Supervisors "stealing" employees time?

BakerMayfield2018

Fight the power.
As a former supervisor, I would like to say that it is much easier if you punch in/out. That allows them to make a 1sec deletion of incorrect start time and add correct start time. However, if you are writing your time down, you are essentially at the mercy of your supervisor who WILL shave time. A lot of time when my employees would leave they would put down their ten minute break and walk out and I would call them to let them know the next day that to receive the additional ten minutes they would have to stay. Just from experience their is a lot of dishonesty on both sides at the part time level. Easiest thing to do keep track, and let them know of a discrepancy when you clock in and if its not fixed file.
Lmfao. "on both sides". You are a piece of work son. Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess.Try calling me about my 10 minute break and your "part time" career would be over
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
A lot of time when my employees would leave they would put down their ten minute break and walk out and I would call them to let them know the next day that to receive the additional ten minutes they would have to stay.

I'd say ok and laugh if you called and said that to me. Then the next day, I'd make up that time twiddling my thumbs in my truck, while my light sat on solid. You probably would not have even noticed, as you would have been busy forging some paperwork about the salts you pretended to throw, or the grading of load quality you pretended to do.
 

cynic

Well-Known Member
I've lost track of the number of FT supervisors & managers I've worked with who've removed time from timecards. We had one guy that we nicknamed "Doc" -- short for payroll doctor -- that would subjectively enter time cards every day & remove enough time so that the sort met whatever goal it was attempting to reach. LP came in & took statements, checked the logs, confronted him... then slapped him on the wrist (now, Dr. Timecard ... don't do it again - or else!). Any employee that confronted him he'd challenge with 'I saw you [insert excuse here, such as spending 3 minutes in the bathroom] - you don't get paid for that, and if you insist, I'll follow you around all day and the second I catch you sipping water or anything, I'll fire you for stealing time.' Literally, the guy was a :censored2: and despite a pile of grievances, phone calls, letters to the state, you name it... he remained here until he moved on.

Today, it's still common for a supervisor to tell (not ask, not seek volunteers) an employee in the Input to walk to the furthest line in the building to go load trucks -- about a 3-4 minute brisk walk. And guess what? They dock five minutes from the time card.

We also play the game in which start time is listed as 3:55AM, the computer will show 4:00 AM -- and it's locked, so you can't change it, we'll start at 3:55AM (as scheduled), then get paid from 4:00AM because opps, they forgot about it. For the 1,000th time, because they're so super busy that correcting 400 time cards that just so happened to push their production into bonus territory slips their mind, right?

<sigh> Best advise is to keep track of your hours, each and every day.

So why don't people file complaints with the state/US Department of Labor? We're hourly employees.

Yes, I write my time down religously. Yes, I am a major pain in the ***** to my PT/FT sup's about my time. Yes, I've stated I'd file complaints with DOL if my paycheck was not accurate. Kick it outside to a government agency - they're more likely to comply with labor laws than a contract, IMO.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
Start time was at 12:45, I was there on time but my supervisors didn't assign me work until 12:53. I look at the schedule and they put my time down as 1:00. They had more staffing than usual so he tried to shave fifteen minutes off of my time. And work 7 free minutes.

Time is money!!
I asked them about it at the end of the day, they said because I wasn't working (while waiting to be assigned..), they didn't have to pay me. However, they agreed they'd give me my time back BUT only this time.

I talked to a union steward. He said management needs to give 24 hour notice to change my start time. He also said my supervisor should have known better. Union steward said he'd talk to the sups about it.

I saw about 3 other people with delayed start times as well, I wonder if my sup changed them, or is just going to take advantage of them. Maybe I should just mind my own bizz

It's called wage theft, plain and simple and illegal in all states.

Tell your supervisor that you won't call the department of labor BUT only this time.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
So why don't people file complaints with the state/US Department of Labor? We're hourly employees.

Because the type of worker who takes this job at $8.50 an hour isn't exactly well versed on their rights under the law, much less the rights the union has won for them. No offense, I took the same job. I've had checks wrong before, and they were quickly fixed, most likely to sweep it under the rug and keep other people from complaining too.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
It's called wage theft, plain and simple and illegal in all states.

Tell your supervisor that you won't call the department of labor BUT only this time.

