ride alongs

[lvgolfer962]

sorry in advance for the long post

im a utility driver and i tried to file a 9.5 last month and was told that i cant because i dont have a route and they cant adjust the route everyday just for me. so for the last month ive been actually taking my lunches and breaks instead of working through them like ive always done. so instead of beating routes im getting beat. i show up tuesday and the sup "says lets go" so im like what going on here?, (sup) your getting 3 day ride. so whatever i play your game for 3 days, first day were out 11 hours with 160 stops and another driver took 10-13 stops off me, second day were out 10 hours 140 stops, third day 125 stop and were out 9 hours and everyday getting beat 50-60 clicks. was going to call in friday but decided that i wanted to see what the outcome of this 3 day ride was all about. well i walk in and im on the same route(guy got fired so hes gone for a while) and the sup is following me to the truck and i said your going with me again?, hes all yep. so i loose it and head straight to the center managers office to see *** is going on here, he tells me that im getting a babysitter until i scratch or beat the route. so i go into the whole im a utility and this is not my route routine and that this is harassment. he told me that there trying to fix the route and i do frequently, i told him that i told you how to fix it and 3 days should have been more than enough time for the sup to figure it out as well.

anyone ever had this happen or hear of it happening to them?
what should my next move be?

 

[UPSF Peeon]

i hear fedex is hiring

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

As a cover driver your rights are somewhat limited. It looks like you will have some company until they turn their focus on someone else.

You actually made the bed that you are now sweating in by not taking your lunch and breaks.

 

[jimstud]

i hear fedex is hiring

why don't you go apply.

 

[over9five]

I don't recall the over 9.5 language saying "except for those who don't have routes", so you should file on that every week.

Definitely sounds like you're being harrassed, so I'd file on that.

Get with your steward.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Over, it is Article 37 and there are no such exclusions for cover drivers.

 

[dilligaf]

Golfer, first of all, where are you. The language (not in the contract but agreed to by UPS and the IBT) varies from region to region. If you are in the Western Region I have a great deal of experience with this. This is how it goes here:

9.5's are honored here for utilities (very few areas use the term utility driver, so I'm guessing you are from the Western Region). For those that may be confused, Utility drivers and cover drivers are not the same thing. Utility is FT, cover is PT. Here, this means a different seniority list.

I have to be on a bid rte for a week, the first time I go over 2 9.5 hr days I request to be put on the 9.5 list for that rte. The 2nd time I get that same bid and I go over again I can file and get paid for going over. Exception: the company has to be able to make adjustments in the rte, if they can't then that particular rte does not qualify for a 9.5 grievance. All of our rtes can be adjusted. The draw back to this process is that I have to do this process solely and seperately for every single rte.

If you are repeatedly getting ride alongs file on it. It is harrassment. Mgt can do an OJS once a year. You actually did a disservice to yourself by working through your lunch and breaks. It will be a long uphill battle to correct it. Stick with it and STOP!!! working through your lunch and breaks. They will be on your ass like a diaper. Change your attitude towards it. It will do you no good to get pissed off about it. Instead, tell them come on, brown up, I want to learn. Be open to learning. Listen and ask questions. The minute you stop fighting with them is the minute they lose and you start winning. Trust me, I know from experience. Stand your ground but don't get pissed off. Water off a ducks back. Keep notes. Every day. I had to do this for 2 years before they finally started leaving me alone and I continued to do it until I felt safe enough to stop. It also helped that I got a new on-road that I actually trusted enough.

Over said to get with your steward. ABSOLUTELY! Find out what the process is for your area. Don't trust that your mgt team is going to tell you the in's and out's of what the process is. Find out from your steward or your BA. They are there to look out for you, usually.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Dilli, I assume by his user name he is from Las Vegas.

 

[soberups]

Article 37 grievance---oversupervision and harassment.

Make sure you include the comment your center manager made about "getting a babysitter until you scratch the route." If that isnt harassment, I dont know what is.

Your management team is employing the standard tactic of trying to bully you into working off of the clock in order to "make standard". Their "solution".... is to put the Band-Aid of your skipped lunch over the cancer of their unfair time allowance. They have no intention of solving the underlying problem, they onlly care about manipulating the metric.

 

[dilligaf]

Dilli, I assume by his user name he is from Las Vegas.

You are probably right. I had to re-read his SN, thanks.

 

[dilligaf]

I have sent an email to my BA to ask if Nev is under the same language that we are as far as 9.5's and utilities. Let you know what he says.

 

[lvgolfer962]

i am in nevada, we just got moved into the California district so i dont know what has changed. i had my yearly safety ride 2 weeks ago if that makes any difference. this isnt the first time ive had issues with mngt, a couple years ago i got a grievance check for 4 grand. ever since ive had a target on my back.

 

[laborer]

In the Southern area we have been told the International has renegotiated our 9.5 language. Our coverage drivers(full-time) can no longer file 9.5's if they are on a unassigned route. If they are covering a bid route they have to be on the same route 3 days(all over 9.5) or they can't file. Most are not on the same route more than 2 days now if over 9.5. They also can't file if the bid driver is not on the 9.5 list. Gotta love new deals struck in the middle of contracts that the members get no say in....

 

[bumped]

Get a copy of the stops you delivered each day. What stops are add/cuts can make a big difference of what your numbers can look like.

 

[lvgolfer962]

In the Southern area we have been told the International has renegotiated our 9.5 language. Our coverage drivers(full-time) can no longer file 9.5's if they are on a unassigned route. If they are covering a bid route they have to be on the same route 3 days(all over 9.5) or they can't file. Most are not on the same route more than 2 days now if over 9.5. They also can't file if the bid driver is not on the 9.5 list. Gotta love new deals struck in the middle of contracts that the members get no say in....

that's exactly what my steward told me

 

[dilligaf]

that's exactly what my steward told me

Then your language is slightly different than ours is. My Local Pres. saved us to some degree by negotiating for a little more favorable language. If I'm not on a rte that I bidded on for the week then I can't file 9.5's. I also don't have to have the regular driver on the 9.5 list. My Local Pres is also on the 9.5 committee. That may have made a difference.

 

[brownrod]

Keep your cool with management. You need to do what they say.

Maybe be honest with the sup and center manager. Tell them it's impossible for you to scratch while safely following the methods and taking lunch/breaks.

 

[lvgolfer962]

that's going to be a task in itself lol. ive noticed over the years of being a driver that my fuse has gotten very short, i used to be laid back and nothing bothered me not anymore lol. it is going to be impossible to scratch when every time i turn around the sup is standing in my way, guess i will be having a passenger for a while
thanks
d

 

[dilligaf]

that's going to be a task in itself lol. ive noticed over the years of being a driver that my fuse has gotten very short, i used to be laid back and nothing bothered me not anymore lol. it is going to be impossible to scratch when every time i turn around the sup is standing in my way, guess i will be having a passenger for a while
thanks
d

You can politely (the first time) let them know that they are invading your personal space. A sup should know better from the get-go but sometimes they need to be reminded. They can observe at a comfortable distance. A sup that has to be right next to me will learn very quickly to stay away. It's like training a dog to heal. Abruptly changing pathes and stepping on toes will train one to pay attention or back off.

 

[lvgolfer962]

You can politely (the first time) let them know that they are invading your personal space. A sup should know better from the get-go but sometimes they need to be reminded. They can observe at a comfortable distance. A sup that has to be right next to me will learn very quickly to stay away. It's like training a dog to heal. Abruptly changing pathes and stepping on toes will train one to pay attention or back off.

haha lol