Cherry picking for easy warning letters...

[soberups]

Bogus warning letters are now the new flavor of the week.

The management here appears to have some sort of quota of BS warning letters they are required to issue per week in order to justify their jobs. I just received my BS warning letter a couple of days ago...for not having my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel. My center manager drove out on area to the Taco Bell where I eat lunch and sat there waiting for me to come out so that she could cherry-pick an easy warning letter to meet her quota.

It is sad that our shareholders money is being pissed away on this drivel. It serves no purpose other than to create hard feelings and a loss of respect and credibility for the management people involved. They have become little more than traffic cops who sit at the bottom of a hill all day with a radar gun and a bag of donuts, writing tickets for doing 26 in a 25.

 

[Covemastah]

lets hope she will be the first to go!!!!! you have been here long enough sober,,,laugh it off!! 10 yrs from now you will forget her name>> LOL

 

[over9five]

Unbelievable.

Make sure you hand in a sales lead, Sober.

 

[OVERBOARD]

This as been going on for last year and half in my local, hopeful after April all this pettiness,unreasonable and Insignificant waste of money on foolish little tactics.

 

[thelus]

Sounds more like she likes you. Is she cute if so i say go for it!

 

[cino321]

Are you serious? How does she justify that if you have a truck with a manual transmission, and more importantly why is your local even accepting those types of letters?

 

[brownmonster]

The management of this company doesn't realize how much we talk about them to our customers. We have one dopey supe that hides behind trees, parked cars, gets kicked out of places of business where he is trying to snoop around. We all talk about him with our customers. They are really impressed with our mgnt and the wasted salaries, especially at rate hike time.

 

[MC4YOU2]

As we get closer to March 10, I imagine we can expect more underperforming managers using various means to attempt to look "busy" in attempt to keep their job. Sad. Nitpicky. If that's your big crime, you'd think you would have received a commendation instead of a warning.

 

[705red]

Anytime you see that you are being followed especially when they are being tacky like this, just call the cops. Explain that you are being followed and its possible that they are stealing your deliveries that you leave at the homes.

 

[browniehound]

The management of this company doesn't realize how much we talk about them to our customers. We have one dopey supe that hides behind trees, parked cars, gets kicked out of places of business where he is trying to snoop around. We all talk about him with our customers. They are really impressed with our mgnt and the wasted salaries, especially at rate hike time.

I was going to leave this thread alone. I thought, perhaps, that Sober was exaggerating a little bit (no offense Sober). I'm not here to argue the need for surplus management personel. I want to describe the reputation these people have with our customers and the general public.

It may be different in other areas of the country, but in Greater Boston UPS management are percieved as sneaks and snakes. Our customers have eyes and ears too. How embarrasing is it for a fortune 500 company to have its on-car sups. being caught in someone's driveway or bushes? I catch crap for not washing the truck because of our image, yet our superiors are caught pulling these shenanigans?

Is it worth it? Do they have any self respect? I ask this because I can spot my sup. once he starts spying. I (and most) look in my mirrors everytime I start the vehicle. I am aware of my surroundings. The sup's car sticks out like a sour thumb. Only an idiot can't tell when he is being followed.

So, I act like I don't see him and he continues to "observe" me. He spends an hour doing nothing but watching me watching him. Why? What does this accomplish? The next week he will be up someones butt on a 3-day OJS to get an increase of .5 SPORH. I don't want to minimize the importance of the on-car sup's job in scheme of the UPS delivery machine (I believe it to be in the top 5), but why waste an hour or two of production from them just to observe a driver that knows he's being observed?

What purpose does it serve the company? To earn my place at UPS, I must hump and dump all day long. 400 pieces? not good enough. 21 SPORH? not good enough. Hiding in bushes and following drivers-good enough!

 

[soberups]

I was going to leave this thread alone. I thought, perhaps, that Sober was exaggerating a little bit (no offense Sober).

I wish that I were exaggerating. Unfortunately,I am not.

As I left the parking lot of the Taco Bell, I was observed not using the "push-pull" method of steering with my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel. The next day, I was issued a warning letter. No exaggeration.

And I am not alone, either. Our management appears to be using the "shotgun" method of discipline, which consists of randomly spewing warning letters in all directions in the hope that a few of them might stick. I am starting to think they are graded on how many pounds of warning letters they can generate.

We have one guy who got a warning letter because he was observed carrying a small, 3 lb pkg in one hand rather than "grasping opposite corners". We have another guy who got written up because he was seen lifing a package without "bending his knees enough."

I guess the one silver lining in all of this...is that it is helping to create a new and more militant generation of union members.

 

[hurricanegunner]

I wish that I were exaggerating. Unfortunately,I am not.

As I left the parking lot of the Taco Bell, I was observed not using the "push-pull" method of steering with my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel. The next day, I was issued a warning letter. No exaggeration.

And I am not alone, either. Our management appears to be using the "shotgun" method of discipline, which consists of randomly spewing warning letters in all directions in the hope that a few of them might stick. I am starting to think they are graded on how many pounds of warning letters they can generate.

