Chronic Safety Committee Contract Violation

[Integrity]

To My Fellow UPS Workers,

The purpose of this discussion thread is not to gripe or complain about conditions at UPS, management, the Union or for that matter anything at all about UPS. The sole purpose of this discussion thread is to discuss the following work-related issue with other employees as an initial step in engaging in some concerted activity to bring this issue up to the company as a group.

It is my hope that by addressing this issue in concert we not only be working for our own mutual aid, protection and improved working conditions, but we will be working for the benefit of any and all coworkers that may have been adversely affected by this issue.

It has come to the attention of Integrity that the following contract violation appears to be quite prevalent:

Maintaining the minutes and posting the minutes was always done by an hourly member assigned as the scribe.

 

[Integrity]

To My Fellow UPS Workers,

The purpose of this discussion thread is not to gripe or complain about conditions at UPS, management, the Union or for that matter anything at all about UPS. The sole purpose of this discussion thread is to discuss the following work-related issue with other employees as an initial step in engaging in some concerted activity to bring this issue up to the company as a group.

It is my hope that by addressing this issue in concert we not only be working for our own mutual aid, protection and improved working conditions, but we will be working for the benefit of any and all coworkers that may have been adversely affected by this issue.

It has come to the attention of Integrity that the following contract violation appears to be quite prevalent:

Maintaining the minutes and posting the minutes was always done by an hourly member assigned as the scribe.

The above thread was not completed.

It has been reported to Integrity that the scribe job is now being done by a management person.

The minutes are therefore showing management in more favorable light than the hourly.

Anyone have experience about this?

Sincerely,
I

 

[3 done 3 to go]

Our safety committee has an hourly. Maybe communicate with your committee head to make an adjustment. Maybe your steward if he isn't involved

 

[UPS Preloader]

We do not have a safety committee nor will we have one until UPS is willing to address our concerns. So NO, we don't have an issue with the minutes because there are none.

 

[Integrity]

We do not have a safety committee nor will we have one until UPS is willing to address our concerns. So NO, we don't have an issue with the minutes because there are none.

UPS Preloader,

What do you mean you don't have a Safety Committee don't you know that the company is violating your rights by not allowing you to have a Committee? It's in the contract.

If you don't have a safety committee then how can your concerns possibly be addressed?

Sincerely,
I

 

[upschuck]

UPS Preloader,

What do you mean you don't have a Safety Committee don't you know that the company is violating your rights by not allowing you to have a Committee? It's in the contract.

If you don't have a safety committee then how can your concerns possibly be addressed?

Sincerely,
I

I think he is saying that the safety committee is a sham, and that nothing is getting addressed that came up in the meetings.

 

[Integrity]

I think he is saying that the safety committee is a sham, and that nothing is getting addressed that came up in the meetings.

upschuck,

No disrespect intended but I don't view a post that responds thinking what others are saying and commenting on what those thoughts are as an effective post.

The post said that they did not have a safety committee, he did not say why although it is possibly related to his other statement.

He did say will "we will not have one until UPS is willing to address our concerns".

I think it would be best if you just give him time to respond to what he actually said instead of what you think he said.

Do you think what you think he said?

Sincerely,
I

 

[1989]

UPS Preloader,

What do you mean you don't have a Safety Committee don't you know that the company is violating your rights by not allowing you to have a Committee? It's in the contract.

If you don't have a safety committee then how can your concerns possibly be addressed?

Sincerely,
I

In some states it's a violation of state law. Fines (which UPS frowns upon). And possibly loss of self insurer status may result.

 

[upschuck]

upschuck,

No disrespect intended but I don't view a post that responds thinking what others are saying and commenting on what those thoughts are as an effective post.

The post said that they did not have a safety committee, he did not say why although it is possibly related to his other statement.

He did say will "we will not have one until UPS is willing to address our concerns".

I think it would be best if you just give him time to respond to what he actually said instead of what you think he said.

Do you think what you think he said?

Sincerely,
I

It's all good, since you ask him a question that he had answered already, just thought I'd chime in.

 

[mercury7]

Safety is a joke in my building and it ranked #1. I guess all the bs paper work was in order.

 

[UPS Preloader]

upschuck,

No disrespect intended but I don't view a post that responds thinking what others are saying and commenting on what those thoughts are as an effective post.

