Something new to hold us accountable for

Fnix

Well-Known Member
Nothing like picking up a box on the sort aisle shoulder high and then having bolts, paper or bouncy balls fall all over.
 

Fishbulb

Well-Known Member
I cant imagine why any sup would give this BS to a preloader. I dont know about other hubs across the country but in mine a good preloader is someone who shows up to work everyday. 90% of our preloaders are kids fresh out of high school who just want some cash, they really dont give a crap about being fired. Especially when UPS works them likes dogs, treats them like garbage & pays them $9 something an hour. Management always says its the benefits that make the job worth while. Do you really think some 18 year old kid gives a rats a** about benefits?
 

LKLND3380

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by LKLND3380
A person calls in... Is this an hour before start time or less than an hour?

Does not matter. Under your point I can't ask the guy why he is not coming into work. Have to have a steward next to me and have to have one driven out to the guys house.

In our building you must call in one hour before start time OR be written up... If a Steward is not present then it can be argued that the hourly did not call in one hour before or not at all...

Thats fine. someone who draws the line where every conversation requires a steward being present will see that I use that steward when I may not have disciplined the guy otherwise.
So again weingarten is fine and I agree with the principles of representation. Going back to the original conversation as you asked the employee did not load any damages therefore he had nothing to be investigated for. Therefore a steward was not required. If the conversation had turned accusatory at any point then the employee would have been within his rights to ask for representation. Once he asks for representation I'm checking his load because he had no need for a steward if he did not load any damages. If I find one then it gets ugly for him. Asking for a steward for all work related conversations will hurt him more then it will help him. There will be no breaks if I have to have a steward everytime I ask him a work related question.

If you find a damage and the steward is present it can be doccumented.

If he signs a paper and then leaves the building one minute before driver start time OR one hour before driver start time, ANYONE can send a tape up down the belt and it be loaded by anyone (preferably an hourly) into the package car.

In my building we have been sent home as early as 7:30AM and Airs arrive at 8:20 or they are running late because of a fire in some other state.

Bottom line is that unless the preloader watched the package car leave the building there is no way they know what may have been loaded onto their cars.

Now if you want to say good morning, ask how the flow is, ask if there are many irregs, ask if they got their paycheck or even talk about the start time... These are all work related but nothing the hourly can get in trouble for.
 

LKLND3380

Well-Known Member
This all goes back to my rant about damaged packages. If people wouldn't allow them in the system then none of this would happen. So, if you are a preloader and one comes down the belt then do your part and either tape it up or give it to whoever deals with damages. Don't just put it on the truck. I had two damaged packages on my truck today and 5 opened packages. I ended up bringing back more than two though because a couple of the opened packages lost their contents when I picked them up off the floor. When I parked my truck at the end of the day there was metal fasteners, Avon booklets, magazines, and packing "popcorn" all over the floor of the truck.

And no....you don't have to sign anything.

I try to make sure each of my cars has a tape gun and I keep them at the end of the 8000 shelf for easy access. Under the belt I keep a tote for Airs and at the end of sort I toss the tape gun in the tote and bring everything to the front of the package car.

Even though I know each package car had a a tape gun the previous day - they disappear... I can ask four of my co workers next to me for a tape gun and no one can find one. I can ask the belt supe and maybe get one after I ask again and remind while on break.

I hate those Avon boxes with the straps that do nothing but fall off...
 

local804

Well-Known Member
One manager in the ELI building within the year was warned about not having a steward present during a drilling of proper methods and intimidation on the route. One month later after this pep talk with the labor relation mgr and the business agent, a different manager used the same scare tactics and intimidation on the route and got booted the day after to another building in the district. Do we need a shop steward present for every question including why a feeder is late, hell no. Should we have a steward present before we sign anything, hell yea! I see where they are going with these sheeted damage packages they are making the preload sign for. In most cases, drivers are told(indirectly) to sheet (offroute) packages damaged and return to clerk at night. This will work for a little while tilll the higher ups figure out whats going on, and it looks like they have.
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
That whole point is somewhat extreme since using your argument could result in someone having a steward with them the entire morning for normal work related conversation.

If I have to have a steward with me just to have normal work related dialogue then you can better believe I will use him and give discipline.

If you give the sup the crappy answer that you are not talking to him until you have a steward present then it could end up backfiring on you.

What your wiengarten rights also mean is that I can't use anything I find out in an interview if I did not have the shop steward present.

Therefore If the sup does an interview and you confess to triple homicide without a steward there then it can't be used.
The sup does you a favor under wiengarten if he does not have the steward present when he interviews.

Insisting on the steward being there actually strengthens the supervisors position not the employees.


Tie, if what you say is true about UPS not being able to use anything against you without a steward, then I never want one with me, LOL. I actually never had one with me in my entire 9 year career, so I don't anticipate it the the future.

Seriously, what good is the steward? He's not a lawyer. He's just an hourly like me and I think I know the contract just as well as he does. You're right, it strengthens the company's position.
 

LKLND3380

Well-Known Member
Seriously, what good is the steward? He's not a lawyer. He's just an hourly like me and I think I know the contract just as well as he does. You're right, it strengthens the company's position.

Stewards are supposed to go through yearly training with the Teamsters. Here in Local 79 the just completed this training. They are supposed to know the contract and what they don't know - be able to find VERY FAST... They should have the BA on speed dial.
 
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