forced lunch

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
This issue is going to land some part time cover drivers more hours and maybe even a FT position.

I think coming in an hour later every day might be a royal pain to the home life but if you do what UPS says I think you should be covered.

I had a driver tell me the other day that he just can't take an hour, but will mark it in the board, anyway. What this means is that it will show that he was making deliveries nonstop all day, so I wonder what this will lead to with so many drivers having to do it.

Considering how many businesses actually shut down for lunch and you can't get in, you'd have to work around them and maybe get a bunch of nearby residentials in, I guess, but I would rather just do what they say and take the whole lunch even if it means spending an hour in the back of the car sorting out the stops better. But wouldn't this, or doing the residentials early, mean getting off trace and causing more problems?


Our steward had been fighting for a more full-time drivers to be added for a few years now. We finally got them approved. He says that we would have had them approved years ago, and probably a couple more, if the current drivers didn't skip their lunches. Not to mention running all day so that they can get their precious bonus. But it doesn't matter now anyway because all new jobs are still "on hold" nationally.
 

area43

Well-Known Member
Wow, folks this lunch this is really getting crazy. Today(thursday) morning meeting center manager tell us the lunch logging has been changed in the diad. Instead of having two columns on the right for break and one column on the left for lunch(that has been taken out). Now we have three columns on the right. What the hell is that all about? lmao You just have to laugh about it. My side hurts. My poor center manager is just looking at me saying, " you see we fixed the problem"? I told him you didn t fix :censored2:.(I was thinking that, I have to much respect for authority).LOL Any how, Atlanta quit playing scramble(or shell game) with the lunch log. I just cant stand idlely by and let this great company self destruct. Atlanta this does nothing to address the problem. So what, why dont you just put the lunch log in upside down. That woud be great, kind of like the signature thingy. ( ;

Atlanta, the problem still exist. After further review, you must implement the diad lunch software nationwide. Just coding the lunch differently, doesnt stop the driver from working thru his lunch. The lunch software would greatly detour this. Again, remember Atlanta you are the one thats liable, not the driver. Only you have the power to stop this one. Ps you also have backing. ( :
 

JustTired

free at last.......
I was setting here looking at the title of this thread. I can't believe we have to even talk about it. I can't believe it could come down to a company having to actually force its' employees to take a lunch.

What are we going to complain about next?

There's a lot of things we can complain about but being able to take a lunch isn't one of them.
For those of you who are in states where it is "the law" to take lunch, and you work thru it, you get what you deserve. For those that aren't...your only hurting yourself (in the long run).
 

Ru.

Member
folks. just take your lunch. you work hard for it and are entitled to it. if you choose not to take it, who's the fool? the company or you
 
4

40andOut

Guest
If this lawsuit goes national how many of you will sign on to it? I have worked for brown for more than half my life. My job has never been my first priority so I have often skipped my break. I have also gone years without skipping break, filing 9.5 after 9.5 after 9.5. Sometimes it works other times it does not. I believe UPS purposely overloads its drivers so they skip break. Perhaps they should pay for the stress they have caused. At 1/2 hr unpaid overtime per day using a strait time rate of $25 per hr = aprox $36,000. over an 8 year period. You can see why UPS is so concerned about your break now that they have lost in California. Has there been any retaliation against the Cal. drivers?
 

1989

Well-Known Member
If this lawsuit goes national how many of you will sign on to it? I have worked for brown for more than half my life. My job has never been my first priority so I have often skipped my break. I have also gone years without skipping break, filing 9.5 after 9.5 after 9.5. Sometimes it works other times it does not. I believe UPS purposely overloads its drivers so they skip break. Perhaps they should pay for the stress they have caused. At 1/2 hr unpaid overtime per day using a strait time rate of $25 per hr = aprox $36,000. over an 8 year period. You can see why UPS is so concerned about your break now that they have lost in California. Has there been any retaliation against the Cal. drivers?


I have never skipped a break or a lunch. Last year I got $1500 for a lunch lawsuit. It was for not taking lunch between the 4th and 6th hour.
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
I have never skipped a break or a lunch. Last year I got $1500 for a lunch lawsuit. It was for not taking lunch between the 4th and 6th hour.


Thats awesome 1989, its nice to know you can "fight city hall".

We may get paid more than Fed-Ex, but the company, in my (guesstimation) is saving a crapload in labor costs through idiot drivers working through their lunch. And I'm not talking about the occasional lunch skip because you need to make your boy's 7pm 5th grade graduation, although its a free hour of labor that doesn't show on the books.

