Interested in switching from preload to local sort

[konsole]

It would be a nice change of atmosphere to switch from the preload (am shift) to the local sort (pm shift). However the main reason I'm considering this is because I may be without a car for an extended period of time, and I would prefer not asking for rides. The problem is that the train/bus schedules don't look like they run early enough for the preload, earliest being around 5:30 am. There is plenty of trains/buses running around the local sort shift though. I need to get more details on what this switch would involve though. I'm not concerned about if the shift is harder or easier, or the general atmosphere. What I need to know is details like pay, and seniority and stuff like that.

Would I keep the same pay?
Would I still keep my years worked towards retirement?
Does UPS allow switching back and forth between the 2 shifts?

Basically any negatives/positives you can think of about making this switch please share (other then the physical or mental aspects of the shift of course).

 

[sortaisle]

You'd keep everything but you'd lose your preload pay. So you'd make $1 less per hour.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

The local sort in your building does have jobs that pay the extra $1/hr. I double-shifted in that building for a while in 2003-2004.
Agree with the rest of sortaisles comments, you'll keep everything including seniority date. However, I believe they can place you in any job in the bldg until your 9 mo. are up, then you can move around. Not 100% on that.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

It would be a nice change of atmosphere to switch from the preload (am shift) to the local sort (pm shift). However the main reason I'm considering this is because I may be without a car for an extended period of time, and I would prefer not asking for rides. The problem is that the train/bus schedules don't look like they run early enough for the preload, earliest being around 5:30 am. There is plenty of trains/buses running around the local sort shift though. I need to get more details on what this switch would involve though. I'm not concerned about if the shift is harder or easier, or the general atmosphere. What I need to know is details like pay, and seniority and stuff like that.

Would I keep the same pay?
Would I still keep my years worked towards retirement?
Does UPS allow switching back and forth between the 2 shifts?

Basically any negatives/positives you can think of about making this switch please share (other then the physical or mental aspects of the shift of course).

1) Yes. Preload has a $1/hr premium, but you can easily make this back by becoming either pick-off or sort aisle certified. Quite frankly, there are a lot of people that are "skilled pay" certified that have never passed either test. You might fall through the cracks.

2) Yes. You'll keep your seniority if you're in the same building, too. Even if you switched buildings, you would maintain your vacations and pension credit. You would simply lose your seniority as far as bidding on vacations or preferred jobs.

3) Yes. After 6 months of service (might be different depending on your supplement), you should be able to "bid" on either a load or unload job and the company has to let you switch before they hire someone off the street.

 

[konsole]

sleeve_meet_heart,

Do you remember what the typical times are for the local sort in the Norwood building? Whats the peak and non-peak start and finish times. I think I saw the start right now was around 5:45pm

 

[konsole]

Also do you guys know if there is usually any extra work to take on a few hours before the local sort starts? If the local sort starts at 5:30 roughly I would be interested in starting around 3:00 pm and working through till the end of the local sort. This would allow me to take my bike on the train during MBTA off peak time, instead of having to leave my bike at the station.

 

[konsole]

Also do you guys know if there is usually any extra work to take on a few hours before the local sort starts? If the local sort starts at 5:30 roughly I would be interested in starting around 3:00 pm and working through till the end of the local sort. This would allow me to take my bike on the train during MBTA off peak time, instead of having to leave my bike at the station.

I take that back, peak time on the train isnt going inbound in the afternoon, but I would still like to take a few more hours if possible.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

sleeve_meet_heart,

Do you remember what the typical times are for the local sort in the Norwood building? Whats the peak and non-peak start and finish times. I think I saw the start right now was around 5:45pm

5:45 sounds right for non-peak but I don't remember exactly.

 

[konsole]

I didn't think I would get into the specifics of the local sort atmosphere itself, but I feel there are a few things that should be mentioned.

6:15pm is what the start time was this past Friday, and the shift ended at 9:45pm. The absurd thing about it is that they set break time way too late. I believe according to the contract, break has to be between the 2nd and 3rd hour? Well they had break just shy of 3 hours in at 9:05, at which point there was only 30 minutes left of work after break. Why not just have it half way in? On the preload we run between roughly 4:30am and just about everyone is done by 8:30am, but yet break is around 6:45am, much closer to half way through.