We have one guy who got a warning letter because he was observed carrying a small, 3 lb pkg in one hand rather than "grasping opposite corners". We have another guy who got written up because he was seen lifing a package without "bending his knees enough."

I guess the one silver lining in all of this...is that it is helping to create a new and more militant generation of union members.

That sounds like harrassment and over management to me.

 

[Omega man]

When management acts this way do nothing more than your job and do it by the book. Don't help them with sales leads, missed pieces, United Way etc... File harassment grievances in response to the bogus warning letters as well as any contract violations. They can't function at the level upper management demands unless they are breaking our contract in some way. Tit for tat. They created this mess so they will soon have to capitulate and change their tune.

 

[Guy Smiley]

Bogus warning letters are now the new flavor of the week.
I just received my BS warning letter a couple of days ago...for not having my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel. dr

It seems to me that management is jeopardizing your safety.
Today's recommendation of hand placement (if you imagine your steering wheel is a clock) is anywhere between seven and nine for your left hand and between three and five for your right hand. Although it may feel "funny" to have your hands so low on the steering wheel, you actually have plenty of control over your vehicle. A lower hand position makes you less likely to overcorrect during an emergency maneuver, which is often what causes spins, slides and rollovers. This position is also better from an ergonomic standpoint. By keeping your upper arms closer to your sides and your forearms slightly bent, your shoulders and back will be less fatigued.

 

[bad company]

Our center is spewing out paper for any and every thing imaginable. I thought UPS was going green??? I would love to see the increase in costs related to paper, toner, and postage within my district and get a reasonable explanation from Dow Dameron as to why the there is such a district-wide paper push going on.

 

[born2Bwild]

hard feelings and a loss of respect and credibility for the management people involved.

This comment is so true. The morals in our center are so low it is not even funny. The management and the employee have never been so much apart

 

[hurricanegunner]

This is the attitude they foster in us. When they treat us with respect and the valued employees we are, things will change. As long as they think of us as easily replaced cogs, we act accordingly. They have the power to change the current climate of upheaval.

 

[toonertoo]

And that was how it used to be. We have had several senior drivers have accidents that IMO were all caused by trying to please their mighty clocks. They have the power yes, but those close to retirement , worry, and justifiably. They dont want to play the game, they just want to leave with a clean record. They really care but the pressure is so intense.
If I were at the top of UPS I would want to reinforce in the group the faith I have in their ability, especially with the weather so many centers have experienced. I would not be hounding them and berating the whole group when someone has an accident. I know that complacency is what they want to blame it on but I dont. I feel their were less accidents, injuries, and call offs when we were working knowing what was expected, and not harrassed. Its one heckofa way to leave the building, when you have been told things like, dont get stuck, but bring down the ec's. Slow down on your following distance but increase your sporh. Dont back if you dont need to but increase your sporh, and bring down your overallowed. Every thing they want us to do takes more time, not less, so bring down the dispatch so we can. But that never happens. I have had the same dispatch for the last 5 weeks, that I had a peak when I was forced to take a jumper. Silliness.

 

[bluehdmc]

This comment is so true. The morals in our center are so low it is not even funny. The management and the employee have never been so much apart

I am not criticizing your spelling but unless it was intentional managements morals are low and the employees morale is low.

 

[tieguy]

lets hope she will be the first to go!!!!! you have been here long enough sober,,,laugh it off!! 10 yrs from now you will forget her name>> LOL

The management of this company doesn't realize how much we talk about them to our customers. We have one dopey supe that hides behind trees, parked cars, gets kicked out of places of business where he is trying to snoop around. We all talk about him with our customers. They are really impressed with our mgnt and the wasted salaries, especially at rate hike time.

As we get closer to March 10, I imagine we can expect more underperforming managers using various means to attempt to look "busy" in attempt to keep their job. Sad. Nitpicky. If that's your big crime, you'd think you would have received a commendation instead of a warning.

Anytime you see that you are being followed especially when they are being tacky like this, just call the cops. Explain that you are being followed and its possible that they are stealing your deliveries that you leave at the homes.

here's the problem. If you go out and have an injury or accident then the supervisor and manager will be blamed for your having either.

When a driver has an accident or injury our divison manager has to get on a conference call the next morning with safety and the district manager. At that point he has to review the drivers previous ride information, His previous safe work methods information and the drivers previous observations done by his supervisor.

If for instance the driver was not wearing a seat belt then the district manager would ask the question why did the drivers manager and supervisor not know that the driver was out there acting unsafely. Why didnt they not know it and not correct this unsafe behavior before the driver got hurt or had an accident.

So the intent is to get the supevisor out there observing and preventing injuries and accidents. How the intent gets transalated is another story.

cost and productivity could be argued a lot of different ways. If the sup can prevent one tier three accident through his training and observations then he can save the company about 48,000 dollars.
then factor in the cost and savings of keeping you the experienced driver in that seat rather then either splitting out the route and or training a new driver in the job.
There is a definitely a business benifit to keeping all of your injury and accident free.