How many street hires in your feeder dept.?

[kd0rg]

Hi everyone. I suspect that there might be a correlation between the # of "off the street" hires into feeders and seniority practices at a particular building. Here in Denver we have almost 1/3 of the feeder department hired off the street out of around 180 drivers and we have building seniority. Salt Lake has around 3 (driver wasn't quite sure but # was low) and has separate feeder seniority list. Cerritos, CA driver claimed 0 off the street and also a separate feeder seniority list. So, I'd be interested to know how it works in your neck of the woods. Thanks.

 

[Indecisi0n]

2.5

 

[Anonymous 10]

We have to many of those pre Madonna cry baby off the street hires. They have never experienced anything part time or in package so they think that feeders is the worst of the worst. They have no clue and when they whine it makes them look like some real pusillanimous.

 

[feeder05]

0 in seattle

 

[Dracula]

We have over 300 drivers, but only a handful are street hires, and the majority are at the bottom of the seniority list. The problem in our building, is the summer and peak periods. Particularly in the summer, our extra work completely dries up. Almost none of these drivers comes back after these periods, but management makes the most of them. This is very short-sided on the part of our union. I can understand, maybe, during peak, but in the summer, we're just giving away union work. It's a bad part of the contract, because all of us a lot of money.

 

[brett636]

I can't say what percentage the makeup is, but by my count alone my feeder department has atleast 60-70 off the street hires. Most are at the bottom, but I know of a atleast one that was hired in back in the late 70s who is, of course, at the top of the seniority list. Around 40-45 of those off the street hires were brought in within the last 2 years.

 

[kd0rg]

What about seniority practices in your building? I'm wondering if there is a correlation between the # of street hires and whether there is building wide seniority or classification seniority (separate lists) within a building. The problem I see is that when there is building wide seniority, feeders has more street hires because there is no incentive for packages car drivers to go into feeders early in a career. Whenever a FT position has to be filled from the outside in feeders it delays a PT employee's chance to move into a FT package car position (because instead of the package driver going to feeders the company is forced to hire from the outside). I'm guessing that 407 is in Central States and has building wide seniority? Not sure about Indesici0n but I'd like to know. Seattle is Western and has separate seniority lists. Dracula, do you have a building wide list or separate lists? And brett636, how about in your building? Thanks

 

[feeder05]

no separate feeder list except for the backup drivers have their own list for coverage and vacation....

 

[sprintmart]

In Indianapolis, I work at 16th. St. as a part-time worker. I've also been a Class A commercial driver with 18yrs. experience. Our feeder yard is based out of 81st. street. At my hiring, I was asked to work at 16th. St.(which I did because it was closer to where I lived). For over two years, I have made it clear to everyone possible that I am looking for a feeder position. Because I don't work directly at 81st. street. I cannot be eligable for hire. The last hire cycle 5 months ago, 30+ positions came up feeders. Out of 250 workers at our 81st. yard. Only 12 employees made it through the training. The remainder came off the street. Why would UPS not want to hire within before hiring outside. This is so ridiculious & pathetic. I am appalled. I don't know what to do?

 

[brett636]

In Indianapolis, I work at 16th. St. as a part-time worker. I've also been a Class A commercial driver with 18yrs. experience. Our feeder yard is based out of 81st. street. At my hiring, I was asked to work at 16th. St.(which I did because it was closer to where I lived). For over two years, I have made it clear to everyone possible that I am looking for a feeder position. Because I don't work directly at 81st. street. I cannot be eligable for hire. The last hire cycle 5 months ago, 30+ positions came up feeders. Out of 250 workers at our 81st. yard. Only 12 employees made it through the training. The remainder came off the street. Why would UPS not want to hire within before hiring outside. This is so ridiculious & pathetic. I am appalled. I don't know what to do?

I understand your plight, but there are options, although you may not see them as good ones. First off its my understanding that there is no language requiring the company to allow 16th street employees to come to the 81st street feeder department when there are openings. In the past its been hit and miss as to when they do bring people in from 16th, but when they do its pretty much package car drivers only. So your best bet is to wait till you have the seniority to go into package car and then sign the very next feeder list that goes up(although its hard to say when that will happen). The other option is alittle trickier, but if you could get the company to allow you to quit on good terms you could then re-apply and get rehired at the 81st street facility and wait till the next feeder list for part timers is posted(again hard to say when that will be). The danger here is you won't know your true rehire status until you re-apply and by then you may not get back in. Its my understanding that transferring is nearly impossible because the company will only allow a transfer for educational reasons, and it would be a tough sell to say you need such a transfer when both buildings are within 10 miles of one another. Getting into feeders is possible, but its going to be awhile before you will be eligible given your current employment status. Goodluck!

