How to bump lower seniority drivers.

[Analbumcover]

All you do is say that you are using your seniority to bump. When a boss says something, say, "I am using my seniority to do a route I would like to do, that guy can do this one and follow Orion, just like I would."

Look in your contract book under "seniority."

Try this at my center and the newbies go boo-hooing to the nearest sup that they don't know the area/the truck is too big/ I don't know how to do pickups/my girl is banging the FedEx guy etc. The sups then collapse like a Florida sinkhole. Part of the reason I picked an unpopular bid route just so I could avoid the cover driver drama.

 

[MECH-lift]

Does that still work now that their is MapNav?

“ the cradle doesn’t work in the truck”

 

[Netsua 3:16]

Try this at my center and the newbies go boo-hooing to the nearest sup that they don't know the area/the truck is too big/ I don't know how to do pickups/my girl is banging the FedEx guy etc. The sups then collapse like a Florida sinkhole. Part of the reason I picked an unpopular bid route just so I could avoid the cover driver drama.

Cover driver drama sucks. So glad I finally have my route. No more negotiating. Guys are so friend’ing scared to go out there and tank your first day on a new route...it makes me sick.

 

[Staydryitsraining]

Cover driver drama sucks. So glad I finally have my route. No more negotiating. Guys are so friend’ing scared to go out there and tank your first day on a new route...it makes me sick.

Sounds like guys are scared to go use seniority

 

[charm299]

Do you have Orion and maps?

If so that excuse means squat anymore.

Yes, we have gps. At first they said we couldn’t bump, now they say we can only bump if it’s a bid route. This is what the union says by the way

 

[Indecisi0n]

“ He doesn’t know that area”

“He can’t go out blind”.

 

[over9five]

“He can’t go out blind”.

Right? When you've gone out blind to learn most of the 27 routes you know...

 

[Indecisi0n]

Right? When you've gone out blind to learn most of the 27 routes you know...

“You wouldn’t want that done to you. Just take the over day today. You been working hard , you deserve it “.

 

[Shift Inhibit]

“He can’t go out blind”.

“Can you be a team player and help us out today “? “I owe ya one”

 

[MECH-lift]

“He can’t go out blind”.

Supervisors will make up anything as long as they don’t have to leave the office..

 

[WeAreAllGoingToMakeIt]

I see in various different areas of the country that higher seniority drivers bump lower seniority drivers, meaning they can say I’m running this route today. I hear, and see this, but is there anywhere in the contract that states you’re able to do this daily to a driver with less seniority? I’m in the Central. We have 85 RPCD drivers in our center and about 50-60 have their own routes. The rest are junk routes. I’m in the mid range seniority wise. The drivers with two years or less know like two routes and 22.4’s are running full routes I’d rather do myself. Can I bump anyone/everyone beneath me, if so can you provide something in the contract to back it up. Sick of running the * routes while new drivers and 22.4’s get easy routes.

You can only bump the least senior member in your center. Remember: In the contract it states that those in the lowest 10% seniority don't have their guaranteed 8 hours. You can bump the least senior member. You can't pick and choose which driver below you can be bumped off. That's up to management. But you can definitely bump the least senior person.

If you want to choose a route, they should have a weekly bid sheet that you can bid for the week. It usually lets you pick 3 routes (Your first pick is #1, second pick #2, etc). This also depends on seniority, but chances are if you are the mid-seniority guy, you will get one of your three picks. This is also in the contract.

 

[Netsua 3:16]

Sounds like guys are scared to go use seniority

Yup. They are afraid of retaliation. Here’s how the scenario played out for me usually;
“I’m bumping driver a off of the 42c and onto the 30b”
Driver a doesn’t know the 30b
“Ok, I’ll go get Bob (steward).”
(Frustrated supervisor switches the board and walks away from me)
The next day I’m on the route that I want, with about 30 more stops. No problem. Keep em coming

 

[WeAreAllGoingToMakeIt]

All you do is say that you are using your seniority to bump. When a boss says something, say, "I am using my seniority to do a route I would like to do, that guy can do this one and follow Orion, just like I would."

Look in your contract book under "seniority."

I don't know if you are in the Central Region or not, but that wouldn't work in the Central Region. And, if this is done at your center, it's incorrect. You can't just bump anyone below you. If they are part of the top 90% of drivers, they are guaranteed their route assigned to them by management. You can only bump the least senior person.

Yes, seniority does rule, but not for picking routes. It rules to guarantee you work, not the luxury of picking your own route, with the exception of using the Weekly Bid sheet. The problem isn't with the drivers, it a weak supervisor or management that doesn't exercise this right. It would stop a lot of "drama" from the cover drivers if Management knew the rules.