I'm sure Fed-Ex doesn't dock their drivers 1 hour per day. UPS does because they KNOW a large percentage of their workforce will skip at least some (if not all) of their personal time, which equals free labor for the company.

We know it and they know it. Problem is, you are not going to convince the lunch runners to stop. So the only solution was a law suit.

I think if we choose to skip lunch we should be compensated for it (and it shouldn't have to be cleared through the center manager, they have the technology to know if we're cheating them), like every other company in the free world.

UPS: pay us for our time in your employ. You promote giving back to the community through the United Way, but you look like the devil when you take advantage of your own employees because you know a good percentage will work for free.
 

hoser

Industrial Slob
folks. just take your lunch. you work hard for it and are entitled to it. if you choose not to take it, who's the fool? the company or you
Well exactly.

You pay for the union to place you under a contract, perhaps you should follow the contract, like it or not. When you drive around for 10+ hours, not to mention that you're really stressed and fatigued while driving around for these 10+ hours, you owe it to yourself, not to mention fellow road users, to take an hour to relax, unwind, and recharge. Read a book (or watch foxnews if you're over95) and enjoy a good meal, for me it goes a really long way.

When I take an hour for rest and meal, I can go for 12+ hours easy. And anyways, it's a good opportunity for me to try the hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese place I saw earlier on my loop, that I would in no way remember/bother to try out on my own time.

I fail to see what the huge 3 page issue is here...
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
I'm sure Fed-Ex [Express] doesn't dock their drivers 1 hour per day...

No but we are required to take our break, and if you don't you need management approval, and you can't take it during your last hour of work.
If you skip your break without approval, you are subject to discipline.

When you go on break the PowerPad locks onto a CLOCK screen that shows you
when you started and current time REALLY BIG (you can see it a mile away.)

You cannot receive messages and your dispatcher can see that you are on break, and will divert on call pickups to another driver(if available)

I think its great compared to how UPS handled lunch.
Of course working a regular 8-9hr day is a nice improvement
too over the 11 hr days at UPS...
 

Fullhouse

Well-Known Member
As of July 1st in South Carolina we were no longer required to take our full lunch hour, contractually between the 4-6 hour. From now on all driver are allowed to 05 their lunch without prior approval, but must take their 10 min break. I live on my route so I don't use this option, but it is nice to now that a driver can skip his lunch if need be. Oh BTW "your performance better not change on the operation report or you will be terminated for stealing" per the center mngr.:tongue_sm
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
"...we were no longer required to take our full lunch hour, contractually between the 4-6 hour."


Is this what UPS is telling you, or was your supplement REALLY ammended mid-term?
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
Just take the lunch people! More part-timers could be full-time if you would just take your lunch! Drivers here are complaining about over 9.5 lately but they don't realize that if everyone would take their lunches then the center would have to add another driver or two. That = less over 9.5s!
 

NI1

Well-Known Member
Back in the day I just take my lunch and break after I am done with my route.

We cant do anything because it is law to take it within the 4th and 5th hour. They just have to adjust and help me out with my route, i guess.


Thanks to walmart btw
 

JustTired

free at last.......
To all those "lunch-skippers" out there.

Would you, every Friday, go into the office and write out a check to your sup for $100-200 (depending on your location)? Didn't think so. But that is exactly what you are doing. Think about it.

Couldn't you use an extra $400-800/month. Car payment? Vacation money? But go ahead...skip your lunch. If you want to talk to me, I'll be in a restaurant somewhere on my area between the 4-6 hour.
 

gumbybros

Member
Ok, I confess, I rarely punched out for my whole lunch, but figured I got it anyway with my bs'ing, or other personal business that takes a minute or two that you can't punch out for. Not very accurate, but it worked for me. Last week they REALLY stressed that we must account for all our personal time taken. If we don't take a whole hour, that's ok, but document every minute you do take. Well son of a gun if they didn't pay us for exactly what we worked last week. If you took 45 minutes lunch, that's all they docked you. But they are watching to make sure we don't go over 9.5 with that shorter lunch break. Now we have to send a message each day stating our eta and how long our lunch was. Is anyone else having to do this? And are the letting us take shorter lunches nationwide?
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
I was one that always believed UPS benefited from the union negotiated hour lunch. If they didn't dock us the hour, UPS would be paying you time and 1/2 from 430 up and until your late pickup that can't be completed until after 630.

Credit must be given, however, for getting us the 2-ten minute breaks. If you don't take these you are nuts!

Think of the money you will lose over 20 years if you don't take your paid 10- minute breaks
 
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