Die Surepost

Imchar1

Well-Known Member
I guess UPS leadership decided to give our work away during peak. I remember when surepost was a P7 loaded with bags. Then it was a rental truck loaded. Now its a brownside loaded with bags, 500+ bags and packages probably 3000-5000 pieces.

Even as part timer during peak I would work on avg 50 hours a week through December for the last 7 years. This December I am getting less hours than during non peak season barely get my minimum about 25 hours a week.

I'm tired of temp workers and postal workers being given work before me because they cost less. I was under the impression we were protected from this type of stuff happening.

I have told my wife that she must significantly eliminate whatever Christmas plans she had.

I hope the rest of you are doing better. I know in my building we are overstaffed on drivers and giving tons of volume away.

Merry Christmas
 

Foamer Pyle

Well-Known Member
I couldn't be happier. I have worked too many peaks, working 60 hrs, multiple meet points. This is a welcomed change. I don't base how I live off of overtime, that money is just gravy. The last three or four years have been horrible enough in the summer, working till 9 or 10pm. My income pays all of the bills, and then some, and what money my wife makes is play money.
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
I make plenty the rest of the year. I'll take every day off they want to give me. I've made less this year than I have since I was in progression 5+ years ago.

I don't think surepost is as much a problem as sheer over hiring for this peak has been. At least in the centers I know of. Between gas prices and cheap seasonal help. I expect profits to be real nice this quarter.
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
Ok I've got to go a little more into this.

Just goes to show you cannot please everyone. For years we have bitched about being under staffed and working too many hours. Ups goes out and hires tens of thousands of new employees. Where I am peak is running as smooth as it has since the recession.

If this keeps up I may be able to work a few more years at the end of my career if needed. More importantly I may be able to walk when it's all said and done.
 

STFXG

Well-Known Member
I expect profits to be real nice this quarter.
And the more they move to SurePost the greater the profits will be. It is more profitable for the company to use the USPS then it is to use their own drivers. Our SmartPost has blown up with volume. Mainly Amazon and Walmart. And it's cheaper to use the USPS then it is contractors... I can only imagine the money saved by UPS.
 

Drink Craft Beer

Well-Known Member
I guess UPS leadership decided to give our work away during peak. I remember when surepost was a P7 loaded with bags. Then it was a rental truck loaded. Now its a brownside loaded with bags, 500+ bags and packages probably 3000-5000 pieces.

Even as part timer during peak I would work on avg 50 hours a week through December for the last 7 years. This December I am getting less hours than during non peak season barely get my minimum about 25 hours a week.

I'm tired of temp workers and postal workers being given work before me because they cost less. I was under the impression we were protected from this type of stuff happening.

I have told my wife that she must significantly eliminate whatever Christmas plans she had.

I hope the rest of you are doing better. I know in my building we are overstaffed on drivers and giving tons of volume away.

Merry Christmas
So you're saying that (for example) you got more hours in a week during March, than you are in December? You're barely getting your minimum 25hrs in December but exceed over 25hrs all other months of the year?

How is that possible?

What exactly are the seasonal hires doing that you could, w/o expecting you to be in 2 places at once?
 
I guess UPS leadership decided to give our work away during peak. I remember when surepost was a P7 loaded with bags. Then it was a rental truck loaded. Now its a brownside loaded with bags, 500+ bags and packages probably 3000-5000 pieces.

Even as part timer during peak I would work on avg 50 hours a week through December for the last 7 years. This December I am getting less hours than during non peak season barely get my minimum about 25 hours a week.

I'm tired of temp workers and postal workers being given work before me because they cost less. I was under the impression we were protected from this type of stuff happening.

I have told my wife that she must significantly eliminate whatever Christmas plans she had.

I hope the rest of you are doing better. I know in my building we are overstaffed on drivers and giving tons of volume away.

Merry Christmas
You have to star saving for Christmas earlier. It happenes every year and only gets more expensive.
 

Jackburton

Gone Fish'n
One thread "I work too much, we aren't ready, we need more people"

Next thread "I need more hours, Christmas changed dates this year and snuck up on me, we have drivers being sent home while ice cream trucks deliver our packages.

Can't win.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
And the more they move to SurePost the greater the profits will be. It is more profitable for the company to use the USPS then it is to use their own drivers. Our SmartPost has blown up with volume. Mainly Amazon and Walmart. And it's cheaper to use the USPS then it is contractors... I can only imagine the money saved by UPS.

