about 6-8 hours a week on midnight. It was the perfect shift, well they shut it down. Now I work on sunrise, which is a lot different. I just wanted to know if supervisors have ANY authority besides telling the manager. Which I get along really well with the manager.

Rumors are going around they may reopen midnight during peak. It would be nice if they realized it was a big mistake shutting it down. I know I am dreaming though.

Thanks for all your comments.

 

[over9five]

Let us know what happens!

 

[RockyRogue]

Absolutely you belong.
You bring an experience to the site that most of us can't relate to ... worked here and left and still working other places.
You can relate what is good about UPS and what is not and advise whether it is worth it.
You're welcome here friend ... even if you are from Texas.

Thanks, Hoax. If I HAD a job, I'd bring those experiences . As it is, with this *****ty economy, I'm stuck applying for work. I'm 25 years old. I haven't had this much trouble finding a job since I was 15 and qualified for only a small handful of jobs!

And by the way.....did you forget what I said? Don't mess with Texas! lol. I've got a phone interview on the 15th in West Texas. I was raised Yankee. Its time to go HOME. I saw a job yesterday in Atlanta but decided that with your humidity, I'd just be miserable and haven't applied.

Your input is valued for the reasons that hoaxster stated in addition to the fact that you don't need to omit details in order to hide your secret identity because there is nothing they can do to you. (Whaddya gonna do, fire me?)

Thankts, pick-up. I was posting as a UPS employee at one time. I've always kind of wondered if some of the problems I had were of my own making on this board. As it is, I don't regret leaving UPS, either the first time nor the second (and last) time.

Sonya, I give you BIG credit for going above this sups head and complaining about him. You did the right thing, and not a lot of people would!

I'd have done the same thing s/he did. I applaud him / her. It takes some guts to complain about a supervisor. I wouldn't have involved the union. My father--self-admittedly very anti-union--once encouraged me to let management 'deal with their own' rather than taking it out of the house. In all but one of the cases, I was satisfied with management's response and handling. -Rocky

 

[RockyRogue]

Rumors are going around they may reopen midnight during peak. It would be nice if they realized it was a big mistake shutting it down. I know I am dreaming though.

UPS shuts down sorts fairly regularly, particularly in tight times. Seldom do they re-open. As far as getting along with the manager and not the supervisor, I can agree there. I got along real well with all three sort managers I worked for at UPS and the center manager who's center I worked off as a helper. Until the decline in quality of the last few years, the manager's were hands-down of a visibly higher quality than the supervisors. I don't think that's still the case. -Rocky

 

[tieguy]

I recently got a new supervisor, who makes things difficult.

My number one issue is that he constantly threatens to write you up for everything. He wants us write down the last 4 digits of bags tags and sometimes that is extremely hard. I get between 250 - 300 bags. I do not get missed bags, but he still expects us to write them down. If he sees we don't have alot wrote down, he screams write up.Also if we are a little late he says he will let it slide this time, but next time it will be a write up.

Well I went to my manager and explained how I hate being threatened with write ups. He said he would take care of the situation and did.

My question is how much power does a supervisor have? Mine is a jerk and argues with everyone, even the managers.

I always thought the managers and up were the only one with power to write up.

THANKS,
Sonya

Yes the supervisor can fire you. It generally comes down to whether the manager gives the supervisor that authority. If for instance you blatantly refused to follow the supervisors instructions then he could fire you on the spot and the manager would support that decision unless you had a very good reason for refusing those instructions. Even then you may find yourself out on the streets for a few weeks until they see it your way.

If the supervisor is writing you up and taking progressive discipline then you have reasons to be concerned. If all he is doing is threatening to write you up then he's doing you a favor in terms of discipline. Until you recieve a warning letter the write ups really do not mean that much. The threat of a write up even less.

But don't ever believe that a supervisor does not have the authority. If your behavior is aggregious enough that person can fire you. Respect the position and do your job and you'll be fine.