The post said that they did not have a safety committee, he did not say why although it is possibly related to his other statement.

He did say will "we will not have one until UPS is willing to address our concerns".

I think it would be best if you just give him time to respond to what he actually said instead of what you think he said.

Do you think what you think he said?

Sincerely,
I

upschuck was partially correct? The safety committee in our area was a sham. Other than get paid an extra 1/2 hour every month, there was no benefit. Management outright admitted that the issues were out of their control so I resigned as the Co-Chair and all the other members followed suit. My local has since eliminated all other safety committees in the state for similar reasons. At this point we have been without a safety committee for over a year. I still do the job via complaints and grievances, but I won't give UPS the privilege of having a safety committee in our building until they are willing to address our concerns.

 

[Catatonic]

upschuck was partially correct? The safety committee in our area was a sham. Other than get paid an extra 1/2 hour every month, there was no benefit. Management outright admitted that the issues were out of their control so I resigned as the Co-Chair and all the other members followed suit. My local has since eliminated all other safety committees in the state for similar reasons. At this point we have been without a safety committee for over a year. I still do the job via complaints and grievances, but I won't give UPS the privilege of having a safety committee in our building until they are willing to address our concerns.

Something does not seem right here.
UPS agreed in the contract to have Safety Committees at the Unions insistence.
UPS has to pay additional money to these people on the Safety Committee.
Union decides their going to take their ball and not play.
UPS management has less stress not dealing with suggestions that cannot be addressed.
UPS saves all that money for donuts and payroll.

It's a Win-Win situation.

 

[UPS Preloader]

Something does not seem right here.
UPS agreed in the contract to have Safety Committees at the Unions insistence.
UPS has to pay additional money to these people on the Safety Committee.
Union decides their going to take their ball and not play.
UPS management has less stress not dealing with suggestions that cannot be addressed.
UPS saves all that money for donuts and payroll.

It's a Win-Win situation.

I agree, UPS is saving money, but I'm not going to sit there and humor them just to get paid an extra 30 minutes once a month.

 

[Anonymous 10]

The above thread was not completed.

It has been reported to Integrity that the scribe job is now being done by a management person.

The minutes are therefore showing management in more favorable light than the hourly.

Anyone have experience about this?

Sincerely,
I

Nope. It must be in your barn.

 

[Bubblehead]

Something does not seem right here.
UPS agreed in the contract to have Safety Committees at the Unions insistence.
UPS has to pay additional money to these people on the Safety Committee.
Union decides their going to take their ball and not play.
UPS management has less stress not dealing with suggestions that cannot be addressed.
UPS saves all that money for donuts and payroll.

It's a Win-Win situation.

What's wrong here is that UPS has flipped the script and bastardized the intent of the safety committees, making these committees a decisive managerial tool that has hourly bargaining unit worker doing management work.
They roster and oversee DOK and are often asked to observe other hourly union employees.
The committee members tend to be management favorites, with seniority playing no role in the distribution of this extra work.
The intent of these contractual committees was to give union employees an avenue to voice safety concerns.
In my building, this committee most certainly needs to be dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up.

 

[CharleyHustle]

The committee members tend to be management favorites, with seniority playing no role in the distribution of this extra work.
The intent of these contractual committees was to give union employees an avenue to voice safety concerns.
In my building, this committee most certainly needs to be dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up.

It says right here in my contract book that bargaining unit members on the committee are volunteers "approved" by the local union.

 

[mercury7]

I was told we no longer have the weekly meetings like we used to and every person I know that's involved in safety right now is management. Is this the norm? I'm also being told that full time management are the ones that should do injury reports but we have a part time sup that does them. Logging in with the full times ID.

 

[Catatonic]

I was told we no longer have the weekly meetings like we used to and every person I know that's involved in safety right now is management. Is this the norm? I'm also being told that full time management are the ones that should do injury reports but we have a part time sup that does them. Logging in with the full times ID.

Standard procedure to see how good and willing a person is at sweeping stuff under the rug.

 

[mercury7]

How do I stand up for what's right? I'm being trained to be the safety person on my sort.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

How do I stand up for what's right? I'm being trained to be the safety person on my sort.

You are about to set off on a Quixotic quest-----good luck.