Meal Period Exemption???

[Griff]

Anyone else hear the rumors about UPS getting sued again for the lunch theft they have made part of their business model? I think its either New Jersey or Pennsylvania. All very vague information I have received but it obviously wouldn't surprise me.

 

[upsman68]

If you enter a lunch but do not take it, I think you should be fired for dishonesty. MHO

My kids events are more important than me taking a lunch. Sometimes I have to work through the lunch so I can be there for my kids.

You can't get those times back.

 

[soberups]

My kids events are more important than me taking a lunch. Sometimes I have to work through the lunch so I can be there for my kids.

You can't get those times back.

No argument there, the correct thing to do in a situation like that is to not enter a lunch at all. That way, you are not falsifying records or working off of the clock.

There are actually two seperate and distinct issues at play here. The first is whether or not you actually took a lunch break, and the second is whether or not you are being fully compensated for all hours worked. UPS likes to try and confuse people by combining the two issues and paying a "bonus" to people in exchange for falsifying their time cards and working off of the clock. The company's entire business model is designed around minimizing the number of dispatched routes by coercing as many drivers as possible into working thru their lunches and breaks.

 

[Bubblehead]

My kids events are more important than me taking a lunch. Sometimes I have to work through the lunch so I can be there for my kids.

You can't get those times back.

That is such a weak excuse.
Your kids events aren't more important than anybody elses kids events.
Hell, quit and go on wellfare, you'll make all the events then if you can afford their activities.
To falsify records and run a route into the ground, disreguarding methods, skipping lunch and breaks, working off the clock in the AM, etc. does nothing but a disservice to your co-workers who do the job as prescribed.
We all knew what the hours were when we became drivers, now you want to have your cake and eat it too.
My Dad worked in a factory and couldn't make all of my games.
My best friends Dad had a white collar job and traveled, so he didn't make all our games either.
That's life.
We should all take our full array of personal time and plan our lives accordingly.
Many a good man and woman fought for the priviledge.
We all see it every day, it's not the exception where a guy runs his lunch for a special occasion, rather the same selfish group day in and day out.
All on the guise of "I'm doing it for my family".
I call B.S.

 

[anonymous6]

Its on UPSers in MYworkplace under local PCMs

thank you

 

[Highwayman]

My kids events are more important than me taking a lunch. Sometimes I have to work through the lunch so I can be there for my kids.

You can't get those times back.

I guess the $9900 dollars you give up every year by working through your lunch helps your kids.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I guess the $9900 dollars you give up every year by working through your lunch helps your kids.

He didn't say that he worked through lunch every day.

When you look back at when your kids are growing up, are you going to think about how much money you made or are you going to think of how you were there for them.

I tried to make as many of kids' activities as I could but they both realized that it was not always possible. This made the games that I was able to make that much more special (or maybe the going out to eat afterwards part was more special). I was also lucky in that my kids played their home games either on or very near to my delivery area so I would be able to spend my meal break at their games.

There is more to life than money.

Bubbles, you made some excellent points in your post. Dave.

 

[hypocrisy]

I resent people telling me what I should do on my personal time.
I should be able to do whatever I want to on my lunch period ... my opinion is that you and the Teamsters and the government are fascists for trying to tell me what I do on my own time.

I felt the same way! I used to tan in the buff on top of my package car. I couldn't understand what the problem was.

Then they showed me the Google Maps street view pic.

 

[brownedout]

This is really getting ridiculous already! National negotiating committee take note. In those states where a lunch is required I quess they would be out of luck. But everywhere else compensate us for what we don't take. If we take our full hour fine. If we choose to take any increment of, pay us for the rest. Can this issue be collectively bargained? Anyone have any insight on this? I have addressed this issue before negotiations begin for every contract. Would love to know if it's plausible already.

 

[soberups]

This is really getting ridiculous already! National negotiating committee take note. In those states where a lunch is required I quess they would be out of luck. But everywhere else compensate us for what we don't take. If we take our full hour fine. If we choose to take any increment of, pay us for the rest. Can this issue be collectively bargained? Anyone have any insight on this? I have addressed this issue before negotiations begin for every contract. Would love to know if it's plausible already.

This issue has been collectively bargained. It is the first sentence of Article 17 of the National Master Agreement:

"All Employees covered by this Agreement shall be paid for all time spent in service of the Employer"

It doesnt get much clearer than that. If you are working, you must be paid for the time. Whether or not you are in violation of state law or any other provisions in the contract by skipping your lunch does not change the fact that you are still entitled to be paid for the time you work.

 

[jalnar]

WRONG WRONG WRONG I can promise you UPS will throw you under the bus if you have an accident.A good lawyer can prove by not taking a lunch and working 8 9 10 hrs your reflexes were diminished . If a love one of yours was killed because a semi driver drove for 12 hrs straight and their ability to monitor a situation was reduced you would sue.You need to stop during the day and rest. I can say going at a pace you are going you will NOT finish the race.DO NOT WORK THROUGH YOUR LUNCH IT WILL COME BACK AND BITE YOU AND PROBABLY COST YOU YOUR JOB

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

WRONG WRONG WRONG I can promise you UPS will throw you under the bus if you have an accident.A good lawyer can prove by not taking a lunch and working 8 9 10 hrs your reflexes were diminished . If a love one of yours was killed because a semi driver drove for 12 hrs straight and their ability to monitor a situation was reduced you would sue.You need to stop during the day and rest. I can say going at a pace you are going you will NOT finish the race.DO NOT WORK THROUGH YOUR LUNCH IT WILL COME BACK AND BITE YOU AND PROBABLY COST YOU YOUR JOB

No one is advocating working through your lunch every day. The OP was talking about the occasion where he needed to get done early to be at one of his kids' events. We used to be able to use Code 5 if we wanted to do this but this is no longer an option.