 

[Netsua 3:16]

I don't know if you are in the Central Region or not, but that wouldn't work in the Central Region. And, if this is done at your center, it's incorrect. You can't just bump anyone below you. If they are part of the top 90% of drivers, they are guaranteed their route assigned to them by management. You can only bump the least senior person.

Yes, seniority does rule, but not for picking routes. It rules to guarantee you work, not the luxury of picking your own route, with the exception of using the Weekly Bid sheet. The problem isn't with the drivers, it a weak supervisor or management that doesn't exercise this right. It would stop a lot of "drama" from the cover drivers if Management knew the rules.

There is precedent set in my local as far as guys winning grievances for refusal to honor seniority “in all aspects of the business” or whatever the hell that verbiage is. So here, if you’re a cover and want to swap with a lower seniority cover, if you stick to your guns, there’s nothing they can do, other than get mad

 

[WeAreAllGoingToMakeIt]

There is precedent set in my local as far as guys winning grievances for refusal to honor seniority “in all aspects of the business” or whatever the hell that verbiage is. So here, if you’re a cover and want to swap with a lower seniority cover, if you stick to your guns, there’s nothing they can do, other than get mad

If this works out in your center, consider it lucky that it does, and take advantage of it. It wouldn't work at my center.

 

[ManInBrown]

I see in various different areas of the country that higher seniority drivers bump lower seniority drivers, meaning they can say I’m running this route today. I hear, and see this, but is there anywhere in the contract that states you’re able to do this daily to a driver with less seniority? I’m in the Central. We have 85 RPCD drivers in our center and about 50-60 have their own routes. The rest are junk routes. I’m in the mid range seniority wise. The drivers with two years or less know like two routes and 22.4’s are running full routes I’d rather do myself. Can I bump anyone/everyone beneath me, if so can you provide something in the contract to back it up. Sick of running the * routes while new drivers and 22.4’s get easy routes.

You can’t bump a bid driver. Here if you are a cover driver, which means you don’t have a bid route, you can bump another cover driver, off the route they are on for the day. You can’t bump a bid driver off their bid route. Now the thing with bumping is, sometimes they try to push back on you. Oh no you can’t bump him or her because they don’t know any other routes, or if you bump them, they don’t know the route you are supposed to do. Nope, doesnt work like that. Doesn’t matter if they don’t know it. Do not let them use route knowledge as an excuse. Does not matter. So and so better learn more routes then. It’s not your problem. You have more seniority and it’s your right to bump them off the route they are covering for the day. Be forceful About it. Do not roll over and play dead. Here every Friday you can also request to cover a route that is open for the following week. Those are also dispatched in seniority order. Again, they can try to push back.

 

[Netsua 3:16]

If this works out in your center, consider it lucky that it does, and take advantage of it. It wouldn't work at my center.

We don’t do weekly bids for covers here...it’s a daily free for all. Now if you know a guy is going on vacation with a route that you like to run, you can absolutely put in a request to run it for that whole week.
But yeah, every morning at my center is like “All My Children,” cover guys showing up an hour early and doing everything they can to maneuver themselves onto an easier route...and run back and forth from the computer to the board, a nervous wreck, like a chicken it’s head cut off. Whining and crying boo friggity hoo I don’t know this area that well WAHHHHH

 

[WeAreAllGoingToMakeIt]

We don’t do weekly bids for covers here...it’s a daily free for all. Now if you know a guy is going on vacation with a route that you like to run, you can absolutely put in a request to run it for that whole week.
But yeah, every morning at my center is like “All My Children,” cover guys showing up an hour early and doing everything they can to maneuver themselves onto an easier route...and run back and forth from the computer to the board, a nervous wreck, like a chicken it’s head cut off. Whining and crying boo friggity hoo I don’t know this area that well WAHHHHH

Hey, if management let me run all over them like this, I'd probably do it too. I can only imagine the stress on management in this type of scenario.

 

[MECH-lift]

I just follow Orion 100% on routes I don’t like, that usually solves the problem

 

[Netsua 3:16]

Hey, if management let me run all over them like this, I'd probably do it too. I can only imagine the stress on management in this type of scenario.

I agree. It makes way more sense to do weekly bids. But it does create opportunity for new FT covers to progress quickly. When I first started I would just show up 5 minutes before start time and run whatever I got bumped onto. That’s how you learn. Don’t be scared boys!!! Your first day on a route, how can they expect you to succeed?