Full Time Driver in need of help or advice

[Daniel Bryant]

Hello,

1st let me say I'm new to the board and looks like there is a ton of good info all over, looking forward to this now that I have found it. Here is my situation, I'm a ft driver but the bottom guy on ft driver list. Our center is cut, cut, cut! I'm always laid off, they use me as if I am a cover driver. I work the preload in the mornings, then if they need me, they tell me I'm needed on the road. I am the only ft driver that is ever laid off or has to work the sort. Everyone else comes in and if we have extra, they will just send someone home that wants to go. Several days I come in at 4am, they cut it too close, I end up running worst route in building and working right up to my 14hrs. If they can ever make it without me they drop my pay rate after 7 days off road. I've begged and begged to be on the road with everyone else with ZERO success. I've even told them let me come in and if I can't find a home, I will go home without pay, no luck with that either. I worked WAY more as a cover driver and didn't come off road for 5 years. Now I'm ft they have me trapped without the option of getting another pt job to make it by. I don't mind the work and most of the time actually like what I do, but ups has me to my ends. The last thing I wanna do is try and start over somewhere else, I've been at ups since I was 18 and have dedicated my life to this company. Any thoughts or tips on what to do with my situation is greatly appreciated. thanks.

 

[728ups]

Since you are a FT time driver you are guaranteed 8 hours work when you report,so you need to stand up for yourself and demand the time.You are on the bottom of the seniority list so working the sort plus driving is part of paying your dues.It sux being on the bottom,but we all went thru it.

 

[Daniel Bryant]

Driving after the sort is not really the issue but coming back and working night sort and preload is killer. Also being the only ft driver that has to do it? Everyone else comes in and sends someone home. I'm also a single parent so both shifts are almost impossible for me.

 

[728ups]

Driving after the sort is not really the issue but coming back and working night sort and preload is killer. Also being the only ft driver that has to do it? Everyone else comes in and sends someone home. I'm also a single parent so both shifts are almost impossible for me.

They are taking advantage of you because they can,YOU are allowing it. Speak to your Steward about your situation, there is no reason to be working so much OT

 

[Daniel Bryant]

They are taking advantage of you because they can,YOU are allowing it. Speak to your Steward about your situation, there is no reason to be working so much OT

Not working too much ot, heck I'm begging to work. The 14hr days are what you are talking about, but most of the time they only offer me 4 in the morning and 4 at night. Last week for example I worked preload on monday, tues thru thurs came in and drove like every other ft driver, Fri they said they didn't need me on road to work preload. Well one call in and I was out there for 14hrs. They give me no notice of change of work ever and basically treat me as a co-driver/preloader. Also I spend most of my time pleading my case to our stewards who are clueless about anything and everything in the contract. Example- I hadn't drove in 3 weeks and all the sudden one day they need me after sort, well I had other work lined up to make money and told them I couldn't and they had to give me some kind of prior notice. In front of my sup my steward told me I was refusing work, which was not the case.

 

[klein]

There is a 24hr time notice in the contract. It's in all union contracts that I know of.
Meaning, they need to give you 24 hr notice of any time changes in your schedule.
If they do not, you may work them as straight OT hrs or refuse to work them all together.

Tell you sup next time, that you require 24 hr notice or pay you OT - he'll understand what you mean.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Since you are a FT time driver you are guaranteed 8 hours work when you report,so you need to stand up for yourself and demand the time.You are on the bottom of the seniority list so working the sort plus driving is part of paying your dues.It sux being on the bottom,but most of us went thru it.

Fixed it for you, 728.

To the OP--you are guaranteed your 8 hours--this is why you are working both the preload and metro. Now, if they are having you work the preload, run an area and then work the metro---that is too much.

It may be in your best interest to vacate your FT bid cover position and go back to being a casual.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Not working too much ot, heck I'm begging to work. The 14hr days are what you are talking about, but most of the time they only offer me 4 in the morning and 4 at night. Last week for example I worked preload on monday, tues thru thurs came in and drove like every other ft driver, Fri they said they didn't need me on road to work preload. Well one call in and I was out there for 14hrs. They give me no notice of change of work ever and basically treat me as a co-driver/preloader. Also I spend most of my time pleading my case to our stewards who are clueless about anything and everything in the contract. Example- I hadn't drove in 3 weeks and all the sudden one day they need me after sort, well I had other work lined up to make money and told them I couldn't and they had to give me some kind of prior notice. In front of my sup my steward told me I was refusing work, which was not the case.

Your steward is right--you were refusing work.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

There is a 24hr time notice in the contract. It's in all union contracts that I know of.
Meaning, they need to give you 24 hr notice of any time changes in your schedule.
If they do not, you may work them as straight OT hrs or refuse to work them all together.

Tell you sup next time, that you require 24 hr notice or pay you OT - he'll understand what you mean.

UPS is required to give us 3 days notice of a change in schedule of 1 hour or more. The OP is a FT bid cover who is guaranteed 8 hours daily. It is not always possible for them to know whether he will be needed on road or not which is why they have him work the preload and metro. I do agree that asking him to work the preload, run a route and then work the metro all in the same day is excessive.