In Upstate NY you will get a warning letter if you don't record a full 45 minute lunch break and 10 minute break in the DIAD; however, the company will turn a blind eye if you record one without actually taking one. All it would take is for the mgt team to audit delivery records for the time that the driver was on "lunch" and this practice would quickly come to an end.

 

[upsman68]

That is such a weak excuse.
Your kids events aren't more important than anybody elses kids events.
Hell, quit and go on wellfare, you'll make all the events then if you can afford their activities.
To falsify records and run a route into the ground, disreguarding methods, skipping lunch and breaks, working off the clock in the AM, etc. does nothing but a disservice to your co-workers who do the job as prescribed.
We all knew what the hours were when we became drivers, now you want to have your cake and eat it too.
My Dad worked in a factory and couldn't make all of my games.
My best friends Dad had a white collar job and traveled, so he didn't make all our games either.
That's life.
We should all take our full array of personal time and plan our lives accordingly.
Many a good man and woman fought for the priviledge.
We all see it every day, it's not the exception where a guy runs his lunch for a special occasion, rather the same selfish group day in and day out.
All on the guise of "I'm doing it for my family".
I call B.S.

That's right I am selfish when it comes to my family

I do follow my methods. I'm not out there speeding, or have the bulkhead door open

I pick up my walk pace, don't talk to customers that much and make it happen

Customers understand that and they are impressed that I care for my family to do it. They know to have the pick-ups ready and if they are not they will ship it out tomorrow

It's not like I do it everyday. I do miss ball games a lot

Im talking like one time events like concerts and performances

I do record a lunch like quick phone calls and quick bites to eat Just don't take the whole hour at a time

So I really don't care what you think

I think you are full of B.S.

 

[LagunaBrown]

For those of you that do care about your family ( in California ), have you ever used Kin Care or The Family-School Partnership Act? So many driver don't know about these laws. I posted the info on LagunaBrown.com so with your FHP's and personal days you can be there for your kids as much as possible. It's called work life balance if you don't take the time to research don't complain.

 

[rod]

For those of you that do care about your family ( in California ), have you ever used Kin Care or The Family-School Partnership Act? So many driver don't know about these laws. I posted the info on LagunaBrown.com so with your FHP's and personal days you can be there for your kids as much as possible. It's called work life balance if you don't take the time to research don't complain.

California sure seems to have a lot of "I don't have to work" laws. No wonder the state is broke.

 

[Bubblehead]

That's right I am selfish when it comes to my family

I do follow my methods. I'm not out there speeding, or have the bulkhead door open

I pick up my walk pace, don't talk to customers that much and make it happen

Customers understand that and they are impressed that I care for my family to do it. They know to have the pick-ups ready and if they are not they will ship it out tomorrow

It's not like I do it everyday. I do miss ball games a lot

Im talking like one time events like concerts and performances

I do record a lunch like quick phone calls and quick bites to eat Just don't take the whole hour at a time

So I really don't care what you think

I think you are full of B.S.

If that is truly who you are and how you roll, I take it back with an apology.
I don't begrudge you for effectuating an early out on "special occasions".
I would think that two 8hr requests available per month would make these "occasions" few and far between.
My message was more intended for the dialy offenders.
We all know who they are.
Anybody reading this has names flying through their heads right now.
We watch them run in to see their numbers every morning.
Truth be known, I used to be one of them when I was young and dumb.
When called on it, it's always the same lame excuses/reasons.
Drawing on my own experience, it was more often selfish, reckless indulgence vs. sacrifice for family.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Effectuating? You're getting to be as bad as k-mart with the big words.

 

[Bubblehead]

Effectuating? You're getting to be as bad as k-mart with the big words.

I'll give you a tip, look for the little word within the big one when context doesn't help;-)

 

[Anonymous 10]

If that is truly who you are and how you roll, I take it back with an apology.
I don't begrudge you for effectuating an early out on "special occasions".
I would think that two 8hr requests available per month would make these "occasions" few and far between.
My message was more intended for the dialy offenders.
We all know who they are.
Anybody reading this has names flying through their heads right now.
We watch them run in to see their numbers every morning.
Truth be known, I used to be one of them when I was young and dumb.
When called on it, it's always the same lame excuses/reasons.
Drawing on my own experience, it was more often selfish, reckless indulgence vs. sacrifice for family.

We all start out as runners and figure it out if we want to make it through the long hall.

 

[browniehound]

That is such a weak excuse.
Your kids events aren't more important than anybody elses kids events.
Hell, quit and go on wellfare, you'll make all the events then if you can afford their activities.
To falsify records and run a route into the ground, disreguarding methods, skipping lunch and breaks, working off the clock in the AM, etc. does nothing but a disservice to your co-workers who do the job as prescribed.
We all knew what the hours were when we became drivers, now you want to have your cake and eat it too.
My Dad worked in a factory and couldn't make all of my games.
My best friends Dad had a white collar job and traveled, so he didn't make all our games either.
That's life.
We should all take our full array of personal time and plan our lives accordingly.
Many a good man and woman fought for the priviledge.
We all see it every day, it's not the exception where a guy runs his lunch for a special occasion, rather the same selfish group day in and day out.
All on the guise of "I'm doing it for my family".
I call B.S.

I really don't care what anyone else at UPS does. Why should I? No one else gives a second thought about me, teamster members included. Everyone at UPS is there for themselves and their families and no one else. I'm not passing judgement but merely stating a fact.

Go ahead and run your lunch because I really don't care. More power to you if you don't have to deliver in the dark.

However, please don't whine to me on the walk in to work that you permantely have an extra 25 house calls because I could not care less.