The chief difference is SmartPost does not enter your delivery system but is instead hauled by feeder directly to a USPS processing center. We haul SurePost, process it and then deliver it to each local post office.
 

STFXG

Well-Known Member
We haul it to the post offices. We have SmartPost processing facilities that bag everything and forward it the post offices. In rural areas contractors deliver the bags to the post offices (like me). When it first rolled out we handled it all. It grew so fast that most buildings get trailers of it at this point.
 

box_beeyotch

Well-Known Member
I agree with this thread, it saves the company money, but those thousands of packages going to our competitor daily are a couple full time positions they don't have to fill. Smart business, bad moral.
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
My PO stop today was my biggest bulk stop. Then, I drive ten miles out in the country for one stop, and it was originally a sure post. Thought they only did that when we are close or have the same stop.
This time of year I'll save every mile I can.
And out here, we'd be blown away if we had to deliver all those extra miles and stops.
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
The chief difference is SmartPost does not enter your delivery system but is instead hauled by feeder directly to a USPS processing center. We haul SurePost, process it and then deliver it to each local post office.
We haul it to the post offices. We have SmartPost processing facilities that bag everything and forward it the post offices. In rural areas contractors deliver the bags to the post offices (like me). When it first rolled out we handled it all. It grew so fast that most buildings get trailers of it at this point.
In middle Tennessee where I work the "contractors" that deliver the FedEx Smart Post (or whatever the hell that garbage is called) are all of the shady variety and so are their vehicles. The post masters at two of the rural post offices I deliver to sometimes told me that it's not uncommon for the contractor that covers most of our area to call them and say that his van is having engine trouble so he won't be able to deliver that day. Sometimes there won't even be a call. And this is our competition? Pathetic!
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
The chief difference is SmartPost does not enter your delivery system but is instead hauled by feeder directly to a USPS processing center. We haul SurePost, process it and then deliver it to each local post office.
Which sure saves us a little money but on many of these packages we are close enough that it would be more profitable for us to deliver them.
 

10 point

Well-Known Member
I make plenty the rest of the year. I'll take every day off they want to give me. I've made less this year than I have since I was in progression 5+ years ago.

I don't think surepost is as much a problem as sheer over hiring for this peak has been. At least in the centers I know of. Between gas prices and cheap seasonal help. I expect profits to be real nice this quarter.
Ok I've got to go a little more into this.

Just goes to show you cannot please everyone. For years we have bitched about being under staffed and working too many hours. Ups goes out and hires tens of thousands of new employees. Where I am peak is running as smooth as it has since the recession.

If this keeps up I may be able to work a few more years at the end of my career if needed. More importantly I may be able to walk when it's all said and done.
Not to be rude but I see a lot of "I"s written in here.

The new program that was hurriedly implemented just prior to peak has been sending a tremendous amount of the duplicate, proximity, and commercial surepost pkgs to the post offices in our jurisdiction.

The new language in the surepost article says the company will "continue" to give us this work (showing that it has already been agreed upon) and expand it. We have seen the reversal of that action and the "120 days" was up over three months ago.

If this is not dealt with and ups continues this action against the written agreement it can and will diminish the bargaining unit and we will not see the expansion of jobs that could and should happen with increased volume.

Maybe the company has hired more drivers than we've ever seen this year...well, its about time. We had 9 vacation and option days denied in a week at times (out of a roster of 40 drivers) this summer.

If we only care about "me" and how much work "I" have maybe when we retire we will watch a generation of new workers that finally got a full time job vote our benefit deductible thru the roof with the same concern we had that they were screwed over because we let the company subcontract their opportunity for a full time job down the toilet.

You have to star saving for Christmas earlier. It happenes every year and only gets more expensive.
Saving up on part time wage is not the same as saving up at almost $34.00/hr.
My PO stop today was my biggest bulk stop. Then, I drive ten miles out in the country for one stop, and it was originally a sure post. Thought they only did that when we are close or have the same stop.
This time of year I'll save every mile I can.
And out here, we'd be blown away if we had to deliver all those extra miles and stops.
We were blown away in our center with all the proximity stops last year. So who is it that staffs the manning? The company knew what was coming, again, and instead of training drivers in October when they had the opportunity this year they relied on the almost hidden move of sending our negotiated work to the post office.

Here we go. It isn't about crying about having too much or not enough work. It's about purposely not staffing an operation early enough when given the opportunity and sending our work to the p.o.which, if not legally dealt with and allowed to continue, will have a negative effect on our bargaining unit numbers and that will be no one's fault but our own.
 
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