Trpl:
First, an answer to your question....
I spent 3 years as an hourly employee. Mostly hub.
Then, 11 years in operations (Hub, Feeder, Package). I was in multiple districts and regions.
The last 18 years have been in different assignments (mostly through IE). (Deployments, Corporate, Region, etc.)
That is quite a resume, I, on the other hand, have spent all of my 23 years with the company in the same center with somewhere between 70-80 drivers on road daily. My knowledge of what goes on in corporate and district offices is very limited and speculative.
You're right that I see a lot less of the day to day interactions than I saw 20 years ago. However, I've found people and problems to be the same.
You're also right that we all see things from our own perspective. However, I don't feel "shielded" or in a proteced environment. I also do not think there is a "criminal" conspiracy going on that I'm not privy to.
My perspective is based on what I see, mostly on a daily bases. As is your perspective, that only make sense.
My "criminal" comment wasn't meant to imply that there the is a conspiracy, those take way too much planning and forethought. The secrecy I mentioned is to cover up the cover up, not to organize. To qualify the "cover up". A center manager or supervisor instructs a driver to sheet packages as "Clo H" on a non-holiday in stead of a simple "CLO 1,2 or 3" so the packages don't show up on the "send again? report. The one and only reason to do this dishonest act is to keep the center manager under the division mgrs radar. We all know there are HOT BUTTON or SOUP of the DAY situations that get more attention than others. A district manage has a problem with too many "paid send again" pkgs and tells his guys that this number has to be reduced and they pass it down to the division, division to center manager , center manager to sups to drivers. This is the type of things we see everyday.
I believe that if you and I worked together, we'd do great. I'd lay out expectations and ask for your input. If I didn't know an answer, I'd say so, and try and find it. I'd do what I say I would do, and expect the same from you.
I agree with that statement, this is basically all I require for a good working relationship.
I'd ask that we improve UPS service and reduce cost as our goal.
Now here is where we might but heads. I give 100% to getting my job done as well as I can, however I am seldom given all the proper tools to get the job done.i.e., early enough start times, crappy loads, illogical EDD, worn out equipment, yadda yadda. Three days a week every driver in our building leaves the building 20-30 minutes over allowed. Crappy loads only start with a misload here and there. When you drive 300+ miles on route, a vehicle that will never run over 50MPH is a big deal. I'll stop there.
As I said previously, I'm sure that there are underhanded management people out there. I believe them to be in the minority, and do not belong at UPS. I will never condone their actions, but I won't assume that they spoiled the management barrel. Just like I don't assume the few hourly bad apples spoil the Teamster barrel.
Maybe it's a regional thing but we have managers here that come from all over the USA and the majority of them were quite skilled at CYA tactics. Couple that with the seemingly innate ability to shift blame to others, is it any wonder how and why some lowly hourly employees get sour attitudes?
I do believe that the bad management apple is tremendously worse than the bad Teamster apple.
I believe this could well be one of those "chicken/egg" egg things to an extent. In my mind the only thing that makes the management end of this worse is the power to adversely effect others lives and believe we have seen this happen many times.
Just as you will say that my posts are only a portion of the picture, so are the posts you mention with the allegation of dishonestly.
OF course, both of us post from what we know, see and experience. The dishonesty I post about is factual, not alleged. Any "conspiracy theory" is alleged.
If you were treated poorly from management, I apologize for that.
There is no need for YOU to apologize to ME, you have never treated me poorly.
P-Man