 

[Daniel Bryant]

Your steward is right--you were refusing work.

No its my choice to displace 2 pt'ers. I'm considered laid off, they can't spring on me 10mins and tell me they need me to drive. I chose to work preload and local sort for my hrs. Also they have to give me 7 days notice of a lay off lasting longer than a week. So when I drive I should be given written notice before they pull me back off rd to the sort.

 

[barnyard]

I am betting that when you were a pt cover, you were begging to go FT. Sometimes it sucks to get what you want and this is a case of it sucking. Until business improves or another FT person retires, you will be looking at more of the same. Either suck it up and do it or decide that UPS is not where your future lies and start applying elsewhere.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

No its my choice to displace 2 pt'ers. I'm considered laid off, they can't spring on me 10mins and tell me they need me to drive. I chose to work preload and local sort for my hrs. Also they have to give me 7 days notice of a lay off lasting longer than a week. So when I drive I should be given written notice before they pull me back off rd to the sort.

You are FT bid cover. You work the preload and metro to get your 8 hours. You are not laid off--there is not a route for you to run so you are working on the inside. They can't/won't give you 7 days notice because the staffing could change from day to day. That is the way FT bid cover works--you need to be flexible.

Written notice?

 

[barnyard]

Written notice?

I know, right.

We have 2 cover drivers that pretty much work the preload and local sort after Christmas till about April and again in September until late October. The generally drive every Friday to cover call ins or PH's. It sucks to be them, but that's the way it is.

 

[Daniel Bryant]

I am betting that when you were a pt cover, you were begging to go FT. Sometimes it sucks to get what you want and this is a case of it sucking. Until business improves or another FT person retires, you will be looking at more of the same. Either suck it up and do it or decide that UPS is not where your future lies and start applying elsewhere.

Suck it up huh? Fwiw I've been with this company for 14 years and was a cover driver for 5 and never came off the road for the sort not one day. I've been full time for 4 and have already topped out in pay as a full time driver. Not until recently has the lay off came into affect because ups isn't making any money and the volume isn't there. Well that's garbage the stops per car are insane and the work is there. Are you treated differently than every other person in your job classification? Does your pay rate drop because you did a different job more than 7 days? I'm not a cover driver and they can't treat me like one. I came to this board for good advice from fellow upser's, didn't know I would get a ton of tough guy talk.

 

[Daniel Bryant]

You are FT bid cover. You work the preload and metro to get your 8 hours. You are not laid off--there is not a route for you to run so you are working on the inside. They can't/won't give you 7 days notice because the staffing could change from day to day. That is the way FT bid cover works--you need to be flexible.

Written notice?

Article 48 sec 5 page 173. (A) The Employer agrees to give full-time seniority employees seven (7) calendar days' notice of intended lay off to exceed one (1) week. Agreed upon notices of layoff do not apply during a declared emergency.

When you are a full time driver at my center you come in at 830 and drive until you finish the day. There is no work preload and drive ft position, I am laid off when they take me away from my full time driving job and move me to the sort.

 

[UPSGUY72]

Read your rider and see what it says about this type of situation.. Also Call your BA and let him / her know what is going on.

Make sure you in compliance with the 14, 10 and 60 hours rules... Your working time insides count toward your 14 and 60 hours... Also any other work that you do on the side count to...

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Article 48 sec 5 page 173. (A) The Employer agrees to give full-time seniority employees seven (7) calendar days' notice of intended lay off to exceed one (1) week. Agreed upon notices of layoff do not apply during a declared emergency.

When you are a full time driver at my center you come in at 830 and drive until you finish the day. There is no work preload and drive ft position, I am laid off when they take me away from my full time driving job and move me to the sort.

You are not laid off--to be laid off means you would be sitting on your butt on the couch watching TV. You are guaranteed 8 hours and they are giving you 8 hours, albeit not consecutively. That is the deal when you are a FT bid cover.

 

[LiB]

Needs more info. How long have you been full time (not that it really matters); since you are the bottom FT driver you are a "cover driver," a permanent one, but one still the same. As bottom seniority, you get to take the route nobody wants. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ONLY PERTAINS TO SOUTHERN REGION SUPPLEMENT, DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE IF YOU ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THIS:

If you are a Full time driver, you need to come it at a full time driver start time unless instructed by management. Once you're there you get paid for 8 hours, unless you were told you needed to displace 2 people from 2 shifts. Now, if they lay you off more than 7 days, you need to be displacing a morning and and evening person, then you can claim your classification is a 22.3 inside/inside job so you only take a couple dollars hit. But the bottom line is, unless they tell you in advance 24 hours (or according to supplement) you can claim all time.

 

[rockinrmk]

You should never have to work local sort if you have already worked preload and then went out on a route for the rest of the day. You need 10 hours inbetween shifts for DOT. I am in the same position as you and I get screwed out of driving because I only have 6hours off inbetween shifts. Today my center manager told me to quit coming in for local sort if they call me

 

[upsman2940]

We had a driver in layoff that was forced to work preload/ reload. They would send drivers home and force him to run a route after the preload. I filed a grievance to be paid the hours that he worked. It worked, they stopped and I got paid!