No break today - "short" rant

[laffter]

When I arrived to work this morning, the entire building was "down". There were some computer issues I don't know the details of. We started about ~45 minutes late. So, I was expecting our break to come about ~45 minutes later than usual. My pt time sup comes around and tells me that they're (higher level management) putting that 10 minute break into the downtime period at the beginning of the shift. To my understanding, breaks have to be given somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd hour of the shift... I might be off a little there. So me and another person on our belt planned on filing grievances regarding this issue. I obtained some grievance forms, and moments later my full time sup appears and somehow already got wind of possible grievances. He seemed pretty angry and said that they had to do it to get the drivers out as on-time as possible, and mentioned that we can take a 10-minute break after we're done, on the clock.

Yes, I did see that for what it was, a bribe. I did appreciate that this alternative "solution" was offered, though. I was conflicted about what to do because it wasn't really about getting paid for another ten minutes, it was about wanting to take the damn break half-way through the shift. It benefits me as a cooldown period, mentally.

I made the decision to take the ten minutes after, so filing a grievance at this point would be inappropriate, and I won't be doing that. I prefer to resolve problems without getting the Union involved, and so far I have been successful. Although, I guess nothing has really been resolved here.

Anyway, if I had filed this grievance, what "remedy" would I have requested? Getting paid for the break time? I already accomplished that. Other than pissing off management, would filing have benefited anyone?

 

[sortaisle]

Not really. There are state regulations about when to take your breaks. The union would only care if you got paid for it. There really is no remedy so to speak that can happen and it would have created some bad blood. Nothing to be done when there's technical difficulty. I'd say you used good judgement. The manager knows they can't pull one over on you and you got to take a break on the clock. Win/win IMHO.

 

[Anonymous 10]

It was an act of God but the right thing to do is offer everybody to take their breaks at the end of the shift or pay everyone an extra ten minutes. If this wasent offered someone need to file a grievance. Talk to your steward.

 

[UPS Preloader]

When I arrived to work this morning, the entire building was "down". There were some computer issues I don't know the details of. We started about ~45 minutes late. So, I was expecting our break to come about ~45 minutes later than usual. My pt time sup comes around and tells me that they're (higher level management) putting that 10 minute break into the downtime period at the beginning of the shift. To my understanding, breaks have to be given somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd hour of the shift... I might be off a little there. So me and another person on our belt planned on filing grievances regarding this issue. I obtained some grievance forms, and moments later my full time sup appears and somehow already got wind of possible grievances. He seemed pretty angry and said that they had to do it to get the drivers out as on-time as possible, and mentioned that we can take a 10-minute break after we're done, on the clock.

Yes, I did see that for what it was, a bribe. I did appreciate that this alternative "solution" was offered, though. I was conflicted about what to do because it wasn't really about getting paid for another ten minutes, it was about wanting to take the damn break half-way through the shift. It benefits me as a cooldown period, mentally.

I made the decision to take the ten minutes after, so filing a grievance at this point would be inappropriate, and I won't be doing that. I prefer to resolve problems without getting the Union involved, and so far I have been successful. Although, I guess nothing has really been resolved here.

Anyway, if I had filed this grievance, what "remedy" would I have requested? Getting paid for the break time? I already accomplished that. Other than pissing off management, would filing have benefited anyone?

Not giving you you're break as scheduled was not justified. The proper thing for them to do would have been to call in some extra preloaders or call some drivers in early to finish the work on time. That being said, the fact that they offered you your break at the end of the shift and that you took it eliminates you're filing a grievance. However, was the ten minute break offered to everyone? If it wasn't a grievance needs to be filled.

 

[laffter]

Let me get some clarification. Are they contractually obligated to give us a break between x and x hours of the shift? Or is this a state law issue? I always thought it was a union thing. So, if the break was offered at the end of the shift, does that "put them in the clear"?