 

[Dracula]

We have a metro area seniority list. It goes between both of our metro buildings, as far as feeders goes. When the feeder intent list goes up, anyone that meets the qualifications between the two buildings is eligible by seniority.

 

[menotyou]

We have a metro area seniority list. It goes between both of our metro buildings, as far as feeders goes. When the feeder intent list goes up, anyone that meets the qualifications between the two buildings is eligible by seniority.

What does your area consider qualifications? (I have read that you have weak union leadership)

 

[Dracula]

Just the requirements to get into feeders. Clean piss, pass the written CDL test, a year of clean driving and have enough seniority. It doesn't take too much seniority to make it anymore. We have a class starting this week, and I heard the top guy has a driving date of '96. And the lowest barely has a year of seniority.

Don't most of us have weak leadership? Our President is Hoffa, after all...

 

[Dragon]

We have a metro area seniority list. It goes between both of our metro buildings, as far as feeders goes. When the feeder intent list goes up, anyone that meets the qualifications between the two buildings is eligible by seniority.

Same in this district...

Anyone considering feeders...The feeder trainers will not just "give" you the job. You have to study and practice. Yes I said study, too many people (UPS employees) fail the training because they think they will be handed the job. What is amazing they even ask advice from feeder drivers about the training and some how they tune out the study part. That is why so many people are hired off the street.

 

[Dracula]

Same in this district...

Anyone considering feeders...The feeder trainers will not just "give" you the job. You have to study and practice. Yes I said study, too many people (UPS employees) fail the training because they think they will be handed the job. What is amazing they even ask advice from feeder drivers about the training and some how they tune out the study part. That is why so many people are hired off the street.

No, what is amazing, looking back on feeder school, is how UPS spends the entire first week simply getting you prepared to pass the CDL test. That is the only priority. No, not teaching how to drive the rigs safely. Not how to deal with inclement weather, not how to hook up a set of doubles properly...none of that.

After I passed my CDL, the next week was the 5 day ride with a feeder supervisor. We did a little bit of everything, but concentrated on nothing, and as result, the following week, when I was on my own, I felt lost. I got through it, like most other drivers did. But I only got through it because of the help of seniority feeder drivers.

After a a month or two, it was amazing to think about how much feeder school didn't teach you....

Maybe that is something you might think about before you go to feeder school.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

Rather than start a new thread, figured I'd just recycle this one.

First, a question: why does UPS have a 'policy' for hiring outside employees? Why do they establish a targets ratio (in my bldg I believe it is one street hire for every 5 employees promoted from within)?

Been thinking the past couple of days, and I believe the company would be better for it by promoting only from within, hiring outside only when there aren't sufficient people inside willing to fill the vacant positions, I.e. if 20 driver bids come up and there are 20 pt workers who are on a waiting list (don't know if such a list exists; is this what the dove-tail list is for?), all 20 jobs would be filled from the inside; no off the street hires. Why doesn't the company do this?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Google "Equal Opprtunity Employer".

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

I have more thoughts related to this:

I'd like to see something along the lines that during peak, rather than hire "seasonal" drivers, focus on temporarily promoting from the inside part timers who have expressed an ultimate goal to become drivers; I'd like to see the same opportunity extended to current pacakage car drivers regarding seasonal work in feeders. Also, try to fill helper positions from inside first. I realize filling seasonal drivers' positions and helper positions will not entirely filled from within, but it can give more meaning to those currently part time yearning for a ft position, and if they are trained as helpers first they will already have training with the DIAD, how a car is organized, what the work is like, etc. I am sure training costs for the company would be reduced.

I guess I'd like UPS to establish a sort of "farm system".

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Inside employees are given first priority as Peak helpers but "promoting" them as Peak drivers would mean that you would have to hire temporary loaders to take their place and I for one will tell you that the last thing I would want is a temporary loader loading my car during Peak (or any time of the year for that matter).

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

A more focused objectove on building from within has many benefits, I believe. Here are a couple:

Improved relationship between loaders and drivers. The drivers who complain the most are often hired off the street; having never experienced loading, or even unloading, they cannot empathize why misloads happen, or why the "stupid unloader" put the PAL on the barcode. My experiences as a preloader as well as assisting with the sort and unload when they asked me allows me to be a little less stressed, and I can smile at my loader understandingly and talk civilly when I have concerns. Also, I became a much better loader after going out as a helper and seeing how my bad habits of laziness affected the driver's day. My experience as a helper also gave me a desire to become a driver, and thus I was motivated to be a better worker to improve my chances.

Giving part timers a real goal to shoot for (for those that want that goal), and even giving them a 'december call-up' (to borrow the baseball concept) could help them find more meaning in their job, and motivate them to do better (with a better idea of how having experienced their loads while delivering as a helper), which helps everyone.