Company no longer honoring 8 hr requests or 9.5 grievances

[soberups]

I got back from a one-month vacation a couple of weeks ago. While I was gone, my building consolidated down from 3 centers to 2; my center was dissolved and I was transferred to a different one. I was expecting some chaos, but nothing like the absolute custerfluck that I came back to.

My center is no longer honoring 8 hr requests or 9.5 hr grievances. The last couple of guys who made 8 hr requests wound up working over 11 hours that day. They filed and were paid triple time for the excess hours, but it didnt help the guy who missed an airline flight. If you are on the 9.5 list, you will simply be paid triple time for anything over 9.5 hours; no attempt at all is being made to honor the language or reduce the overtime.

Due to the management restructuring, there is no longer an Oregon district; we are basically being managed out of Seattle now. Apparently, some idiot up there pulled a random number (135) out of his fat ass and decided that my center would be required to "average" 135 stops per car, whether it made any sense to do so or not.

The result is that the average paid day for my entire center (77 routes) is over 10.5 hours. We have more drivers getting on the 9.5 list and filing grievances every day, and the company is just paying them.

We have drivers running out of DOT hours. We get paged to go take stops off of other drivers when we are on our way back in at 8:30 at night. It is truthfully the most poorly run center I have been on in my 23+ years as a driver.

I personally have never filed a 9.5 grievance, because I dont mind the OT and I have always been able to find a "happy medium" at between 9.5 and 10 hrs. I dont need the constant conflict and hassle of trying to manage an arbitrary number. But now, for the first time in my career, I have decided to file....simply to cash in. By filing, I can now make triple time for anything over 9.5 hours, even though I dont care about being over 9.5. Since my management team is making absolutely no effort to reduce anyones hours (they arent allowed to put enough cars on the street) its pretty much a guranteed $90 an hour!

I will also be making my contractual maximum number of two 8 hr requests per month, even when I dont have any need to get off early that day. By doing so, I am guranteed to make triple time for at least 2 or 3 hours that day.

I'm not the only driver doing this. Its pretty crappy how the company has unilaterally decided to stop honoring the contract...but if that is the choice they have made then I am simply going to make as much money off of that choice as I possibly can. I can put up with a lot for $90 an hour!

 

[over9five]

Soberups, it's even better than you think. When they don't honor your 8 hour request, you still have 2 in the bank! If they never honor them, you could request 8 each and every day and get paid the triple time every day too.

 

[Jones]

All aboard the Money Train! Toot Toot!

 

[UPSGUY72]

It's the same in my building my building manager said that someone above them has told them that each car has to be dispached with so many stops. It all about numbers someone did some creative math and thinks putting a minimun of (---) stops on everycar will improve the bottom line. Everything always looks better on paper.

The people that come up with these number have never been a package car driver, probably never seen the inside of a operating UPS package car facility.

 

[onestoptogo]

On the 8 hour requests, you receive a 2 hour penalty pay ($60) per the contract if they send you out with over 8.5 hours of work - not triple time. Since they seldom honor them it is free money for just requesting them. The thing I did not realize was that you could request more than two in a month if they fail to honor the first two requests. This could be big! I'm now going to keep requesting them from the begining of the month until the end of the month until I finally get my 2 requests or get rich in the process. Management has been content paying out the extra four hours, but they may rethink this if they have to pay 8,10,12,.... hours of penalty pay per month.

 

[bigbrownhen]

Lord, I hope this doesn't go nationwide. Maybe just the flavor of the month, or quarter. Once someone does cost analysis of the paid overtime, it will go back to normal. The key is to keep filing grievances. Everyone who is affected. We have to make a statement that enough is enough. Draw a line in the sand sort o' speak.

Im like you Sober, I find the happy meduim. I do however put in for all the 8 hr requests Im entitled to. I try and work with my management team, not against them at every turn. I understand they can only do so much. I have filed only a few grievances in my time, but if it takes a turn like in your area Sober, I will file daily. Fatten up that savings account for a rainy day, which is sure to come if things don't change for the better.

 

[over9five]

As far as I know, here we're still getting our 8 hr requests. I had one 2 weeks ago.

 

[Just_another_day_at_work]

I try and work with my management team, not against them at every turn.

I was in the same way, but when you tell them that your kid has a birthday party (no more personal days left) and you miss it because they don't honor the no OT request, then I think a lot of people change their mind about working with management.

 

[brownmonster]

Title should read "Company no longer has any Honor".

 

[grgrcr88]

They are doing the stops per car thing here also. I will not ever mis an 8hr day though. If I am granted the 8hr request properly I follow this procedure.

1) As soon as I think I might be too heavy to make it in under 8hrs, I send an ODS message to the center.

2) I resend the original message an hour or so later, including how many stops I think I need help with to make it in under 8hrs

3) At 3pm, (when I start my pickups), I send another message stating how many stops I have left to cover, and that I will be bringing them back to the building after I complete 8hrs.

