Seniority (unless you're high up there) is hog wash for extra work?

[Mike23]

I'm not sure how it is at other depots (Steve would say this is my OCD again ) but at mine seniority doesn't seem to count for much unless you're a +7 year person.

I know I'm halfway up there in the polls but am almost always stuck with splits. I asked a sup about it and was confirmed that, 'we look at who we know will actually do the job'. I took this as, 'we look at who will not just scan everything as NOF and that we'll have to fire later'.

Our bidding is a joke since I recall only seeing around 10 routes up for bid although we have around 200 routes onroad! Of course it's only the most senior routes up for bid so only the most senior drivers actually get them.

We're supposedly moving into a new hub this fall, maybe that has to do with the lack of routes for bid? I'm not too sure. It just seems like seniority, other then on my paycheck, means jack squat. Anyone else see it this way?

 

[scratch]

200 routes on road and only ten come up for bid? I have never heard of anything like that. We have about 120 in our building, and all bid routes are bid every two years. Not sure of the ratio, but maybe 80-90 per cent are bid routes. I still have to worry every two years with my 25 years seniority, and I'm 4th from the top. There is always someone above me to worry about.

 

[Mike23]

200 routes on road and only ten come up for bid? I have never heard of anything like that. We have about 120 in our building, and all bid routes are bid every two years. Not sure of the ratio, but maybe 80-90 per cent are bid routes. I still have to worry every two years with my 25 years seniority, and I'm 4th from the top. There is always someone above me to worry about.

Calgary (my area) was SCREWED (not just a capital S but ALL capital word) for YEARS. We had a 150% turn over rate for drivers for the first 3 months. Our new building we're supposed to be 'relooping' so I think that might be something to do with it? It seems like all the routes up for bid are out of town so they wouldn't need 'relooping' for the new hub.

I know it started in Feb the bids and stopped not even 1 month after they started going up and it was only 3 at a time so it was around 10. The guy beside me who's been doing his route for around 3 years wasn't even up for bid

Our Onroad sups actually had to do deliveries we were so short staffed so no one was really 'planning' routes because of it. Now we're just catching up I suppose since they're where they belong...BEHIND A DESK!!!

 

[yeldarb]

200 routes on road and only ten come up for bid? I have never heard of anything like that. We have about 120 in our building, and all bid routes are bid every two years. Not sure of the ratio, but maybe 80-90 per cent are bid routes. I still have to worry every two years with my 25 years seniority, and I'm 4th from the top. There is always someone above me to worry about.

Are you talking every route bid in package? Or is this feeders?

 

[ikoi62]

200 routes on road and only ten come up for bid? I have never heard of anything like that. We have about 120 in our building, and all bid routes are bid every two years. Not sure of the ratio, but maybe 80-90 per cent are bid routes. I still have to worry every two years with my 25 years seniority, and I'm 4th from the top. There is always someone above me to worry about.

Im sure you know that not every place bids routes every 2 years.I was on my route for 20 years and the only time i thought about coming off it was when i took a inside job.

 

[Mike23]

Are you talking every route bid in package? Or is this feeders?

Just regular delivery routes. I really think they need to make it mandatory for the company to put a route up to bid every two years because it's kind of silly to say routes are coming up for bid that are ONLY available if you have 10+ years.

 

[cachsux]

Just regular delivery routes. I really think they need to make it mandatory for the company to put a route up to bid every two years because it's kind of silly to say routes are coming up for bid that are ONLY available if you have 10+ years.

Any one should be allowed to bid on any route but if it takes 10 yrs seniority to win it.....thats the breaks. As far as rebidding every two years it seems like it would be aggravating to the driver that straightens out a route and then have another driver take it from him. When I was in pkg routes were only bid when someone retired or wanted off it.
Of course now in feeder we rebid every 6 months.

 

[Big Babooba]

I still have to worry every two years with my 25 years seniority, and I'm 4th from the top. There is always someone above me to worry about.

My friend "Nunzi"owns a charter boat on the East River in NYC. He can take those three stiffs... er ...people ahead of you for a boat ride. Of course, you'll have to pay their way.

 

[Mike23]

Any one should be allowed to bid on any route but if it takes 10 yrs seniority to win it.....thats the breaks. As far as rebidding every two years it seems like it would be aggravating to the driver that straightens out a route and then have another driver take it from him. When I was in pkg routes were only bid when someone retired or wanted off it.
Of course now in feeder we rebid every 6 months.

It might be aggravating but at least seniority would mean something. Likely the driver would keep the route anyways since the better ones would already have been bidded on by more senior guys. You know most drivers hate figuring out new routes. Once we hit our comfort zone we stay there. Not all drivers, but I think this is for most.

 

[cachsux]

Seniority does mean something. If you don`t have it you might not get what you want. I`m in the top 1/3 of my board. 1/3 get to pick ahead of me,2/3 behind me,it`s just the way it is. Same as any other board.