Everyone on the preload was telling me that local sort is easier and alot more laid back. Also they said just don't do the loading of the trailers. When I got to the local sort I was told that I was going to load a retainer truck that gets about 400-500 packages and each needs to be scanned. That sounded pretty good to me, but it only lasted about 15 minutes because shortly after we started they asked me to jump in the trailer next to the retrainer truck and help the other loader. So I never ended up getting back to the retainer truck. The entire 3.5 hours involved someone scanning each package and then just rolling the packages down a couple rollers into the trailer. Then the other loader and myself had to pick every single package up off the ground and stack it. The whole time I was thinking to myself "why do they not have a better setup then forcing the loader to pickup everyone of the 1600+ packages off the ground". I talked to the shift supervisor afterwards and asked him why they didnt have roller stands going under all the rollers so the loader could pickup the packages at waist height and save alot of energy. The answer was something along the lines of packages can fall off the rollers and its a safety issue. As if asking a loader to pickup 1600+ packages off the ground in under 3.5 hours isnt a safety issue. A bunch of the guys didnt speak very good english or garbled alot when they talked, but now that I think about it it only seemed to be the guys that I worked around that where like this. So I can't see myself loading trailers unless they figure out a better setup for getting the packages into the trailer, but then again loading trailers is a little too monotonous and brainless also. Loading the retainer truck and then helping out with the trailer at times, which one guy did, would be fine with me, but I don't think I want to be involved with the trailer loading at all.

So I agreed to go in this coming Tuesday and I requested trying another position. Its the day after Labor Day so apparently its going to be very heavy. Does anyone here have experience with different positions on the local sort? How are they different, slower, faster, less weight, more weight, more or less training needed?

I have almost 12 years seniority so I shouldnt have a problem getting into a "preferred" position. At this point I think I would prefer a position that requires a bit more brain and a bit less brawn.

 

[konsole]

Well that was kinda hell last night the day after Labor Day. The shift went from 5:50 and some people werent done till well past 11:00. The local sort mayhem last night gave me a bad feeling about this, and I'm so close to abandoning the switch to local sort. I'm not seeing the "easier and more laid back" that people say about the local sort. I know it was unusually heavy due to having 3 days off, but the sort itself really isnt impressing me at all. Also worth noting is they didnt set break until past 8:50, so beyond the 3rd hour. 10:00 came and I said I'm leaving because I had to be on the preload in the morning. When I left there was still alot to be done.

I could use some words from local sort veterans to keep me interested in this switch.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Preload is the worst. I've done way too many jobs at UPS but nothing is worse than preload. Not so much the work, but the hours. The improved quality of sleep alone could add at least 10 years to your life, maybe more. Just look at the incidence of heart disease and stroke for night-workers if you don't believe me.

Local sort, you might want to ask about unloading brownies. It's not a bad gig and time goes by fairly quickly.

 

[livin the dream]

Well that was kinda hell last night the day after Labor Day. The shift went from 5:50 and some people werent done till well past 11:00. The local sort mayhem last night gave me a bad feeling about this, and I'm so close to abandoning the switch to local sort. I'm not seeing the "easier and more laid back" that people say about the local sort. I know it was unusually heavy due to having 3 days off, but the sort itself really isnt impressing me at all. Also worth noting is they didnt set break until past 8:50, so beyond the 3rd hour. 10:00 came and I said I'm leaving because I had to be on the preload in the morning. When I left there was still alot to be done.

I could use some words from local sort veterans to keep me interested in this switch.

i've heard that they slow down the belts during preload, at least in my hub. so maybe it seems more frantic because you aren't used to faster belts. that being said, i can see how you "aren't impressed." it's basically just a 5 hour cluster ****. only about half of my sups know what they're doing, and the ones that do know what they're doing are told to do otherwise by our idiot full timers. i still could never do preload though. i don't see myself waking up at 2-3 am every night.

o yea. the late breaks are also ridiculous. we had a bad heat wave a month or so back, and we still weren't going to break until 3-3.5 hours into the shift. needless to say, new hires were dropping like flies, literally.

 

[konsole]

The preload belts around me all run at the slowest speed, but I don't think the belt on the local sort was running much faster, if at all. It was frantic because there was way too many packages. The pace of the packages coming down the belt going into 1 trailer was the same as going into 10 package cars on the preload. The packages were coming down faster then I could roll them into the trailer to the 2 guys loading. If I was to move to the local sort I would make it known that by the third hour I'm taking my break. Its obvious they have it so late so some of the people will just leave instead. I dunno after 12 years of crap on the preload and based on what I saw on the local sort I don't really have a desire to continue at this company. Driver no way I like to have some energy and free time to do other stuff. I would be interested in trying the unloading on the local sort but from what I saw it looked like there was maybe 2 guys at most doing the unloading. Maybe they want more help or maybe those guys are firmly planted in that position I don't know.

 

[laffter]

I assume the "local sort" is the twilight shift. Here, it starts at 3:15PM on Mondays. That's the early start time for those that want to show up early, and also when people double-shifting from preload show up. The regular start time is at 5:30, and break isn't until 7:30. So the break time is perfect for those starting at the regular start time, but 4.25 hours into the shift for those who came in early. That's pretty harsh.

The Tuesday after Labor Day, the early start was 3PM. Same break time. Let's just say I take plenty of bathroom/water breaks on Mondays.