It has not failed me yet. Do be aware though that if you are instructed to deliver all of it, you should follow instructions and grieve after. That being said, we had a driver bring back work after being instructed not to on his 8hr day. They terminated him but he did return to work. No back pay, which is BS but he did come back.

 

[sosocal]

I got back from a one-month vacation a couple of weeks ago. While I was gone, my building consolidated down from 3 centers to 2; my center was dissolved and I was transferred to a different one. I was expecting some chaos, but nothing like the absolute custerfluck that I came back to.

My center is no longer honoring 8 hr requests or 9.5 hr grievances. The last couple of guys who made 8 hr requests wound up working over 11 hours that day. They filed and were paid triple time for the excess hours, but it didnt help the guy who missed an airline flight. If you are on the 9.5 list, you will simply be paid triple time for anything over 9.5 hours; no attempt at all is being made to honor the language or reduce the overtime.

Due to the management restructuring, there is no longer an Oregon district; we are basically being managed out of Seattle now. Apparently, some idiot up there pulled a random number (135) out of his fat ass and decided that my center would be required to "average" 135 stops per car, whether it made any sense to do so or not.

The result is that the average paid day for my entire center (77 routes) is over 10.5 hours. We have more drivers getting on the 9.5 list and filing grievances every day, and the company is just paying them.

We have drivers running out of DOT hours. We get paged to go take stops off of other drivers when we are on our way back in at 8:30 at night. It is truthfully the most poorly run center I have been on in my 23+ years as a driver.

I personally have never filed a 9.5 grievance, because I dont mind the OT and I have always been able to find a "happy medium" at between 9.5 and 10 hrs. I dont need the constant conflict and hassle of trying to manage an arbitrary number. But now, for the first time in my career, I have decided to file....simply to cash in. By filing, I can now make triple time for anything over 9.5 hours, even though I dont care about being over 9.5. Since my management team is making absolutely no effort to reduce anyones hours (they arent allowed to put enough cars on the street) its pretty much a guranteed $90 an hour!

I will also be making my contractual maximum number of two 8 hr requests per month, even when I dont have any need to get off early that day. By doing so, I am guranteed to make triple time for at least 2 or 3 hours that day.

I'm not the only driver doing this. Its pretty crappy how the company has unilaterally decided to stop honoring the contract...but if that is the choice they have made then I am simply going to make as much money off of that choice as I possibly can. I can put up with a lot for $90 an hour!

i will never understand this company's addiction to stops per car....I would prefer there was an addiction to real effeciency, solid service and happy employees-

 

[Shifting Contents]

i will never understand this company's addiction to stops per car....I would prefer there was an addiction to real effeciency, solid service and happy employees-

That's the biggest fantasy I have ever heard

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Stops per car metrics? Sing a longs about logistics? What the hell is going on at UPS?

 

[hypocrisy]

Lets all remember at in 2012 how we're really worth $90/hr not $30.

 

[some1else]

Ive never done an 8hr if i NEED off early i just call in. But it seems dumb not to request 2 a month. Get off early on friday 2x a month ok. If not take the extra $ seems win/win

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Lets all remember at in 2012 how we're really worth $90/hr not $30.

Healthcare, technology discipline and production will be the key issues in 2013. Pushing for a wage increase will push us all on to the street for an extended period of time.

 

[wornoutupser]

My area refuses to pay the penalty on 9.5 and 8 hour requests at the local level. 8 hour requests are a joke.

UPs here banks on the fact that you will be so disgusted that you just wont file at all.

I JUST was paid at the panel for two from August LAST YEAR that the company refused to pay me.

Write your greivance well, thats all that the panel will see!

 

[screamin chicken]

I put one up every week and I never get it, so I file and get paid.....

 

[grgrcr88]

My area refuses to pay the penalty on 9.5 and 8 hour requests at the local level. 8 hour requests are a joke.

UPs here banks on the fact that you will be so disgusted that you just wont file at all.

I JUST was paid at the panel for two from August LAST YEAR that the company refused to pay me.

Write your greivance well, thats all that the panel will see!

Does your supplement not have language regarding penalty pay for grievance settlements not paid wwithin 10 days?

 

[SignificantOwner]

Due to the management restructuring, there is no longer an Oregon district; we are basically being managed out of Seattle now. Apparently, some idiot up there pulled a random number (135) out of his fat ass and decided that my center would be required to "average" 135 stops per car, whether it made any sense to do so or not....

The person making the senseless SPC call isn't in Seattle, they're in Atlanta, and they're doing it to the entire country. We hate it as much as you (drivers) do. What makes it worse is that they won't explain their reasoning. If there's logic behind it then it's a big secret. Maybe a new service coming that will result in fewer packages delivered by "brown" drivers? Maybe they're intentionally making conditions lousy so that they'll have something to give away in upcoming contract negotiations? Maybe they're just out of ideas and don't know what else to do - that's my biggest fear.