 

[UPS Preloader]

Let me get some clarification. Are they contractually obligated to give us a break between x and x hours of the shift? Or is this a state law issue? I always thought it was a union thing. So, if the break was offered at the end of the shift, does that "put them in the clear"?

UPS is contractually obligated to give you a break between the 2nd and 3rd hour. Offering it to you at the end is better than nothing, but it does not put them in the clear as they violated the contract. If nothing else, a grievance should be filed just to document the violation.

 

[brownIEman]

So the company paid you and your entire shift 45 min to do nothing, and you are complaining about a 10 min break? What am I missing?

 

[ORLY!?!]

I wouldnt make waves about much of small stuff. UPS does things that are outrageous, those should be dealt with paper or threats of doing so. Files often lead to bad things and memories between you and their leadership. UPS will put you in situations that are different and stressful at times. The best way of dealing is learn to cope with it, take your time and do things safe. If it takes too long, too bad.

Those types of problems are going to happen, they happen here weekly. We deal with random crap all the time, you have to learn " its going to happen ". One has to recall the three things that violate, one is it unethical, two does it break the law and last is it unsafe. Sometimes UPS will make you break issues, as long as if its just once and not everyday, it shouldnt be a time for paper. Or else they will tag you as a problem.

The situations they bring you will make you or break you, learn to let water pass under a bridge.

 

[over9five]

So the company paid you and your entire shift 45 min to do nothing, and you are complaining about a 10 min break? What am I missing?

You're missing the part where you don't need a break BEFORE you've actually done any work.
The company SHOULD have had them sweep floors or clean windshields for that 45 minutes, and had a break at the contractually agreed upon time.

 

[laffter]

UPS is contractually obligated to give you a break between the 2nd and 3rd hour. Offering it to you at the end is better than nothing, but it does not put them in the clear as they violated the contract. If nothing else, a grievance should be filed just to document the violation.

Thanks.

To answer a previous question- I don't know if everyone was offered the break at the end of the shift. I just know that it was made known to people on my belt because I and the other person talking of the grievance did not keep it a secret. The full time sup became aware of it and came to tell us.

So the company paid you and your entire shift 45 min to do nothing, and you are complaining about a 10 min break? What am I missing?

Technically, we didn't do nothing. We filled out a useless DOK paper, did an evacuation drill, and went outside to smoke. ( /sarcasm )

We went down at about 8:10 (normal start time 4:15, actually started at ~5:00). This is not an unusual downtime for a heavy day. Were we heavy? Not really. But what this means is that we still went down at a fairly "normal" time. Unload pushed the volume out faster than usual. So yes, we had a 45min period of jerking off, then a three hour and ten minute period of heavier flow than we would have experienced otherwise. The building saved most of its "losses" by pushing the volume out quicker. Nobody had a say in any of this. If this was our choice, I'm sure most of us would have opted to start at the regular time and have a regular flow.

I, personally, had a light day, so I have nothing to complain about. Others did not. The day was quite a clusterf___ for a lot of people.

 

[jibbs]

UPS is contractually obligated to give you a break between the 2nd and 3rd hour. Offering it to you at the end is better than nothing, but it does not put them in the clear as they violated the contract. If nothing else, a grievance should be filed just to document the violation.

Holy ****, I've never had or seen anyone take a break except for supervisors or when there's a huge gap between ground and air running.

You mean to tell me I'm contractually obligated to be allowed to smoke a cigarette between my 2nd and 3rd hour of work, even if it's likely it's be just a minimum 3.5 day?




I feel like I just found the Holy Grail or some ****.

 

[laffter]

You're missing the part where you don't need a break BEFORE you've actually done any work.
The company SHOULD have had them sweep floors or clean windshields for that 45 minutes, and had a break at the contractually agreed upon time.

While I was picking my ass, I actually thought about this. Those package cars are effing dirty. Why not have everyone clean them up? Obviously we can't pressure wash them in the building, but at least have us remove the trash or something. Some drivers throw garbage around like its a dumpster.

 

[ORLY!?!]