 

[scratch]

Are you talking every route bid in package? Or is this feeders?

Package. We bid every two years in Center. If a route comes open in another Center we can bid on that one.

Im sure you know that not every place bids routes every 2 years.I was on my route for 20 years and the only time i thought about coming off it was when i took a inside job.

Yeah, I know it varies by location. I am thankful we are not stuck on the same route forever like some places. I would have been disabled by now if I was still handling a thousand pieces a day in a straight van on my first route in an industrial park.

My friend "Nunzi"owns a charter boat on the East River in NYC. He can take those three stiffs... er ...people ahead of you for a boat ride. Of course, you'll have to pay their way.

A long time ago, we had some people like that in my Local. A stick or two of dynamite under a new tractor would help speed up settling a contract. There is just one guy I worry about. He told everybody he bid over into my Center with the intention of rolling me off my route. He changed his mind at the last minute, mine had too many stops on it and I had the EAM work pulled off of it he wanted.

 

[Mike23]

Seniority does mean something. If you don`t have it you might not get what you want. I`m in the top 1/3 of my board. 1/3 get to pick ahead of me,2/3 behind me,it`s just the way it is. Same as any other board.

Yes, but how often do your routes come up for bid?

With us, when I was hired, I was told EVERY year. Well, been a year and only 10 that I've seen and you need to be top 1/3 to get them. My point is if you're not those 10+ year people you're stuck where they place you.

Contract says you're SUPPOSED to be able to bid on contracts. Unfortunately it doesn't say how often those contracts come up.

 

[brownrodster]

I'm glad my center does not rebid routes. A driver stays on his bid route until he retires, bids on a new route or for some reason decides to cover drive again.

I'm very happy that I remain a full time driver without a bid route. I wouldn't last if I had to do the same route every day. I'd quit, be fired, or every business on the route would switch to fedex.

 

[cachsux]

As I said,in pkg they only came up when someone retired or wanted off. in feeder we rebid every 6 months.If routes are not going up for bid per your contract then grieve it. As far as that route you want,bid on it. If no one else does or they have less seniority its yours.If someones telling you you can`t bid on something because you have less than 10 years maybe they mean you would need 10 years to land it. If you don`t have the seniority to get it then sorry. We can`t give you any more seniority than what you have.

 

[Mike23]

As I said,in pkg they only came up when someone retired or wanted off. in feeder we rebid every 6 months.If routes are not going up for bid per your contract then grieve it. As far as that route you want,bid on it. If no one else does or they have less seniority its yours.If someones telling you you can`t bid on something because you have less than 10 years maybe they mean you would need 10 years to land it. If you don`t have the seniority to get it then sorry. We can`t give you any more seniority than what you have.

No, no, no. It's DIFFERENT here in Calgary. When we had the 150% turn over rate in the first three months you have no idea who has more seniority then you do. You see new faces all the time and think, 'hmm, was that dude on vacation or are they more senior?' Also a lot of seniority are only spaced a few months apart because of this.

 

[DS]

No, no, no. It's DIFFERENT here in Calgary. When we had the 150% turn over rate in the first three months you have no idea who has more seniority then you do. You see new faces all the time and think, 'hmm, was that dude on vacation or are they more senior?' Also a lot of seniority are only spaced a few months apart because of this.

Mike...as per our collective agreement 2004-2010 Canada
see page16...
seniority lists for both ft and pt employees,by date of hire,shall be posted on the bulliten board,and revised every 3 months.

 

[Mike23]

Mike...as per our collective agreement 2004-2010 Canada
see page16...
seniority lists for both ft and pt employees,by date of hire,shall be posted on the bulliten board,and revised every 3 months.

Sorry, I'll blame my inconsiderate rookiness on this one If it's not up for bid though does it not become a pain to try to bump someone less senior?

 

[DS]

They'll get over it,well yes a driver must me fired or transfered or have taken another area to go up for bid.

 

[cachsux]

There should be a board with every ones name on it with their seniority dates. Respectfully,I went back and checked and found you have been with UPS for roughly 14 months and are already in the top half of your board? Thats far ahead of where many of us were in the same time period. Plus it sounds like you went right to driving. At 14 months I was halfway through my PTimer stint. You are far better off than your letting on. You could be at the bottom of your 300 man board.

 

[Mike23]

There should be a board with every ones name on it with their seniority dates. Respectfully,I went back and checked and found you have been with UPS for roughly 14 months and are already in the top half of your board? Thats far ahead of where many of us were in the same time period. Plus it sounds like you went right to driving. At 14 months I was halfway through my PTimer stint. You are far better off than your letting on. You could be at the bottom of your 300 man board.

Nope. I had a sup tell me I was about halfway up. I know I'm not bottom 10% cause my hours weren't cut. I know I'm halfway up because I do see people with less seniority. As I said, things were REALLY messed up when I first started. It was 0800-2030 every day for months on end. It was peak all year round!

Our sups didn't even get mad when we delivered late air or had missed packages!