Forget a Buy Out, therere Quitting!

[toonertoo]

Correct you are UPSDUDE, I used to get up and think about how nice the day would be, I have a lot of excellent people on my route, and have learned to swap quick stories about adventures, the news, the family, weekend updates. It contributed to the quality of life and the job. Customers loving UPS and their people is what it is all about, thats why we are NO 1. Now when you arrive everyone is scowling about not being able to attend a ball game or a recital, or an important family function. And UPS is suppose to care about family. No wonder so many UPSers are divorced, alcoholics or both. No wonder they have an excellent EAP program, they need it!!!! I go along with your challenge to Mike Eskew, but he is too busy stroking EBAY. And I can remember a time where an 8 hour request was honored, now my last one was 11.5. Some people view us as being negative, these are the facts as us hourly here in the real world experience everyday. I am not negative about UPS, that is why I work there, I did have choices, and still do, BUT I like the way it is when it is right, and I too am not giving up 19 years, 1/2 my life because some number cruncher somewhere is all misinformed. I like to bound out of bed, and look forward to another day, instead of being sick to my stomache on sunday eve, because my life is shot for the week. We need to fix it, we just need to figure out how, maybe a petition to Mr. Eskew in Atlanta would be a good place to start. Not an email petition, a letter writing campaign with an answer requested, he cannot ignore all of us. We have all complained to our locals, and our center management, we know it is out of their hands. Sometimes you have to go to the top. }

 

[kidlogic]

I like the overtime.The job never has bothered me.Thats just me. My wife doesnt work and it keeps her with my three children.Do I miss my children..of course. But my kids dont have to call the daycare lady their other mommy. I bring this up because my view or my posts which often are viewed as negative are a view of watching others burn-out,get in accidents or get hurt. I watch people like UPSDUDE and TOONERTOO suffer. My posts arent to be negative, but that of compassion of those people whom I have worked with and seen them go through hard times because of the job. You see guys like UPSDUDE and TOONERTOO who probably are as good as employees that you could ask for and all they need for all their years of devotion to UPS are a few 8.5 hour days and for managment to lighten up for a little while and they cant get it. People on this board have often said. "what are you complaining about your the highest paid delivery drivers and you have great benifits. Stop whining". Dreading a job that you used to love...It's still life...like they say money doesnt buy happiness. I feel for my fellow drivers. Hopefully like Dannyboy has said "this to shall pass" It just doesnt need to be so hard for my fellow workers.

 

[upsdude]

kidlogic............

I dont mind the overtime. I dont want to work 10.5 everyday either. My problem with the way things are going is purely from a service standpoint. The business customers on my route are getting less than we advertise when myself and others are continually dispatched with way too many business stops. Factor in a preload that is less than acceptable and we are on a path to lost revenue. Heres just one example. We have a very large outlet center that was delivered out of a 40-foot feeder. The feeder would also deliver about 400 pieces a day to a military warehouse. The driver generally worked 9 hours a day, delivered 800-900 pieces, and about 50 stops. The feeder would also pick up about 300 pieces a day. Id say we were making pretty good money on that route. Some brainchild decided we should only deliver packages out of a brown truck, no feeders. Now all of those stops and packages are spread out over several brown trucks with drivers working 10-11 hours a day and they are missing pieces as well. Idiotic decisions like this are going to drive us out of business! We are quickly losing business in this one shopping center alone because we cant deliver everything (a daily occurrence) to a store by one driver. The store employees have to wait until the end of the day to check in the merchandise. Heck, lets just change the name to United Parcel, weve already dropped the Service.

 

[ups_vette]

I retired in 1995 with over 32 years with UPS, 6 1/2 as a driver. In the 8 years since, I still remain in contact with drivers and management. So for over 40 years I've known UPS.


The complaints I see today on this board are the same complaints I myself, as a driver, had over 40 years ago.
The things being said today are not new, yet UPS has managed to survive, and prosper, throughout all this time.

Everyone has good days and bad days. It's when the bad days far outnumber the good days that one must make a decision wheather UPS is the place to be for them. This is a personal decision that only the person effected can make, with the guidance of his/her family.

I grew up in a Teamster household. Both my dad and one brother were Teamster stewarts and his other brother was the Business Agent for UPS in my Center. So, I know both sides, and from my experience both UPS and the Teamsters want the best for the employee and the Company. They don't always agree on what is best, but that's what they both want.

 

[upsdude]

ups vette........

"The things being said today are not new, yet UPS has managed to survive, and prosper, throughout all this time."
I do understand your point. UPS didnt have to worry about FedEx Ground, regular FedEx, or FedEx Home until recently. We are the folks that put REA out of business, I dont want UPS to become the next REA.

 

[toonertoo]

I have no problem with believing what is happening with the hours is nothing new, I have seen it since I have been there, it comes and goes, but this time it is staying...And I think if you read between the lines what a few of us loyal employees are trying to relay is that...this time we are hurting the customer base, which at this time more than ever, we cannot afford to do. When the service end is failing, through no fault of our own, the overtime becomes an isuue. I dont know too many UPSERS that are whiners, most of us CARE about the future of our careers, and the ball is getting dropped, when drivers are overloaded with way to many businesses to serve in a single day, we can deliver til 930 on residential that isnt the problem. I am not going to reevaluate whether UPS is for me or not, I work hard and I am going to enjoy my hard labor, in my Golden Years, I made this decision long ago. By the way I just got home.......and it is Monday, the lightest day of the week in this area.