Holy ****, I've never had or seen anyone take a break except for supervisors or when there's a huge gap between ground and air running.

You mean to tell me I'm contractually obligated to be allowed to smoke a cigarette between my 2nd and 3rd hour of work, even if it's likely it's be just a minimum 3.5 day?




I feel like I just found the Holy Grail or some ****.

Actually, having a smoke is not a contract issue, its a state law issue. If you deny someone a chance to intake some nicotine during work, thats against the law. I used it a few times, turns soups cross-eyed.

 

[UPS Preloader]

Holy ****, I've never had or seen anyone take a break except for supervisors or when there's a huge gap between ground and air running.

You mean to tell me I'm contractually obligated to be allowed to smoke a cigarette between my 2nd and 3rd hour of work, even if it's likely it's be just a minimum 3.5 day?




I feel like I just found the Holy Grail or some ****.

Unless your local supplement states otherwise...
ARTICLE 64 - BREAK PERIOD

There will be two (2) ten (10) minute break periods each workday, ten (10) minutes in the A.M. between the second (2nd) and third (3rd) hours and ten (10) minutes in the P.M. between the sixth (6th) and seventh (7th) hours. All employees working more than ten (10) hours will be paid a twenty (20) minute break. The twenty (20) minute break must be completed by the end of the 11th hour except during the months of November and December.

 

[Bagels]

Let me get some clarification. Are they contractually obligated to give us a break between x and x hours of the shift? Or is this a state law issue? I always thought it was a union thing. So, if the break was offered at the end of the shift, does that "put them in the clear"?

The company's right. In these situations, the union has concluded it's OK for the company to key in your break during the 45-minute outage, regardless of what point it came into the shift. The servers crash for an extended period of time once or twice per year here and we encounter the same dilemma.

 

[brownIEman]

You're missing the part where you don't need a break BEFORE you've actually done any work.
The company SHOULD have had them sweep floors or clean windshields for that 45 minutes, and had a break at the contractually agreed upon time.

good plan. I am sure the porters and carwashers would have been cool and not filed.
Flexibility and union shop do not go hand in hand.

 

[cosmo1]

good plan. I am sure the porters and carwashers would have been cool and not filed.
Flexibility and union shop do not go hand in hand.

​You have porters and carwashers (that actually do their jobs)?

 

[Integrity]

UPS is contractually obligated to give you a break between the 2nd and 3rd hour. Offering it to you at the end is better than nothing, but it does not put them in the clear as they violated the contract. If nothing else, a grievance should be filed just to document the violation.

UPS Preloader,

What article can I find this under?

Sincerely,
I

 

[laffter]

UPS Preloader,
What article can I find this under?

ARTICLE 64 - BREAK PERIOD

There will be two (2) ten (10) minute break periods each workday, ten (10) minutes in the A.M. between the second (2nd) and third (3rd) hours and ten (10) minutes in the P.M. between the sixth (6th) and seventh (7th) hours. All employees working more than ten (10) hours will be paid a twenty (20) minute break. The twenty (20) minute break must be completed by the end of the 11th hour except during the months of November and December.

 

[Integrity]

I wouldnt make waves about much of small stuff. UPS does things that are outrageous, those should be dealt with paper or threats of doing so. Files often lead to bad things and memories between you and their leadership. UPS will put you in situations that are different and stressful at times. The best way of dealing is learn to cope with it, take your time and do things safe. If it takes too long, too bad.

Those types of problems are going to happen, they happen here weekly. We deal with random crap all the time, you have to learn " its going to happen ". One has to recall the three things that violate, one is it unethical, two does it break the law and last is it unsafe. Sometimes UPS will make you break issues, as long as if its just once and not everyday, it shouldnt be a time for paper. Or else they will tag you as a problem.

The situations they bring you will make you or break you, learn to let water pass under a bridge.

ORLY,

It is illegal for management to retaliate against workers for filing grievances with the Union.

Sincerely,
I