Preloader- Seems the FASTER I work= the More work I get.

[Loyal Teamster]

I recently completed my probation period as a new hire in San Diego.

I'm a preloader,. I like giving my 100% effort @ work, but every time my slide is clean, my supervisor orders me across the penn to help a preloader that's backed up. What bothers me is that I'm dripping in sweatmeanwhile the other preloader is dry as rock & seems chill'n. This makes me FEEL like a FOOL & being taken advantaged of. when i RETURN 2 my area, its BACKED UP & i'll have to work TWICE as hard to CATCH UP. supervisors don't seem to care.

It seems the vast majority of preloaders in my hub work at a slow pace when loading their trucks. They all agree that the FASTER they work, the MORE work they get. I don't want to become a LAGer like most employees. I'm having Second Toughts about KEEPING JOB.

I Believe a new POLICY should be made suck as, "NO SWEAT,NO HELP"( if your not sweating, you don't deserve help)



How can I SOLVE this ISSUE without being seen a a problematic employee?

 

[PiedmontSteward]

I recently completed my probation period as a new hire in San Diego.

I'm a preloader,. I like giving my 100% effort @ work, but every time my slide is clean, my supervisor orders me across the penn to help a preloader that's backed up. What bothers me is that I'm dripping in sweatmeanwhile the other preloader is dry as rock & seems chill'n. This makes me FEEL like a FOOL & being taken advantaged of. when i RETURN 2 my area, its BACKED UP & i'll have to work TWICE as hard to CATCH UP. supervisors don't seem to care.

It seems the vast majority of preloaders in my hub work at a slow pace when loading their trucks. They all agree that the FASTER they work, the MORE work they get. I don't want to become a LAGer like most employees. I'm having Second Toughts about KEEPING JOB.

I Believe a new POLICY should be made suck as, "NO SWEAT,NO HELP"( if your not sweating, you don't deserve help)



How can I SOLVE this ISSUE without being seen a a problematic employee?

Welcome to UPS.

Hard work earns you more.. (wait for it..) hard work.

Contractually, as a bargaining unit employee, you are only required to provide "a fair day's work for a fair day's pay." That isn't an excuse to bull**** and sham it up at work, but you absolutely should not be killing yourself and doing the work of two or three other preloaders. If you're in it for the long haul, that's going to earn you at least a few hundred thousand in back, knee, and shoulder surgeries.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Union shop = seniority + mediocrity.

 

[TooTechie]

Yeah sadly that applies to drivers too. If you kill yourself to get out early you'll often be sent to help someone else. There are drivers who work hard I have no problem helping and then there are the guys who goof off all day and then go on break after you show up to take their stops and pickup their air....

 

[over9five]

Lol, I looked at the thread title and thought "Duh!"
See post #2, young buckaroo.

 

[Stopcountstoodamnhigh]

Seems the newbies' discovered the UPS business model

 

[midwest brown]

You will learn that it's better to "stay behind" a little

 

[Ghost in the Darkness]

Yeah sadly at UPS you have to know how to play the game. Give an honest effort, don't give maximum effort though because its just wasted on those who will abuse you. Like they say a fair days work for a fair days pay.

 

[Cementups]

easy peasy solution........stop being so awesome.

 

[curiousbrain]

Heh ... the sheer brutality of the honesty and ignorance (not in a bad way, he is just learning how it is and I was that way once too) in the OP's question is so crystallizing about the UPS culture that I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

[ORLY!?!]

In my first few years, I used to spend my whole shift drenched in sweat head to toe. I asked the same questions about the same types of people I had to help. Time will play its role and you will become more like your fellow worker. Nowadays, I hardly sweat and yet still keep a good pace. If they pull me away, I make sure my set fails at the end of the night. Thats just too bad.

 

[Bagels]

Yes, your assumptions are correct: the faster you work, either the more work you'll get, or the more you'll be expected to help out others on the belt. The former can be accomplished by assigning you a more challengingarea, or mixing the trucks up in your incumbent area to reach a higher piece count. The latter may be orchestrated by assigning you to a slightly lighter area, with the expectation that you'll help others around you as you get caught up, or by moving you to areas that need help -- even across the building. There will NEVER be a time in which you're always mostly caught up... that demonstrates to management that you're capable of doing more work, even if it were to seem reasonable for you to check your load for misloads. And FWIW, there are - in many buildings - lighter areas that are built with the intention of the Preloader helping out other, higher piece count workers.

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

Union shop = seniority + mediocrity.

It is funny how people like to bad mouth the union yet willingly accept all the benefits from being in said union.

 

[ORLY!?!]

It is funny how people like to bad mouth the union yet willingly accept all the benefits from being in said union.

When your making 15,17k a year for back breaking labor, you would understand.

 

[Bagels]

When your making 15,17k a year for back breaking labor, you would understand.

You could go earn $14K a year at FedEx Ground, with no benefits and no opportunity for further wage increases, doing the same work.

 

[Dracula]

Union shop = seniority + mediocrity.

I couldn't help but notice that you left out any reference to management in your neat little equation. I suppose that was just an oversight, huh?

 

[uber]

It is funny how people like to bad mouth the union yet willingly accept all the benefits from being in said union.

You gotta take the good with the bad. The good with the union far outweighs the bad and I think everybody will agree to that.

 

[ORLY!?!]

You could go earn $14K a year at FedEx Ground, with no benefits and no opportunity for further wage increases, doing the same work.

I understand this, yet in time we might see FedEx pick up its ground volume and even go union. I would love to see them go union to see how they will handle that situation. 14k starting and A/Ced buildings is a plus to most UPS workers. When FedEx first opened up across the street, they got a huge chuck of UPS workers and management to go with them. The majority that work here seem to only do it for healthcare reasons, they have other jobs or own a buisness. Conditions play a huge part in each person, weak or strong. They rather work in tempered, clean and the same conditions, even to opt out of the medical.

One of the biggest reasons we get paid so little here is for the benefits. UPS deems this as another payment, in sorts. I'm sure if I or you get seriously hurt on the job or elsewhere, UPS would fight tooth and nail not to pay for those medical bills. You have to work to earn them, if you cant then your going to get the axe.

There was a gent here that got hit by a semi after work hours, they put up paper signs asking us to donate money to him so he could pay for medical bills. I was like, WTF! He cant work, and for some reason his benefits arnt paying for his bills? The benefits seem to help out when we are sick or need a simple surgery. But get hurt to the point were you cant work anymore, and your done for good.

I see a lot of BS here, on both sides, mostly on UPS side of course. I really only come to work for the show. I love a good show.

 

[anonymous4]

My supervisor stands by the control panel and diverts more flow to me than the other sorters. He does this most of the shift and I love it. One day I'm going to win.

 

[serenity now]

You will learn that it's better to "stay behind" a little

even better is to get a little behind