 

[proups]

Has anybody considered that it might be the tight economy that is the "root cause" (man I love the Safety committee) of these problems?

 

[archibald]

The one thing to remember is, if service is comprimised to crunch the numbers then we are not "UPS". I understand the need to cut back but lets not forget the things that got us here to begin with, "service". If I cannot provide that than what is the differnce between me and 2 fed-ex drivers? Nothing. We need to look at the bigger picture sometimes, alot of the numbers we try to achieve are set by us, lets get the volume back anyway possible and then worry about the small stuff!

 

[rushfan]

Earlier in the posts, stops are increasing, and planned days are the same. I was told, there is no way one can fool with the "numbers" system. Don't freeking lie to me. Judging from the posts, there is a way and no one wants to admit it.

Seems like stops are increasing and planned days are going down all over the country.

Hey, I'll take the hours.

 

[bigbrownone]

Thursday I ran 500 delivery pieces, 68 stops. 4 pickups 40 pieces, met 3 drivers (no credit for this) drove 120 miles and I was STILL under 8 for my planned day. Plus I got beat by almost 3 hours!!

You think that these numbers are a little off? I am positive that there is no way anybody could have done that in under 8 hours.

 

[local804]

Big Brown,
That does seem a bit fishy. To me it looks like the pieces and the miles should jump up that days plan.Your sph is the only thing that looks low but the big van commercial loads here in NY get crazy allowance for that type of work.Just do the best you can, one stop at a time, and thats all they should ask for. Fair days work for a fair days pay.

 

[upsdude]

Add 2 more to the list.

I returned to work today after a couple weeks vacation. During that time another manager and a division manager quit. Both of these folks were die-hard brown blooded employees. I had the pleasure of working for the division manager when he was a center manager, first class guy without question. Im beginning to see a pattern though, at this point most of the folks that have quit were suffering with health problems. Be careful UPS, youre not only driving talented dedicated people out the door, you could be facing some legal action. Not to mention the really bad PR that would come.

 

[toonertoo]

One thing I always make sure I do is put the pieces I load and unload in my board when I meet people on the route. Under load and unload pieces, it doesnt give you much but you are doing the work and that is the only way I see to account for any of the time. I am on the same route I trained on 10 yrs ago, since my lucrative route has been cut out, (or I should say slaughtered). 105 used to be 8 hrs. Tonight I had 130, got done at 830, had to meet another driver and give him 20, and I will bet I am 2 hrs late. Then the driver audit at 830pm, by a salary office person who never drove in his life. Nice guy but couldnt understand why I had so many send agains........"Well see the number 42, or the A8, or the 35 where the 03 usually is? That means adult signature only, That means I cant leave them without a signature, and they weren't home, duhhhh. thanks, can I go now?......."

 

[local804]

Lmao tooner.... You have to feel a little bad for the salary people that have to do the supervisors dirtywork.Over in our center, they have a monthly center audit where every single truck is audited when they return to the building(except for the 3 pets of course)As soon as we pull in ,there are 15 people waiting (AE,account exec reps, and suits from different centers.One guy was reading the questions off a clip board as soon as I pulled in.Can you believe he asked me if I unloaded my smalls????? Here I am not even out of the sunlight and in the building for 10 seconds and he is asking me if I unloaded my smalls yet.OH BROTHER

 

[upsdude]

local804.....

Or you get the magic question, What do you do with a leaking package? I tell them Hey, If I dont have time to leak neither do the packages!

 

[ups79]

upsdude: here in central illinois, you usually dont leak at all during june, july, and august. you just sweat it out.

 

[toonertoo]

LMAO now local 804!!! One night we had this new reload supervisor who was there when I came to the center 10 yrs ago, and he never warmed up to my charm....... The he came back.....I was getting all my stuff together as soon as I hit the dock he said "arent you going to unload your smalls???" And I said "why am I suppose to" (First I do my bad adds get my trash together etc. ) I dont even think I had my belt off and pivoted into the cab yet. And he says "well its part of your job isn't it" By then I was perturbed just a wee bit, so I said "gee I dont know..is it?, I thought that was reloads job" He asked me if I would like a union letter, and I said Sure why not, I dont have any of those yet!! Maybe i can display that with all my safe driving and years of service awards.....After that he sends me a diad message every night to see if I want to unload awhile when I get in. Sure for 60 cents a minute, unload a few, belt shuts off, drink some water, go to the restroom, take a break on them paid,,,,,hey I am a team player. Isnt like it used to be on the reload, never had time to do that then.......But I will do it now!! Except lately not much left to unload when I get in, all the trailers are leaving!!!!

 

[badhab1]

My, you sound like a truly class act.

 

[toonertoo]

Dont know if I am, not trying to be, just trying to make fun out of a situation. You should try it.

 

[toonertoo]

Does anyone know if suspension is just a nice word for fired? A good driver I know got suspended yesterday for attitude. Never heard that one. An address is a bad neighborhood made a complaint and said he said a bad word to them. Im sure there has to be more to it, but isnt it investigated before anything is done? Or do they just take the word of all customers? If thats all it takes, we are all in trouble. I just cant imagine this driver being rude unless provoked, severely. And if people abuse us, do we just have to take it? I was always told I had to be polite, but if threatened I am certainly allowed to defend myself. any insights? thats one a week for 2 weeks now......