 

[ORLY!?!]

You should be able to keep the skill dollar. Reason why is that you've worked that job and still have that skill. Its not like they wont ask you in the future to preload, or double shift to preload. You have the skill to do so, so it should remain.

If they do, you can always file and claim that I was trained to preload, and they will ask me in the future to do so. Once your trained, you have the skill. A skill dollar should represent those skills earned.

 

[ocnewguy]

I didn't think I would get into the specifics of the local sort atmosphere itself, but I feel there are a few things that should be mentioned.

6:15pm is what the start time was this past Friday, and the shift ended at 9:45pm. The absurd thing about it is that they set break time way too late. I believe according to the contract, break has to be between the 2nd and 3rd hour? Well they had break just shy of 3 hours in at 9:05, at which point there was only 30 minutes left of work after break. Why not just have it half way in? On the preload we run between roughly 4:30am and just about everyone is done by 8:30am, but yet break is around 6:45am, much closer to half way through.

Everyone on the preload was telling me that local sort is easier and alot more laid back. Also they said just don't do the loading of the trailers. When I got to the local sort I was told that I was going to load a retainer truck that gets about 400-500 packages and each needs to be scanned. That sounded pretty good to me, but it only lasted about 15 minutes because shortly after we started they asked me to jump in the trailer next to the retrainer truck and help the other loader. So I never ended up getting back to the retainer truck. The entire 3.5 hours involved someone scanning each package and then just rolling the packages down a couple rollers into the trailer. Then the other loader and myself had to pick every single package up off the ground and stack it. The whole time I was thinking to myself "why do they not have a better setup then forcing the loader to pickup everyone of the 1600+ packages off the ground". I talked to the shift supervisor afterwards and asked him why they didnt have roller stands going under all the rollers so the loader could pickup the packages at waist height and save alot of energy. The answer was something along the lines of packages can fall off the rollers and its a safety issue. As if asking a loader to pickup 1600+ packages off the ground in under 3.5 hours isnt a safety issue. A bunch of the guys didnt speak very good english or garbled alot when they talked, but now that I think about it it only seemed to be the guys that I worked around that where like this. So I can't see myself loading trailers unless they figure out a better setup for getting the packages into the trailer, but then again loading trailers is a little too monotonous and brainless also. Loading the retainer truck and then helping out with the trailer at times, which one guy did, would be fine with me, but I don't think I want to be involved with the trailer loading at all.

So I agreed to go in this coming Tuesday and I requested trying another position. Its the day after Labor Day so apparently its going to be very heavy. Does anyone here have experience with different positions on the local sort? How are they different, slower, faster, less weight, more weight, more or less training needed?

I have almost 12 years seniority so I shouldnt have a problem getting into a "preferred" position. At this point I think I would prefer a position that requires a bit more brain and a bit less brawn.

loading feeders isn't for everyone. i hated it for a few months till i got the hang of it. still the hardest job inside the hub for sure, but if you got cool guys on your belt and a competent supervisor that keeps jams broken it can be pretty smooth.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

You should be able to keep the skill dollar. Reason why is that you've worked that job and still have that skill. Its not like they wont ask you in the future to preload, or double shift to preload. You have the skill to do so, so it should remain.

If they do, you can always file and claim that I was trained to preload, and they will ask me in the future to do so. Once your trained, you have the skill. A skill dollar should represent those skills earned.

There is no "skill" pay, it doesn't exist. It's preloader/'PD" hv/lv direct rates. They certainly can take the dollar away.

 

[ORLY!?!]

There is no "skill" pay, it doesn't exist. It's preloader/'PD" hv/lv direct rates. They certainly can take the dollar away.

Funny, they dont do it here. A buddy transferred over to midnight ( and loves it ) from preload. Pay rate remains. I started out at 9, and after a short while ended up with 10.

 

[DTAHONDA]

I did pre load for a year and switched to local sort in june. My pay stayed the same.. I went from loading package cars, to loading semi trailers.

My sup told me i lost all my seniority (even though im in the same building) and the full time sup told me that too. I talked to a couple union stewards and they said its bull****. but then they said its true...

Im over my PPH so i know there not trying to make me quit. and they make me load by myself cause i can handle it. which pisses me off

Oh and sort makes a dollar more than everyone else.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

I did pre load for a year and switched to local sort in june. My pay stayed the same.. I went from loading package cars, to loading semi trailers.

My sup told me i lost all my seniority (even though im in the same building) and the full time sup told me that too. I talked to a couple union stewards and they said its bull****. but then they said its true...

Im over my PPH so i know there not trying to make me quit. and they make me load by myself cause i can handle it. which pisses me off

Oh and sort makes a dollar more than everyone else.

Your seniority date shouldn't change if you remained in the same building, in the same local. You weren't rehired I assume.