Full Time Helpers

[Mike Hawk]

So we were short on drivers today so I helped all day. I was on a route that’s an hour away from the center and 100% commercial. The "driver" I was helping was one of the driver supes. The route was not even heavy enough for a helper, he just didn't want to do work. He drove and I delivered, we only had one DIAD so there was no saving time by doing multiple stops at once or anything. I totaled at 14.5 hours worked because he wasn’t bright enough to realize that I had been on the clock since 3 am. I can only hope he gets yelled at by his bosses, but he will probably mess with my timecard to make it look like someone else’s fault, or not pay me for my hours.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

As long as the Union is getting dues money from these helpers, they'll okay it like a night at the Bunny Ranch

 

[hseofpayne]

From a Teamster standpoint, it looks pretty shady, and against the contract, but as a preloader I would jump on that like a fat kid on candy.

Just one more step placed between part time and driving full-time, a step below cover driving. I wonder how this affects part time to full time promotions. My guess is this will double the time part timers spend waiting to drive.

 

[WhatPCM]

I wonder how this affects part time to full time promotions. My guess is this will double the time part timers spend waiting to drive.

Yea cause the wait isnt long enough.

 

[dilligaf]

So we were short on drivers today so I helped all day. I was on a route that’s an hour away from the center and 100% commercial. The "driver" I was helping was one of the driver supes. The route was not even heavy enough for a helper, he just didn't want to do work. He drove and I delivered, we only had one DIAD so there was no saving time by doing multiple stops at once or anything. I totaled at 14.5 hours worked because he wasn’t bright enough to realize that I had been on the clock since 3 am. I can only hope he gets yelled at by his bosses, but he will probably mess with my timecard to make it look like someone else’s fault, or not pay me for my hours.

Mike, In our conference (SW) mgt cannot go out on rte without a bargaining unit. As a preloader I have done the samething you did. With a lack of drivers the company gets creative. They side step the contract, to a small degree, just to get all the rtes done.

 

[Forty6and2]

With a lack of drivers the company gets creative. They side step the contract, to a small degree, just to get all the rtes done.

yeah- they used cover drivers outside the parameters of the contract all summer last year. i was told that as a cover driver, i was only supposed to run one route all week and be ONLY on that route for the whole week. well they don't use me as much as they did last summer right now, but almost every day last year i was doing something different. I'm in the SW region too.

 

[dilligaf]

yeah- they used cover drivers outside the parameters of the contract all summer last year. i was told that as a cover driver, i was only supposed to run one route all week and be ONLY on that route for the whole week. well they don't use me as much as they did last summer right now, but almost every day last year i was doing something different. I'm in the SW region too.

You haven't gone FT yet? As a cover driver you pretty much get stuck on whatever they put you on. I am not aware of being put on a rte for a full week as a cover. You might get lucky once in awhile but it is rare.

As a FT utility driver this is the case. If you bid on a rte and win your bid they cannot pull you off the rte.

 

[Mike Hawk]

Mike, In our conference (SW) mgt cannot go out on rte without a bargaining unit. As a preloader I have done the samething you did. With a lack of drivers the company gets creative. They side step the contract, to a small degree, just to get all the rtes done.

Yea but this guy really donsn't care about that, he is a total D-bag that hands out warning letters for taking lunch 3 minutes late.

 

[hseofpayne]

Yea cause the wait isnt long enough.

I waited 5 years to drive, we have guys at 7,8,9 years now.

 

[Forty6and2]

You haven't gone FT yet?

im close- maybe another year or two...ugh!

 

[local804]

They are making p/t ers into friend/t ers.As far as I know the Union is ok with it.Why not,they are union jobs.8 hours plus overtime.I heard top pay is around $24 - $25 an hour.

I have not heard anything about this one.

 

[looper804]

I have not heard anything about this one.

I'm surprised.You usually seem well versed in what's going on around the local.Yes,its true.I will post more this week as I learn more.

 

[New Englander]

Anyone else just not want to be bothered with dealing with a helper all day? I have days where it's nice you don't have to talk to someone other then the occasional customer.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I would simply not want to have the work assigned to justify a helper. That can wait until peak.

 

[looper804]

I agree.It's nice to have a helper at peak season,but all year seems like it would get depressing.

 

[looper804]

Ok,here's the update.They are only doing this in my facility.Top pay will be $.25 cents less than being a driver.

 

[local804]

Are they taking the PTers from inside your hub? I am not sure why they dont bother making them drivers. They never had the vehicles to support more drivers but now they have trucks up the ying yang. Your building is a disaster anyway.

 

[looper804]

Most of them are from inside but not all.Something like 15 to 5 ratio.We have the trucks but no where to put them.I think that is the main problem.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Let me get this straight--you are going to have 2 people on the pkg car making nearly $56/hour combined at top rate year round?

 

[looper804]

Let me get this straight--you are going to have 2 people on the pkg car making nearly $56/hour combined at top rate year round?

Yes