It's not about what you know, it's about what you can prove. The department of labor won't help you, ask a waiter or waitress about being cheated out of time, they know all about it.

​That's why we have a union... talk to a steward, problem solved.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
I've lost track of the number of FT supervisors & managers I've worked with who've removed time from timecards. We had one guy that we nicknamed "Doc" -- short for payroll doctor -- that would subjectively enter time cards every day & remove enough time so that the sort met whatever goal it was attempting to reach. LP came in & took statements, checked the logs, confronted him... then slapped him on the wrist (now, Dr. Timecard ... don't do it again - or else!). Any employee that confronted him he'd challenge with 'I saw you [insert excuse here, such as spending 3 minutes in the bathroom] - you don't get paid for that, and if you insist, I'll follow you around all day and the second I catch you sipping water or anything, I'll fire you for stealing time.' Literally, the guy was a :censored2: and despite a pile of grievances, phone calls, letters to the state, you name it... he remained here until he moved on.

Today, it's still common for a supervisor to tell (not ask, not seek volunteers) an employee in the Input to walk to the furthest line in the building to go load trucks -- about a 3-4 minute brisk walk. And guess what? They dock five minutes from the time card.

We also play the game in which start time is listed as 3:55AM, the computer will show 4:00 AM -- and it's locked, so you can't change it, we'll start at 3:55AM (as scheduled), then get paid from 4:00AM because opps, they forgot about it. For the 1,000th time, because they're so super busy that correcting 400 time cards that just so happened to push their production into bonus territory slips their mind, right?

<sigh> Best advise is to keep track of your hours, each and every day.

I remember all those from when I went to supervisor training.
 

UPSGUY72

Well-Known Member
Start time was at 12:45, I was there on time but my supervisors didn't assign me work until 12:53. I look at the schedule and they put my time down as 1:00. They had more staffing than usual so he tried to shave fifteen minutes off of my time. And work 7 free minutes.

Time is money!!
I asked them about it at the end of the day, they said because I wasn't working (while waiting to be assigned..), they didn't have to pay me. However, they agreed they'd give me my time back BUT only this time.

I talked to a union steward. He said management needs to give 24 hour notice to change my start time. He also said my supervisor should have known better. Union steward said he'd talk to the sups about it.

I saw about 3 other people with delayed start times as well, I wonder if my sup changed them, or is just going to take advantage of them. Maybe I should just mind my own bizz

We all have a set start time. You should get paid from that time till the time you punch out any else deserve a grievance.
 

OPTION3

Well-Known Member
It's simple really....you are to be paid for all time in the service of the company.....let them dock you and then file for incorrect pay...if it's over 15 bucks (for PT) they owe you the penalty on top of the shortage. It also makes them answer the question at panel which doesn't make the LABOR manager very happy! I have won several of those where they want me to be at a distant location of our building at start time.....I respond my start time is at the diad rack, I cant be at the diad rack and OTHER center(10 minutes away) at the same time. Management really is that DENSE
 

blkmamba

Well-Known Member
I would give them there ten minute break once, but otherwise it is stealing time and this is more towards the part time employees inside. I have no idea how it works for the Drivers.
 

blkmamba

Well-Known Member
Why would my career have been over? If you leave and stated you took a break without actually taking one, then your career would be over. Not trying to make waves, just stating their is a lot of dishonesty and distrust on both sides. Also, my part time career is over I moved on to bigger and better things...don't miss it at all. All the cal would be for is to let them know is that for tomorrow they must physically take their break, otherwise I could have been fired for adding time. Everyone has to cover their own butt at UPS.
 

8Keys

Active Member
Why would my career have been over? If you leave and stated you took a break without actually taking one, then your career would be over. Not trying to make waves, just stating their is a lot of dishonesty and distrust on both sides. Also, my part time career is over I moved on to bigger and better things...don't miss it at all. All the cal would be for is to let them know is that for tomorrow they must physically take their break, otherwise I could have been fired for adding time. Everyone has to cover their own butt at UPS.
Why didn't you schedule your employees for breaks during the sort? They are entitled to have one. Standing around for 10 minutes after everything is wrapped up is not a break. If the employees grieved for 10 minutes pay they would win. If they faced discipline for adding 10 minutes to their time, they would also win.
 

BLACKBALLED

Well-Known Member
First off, the question was why was he working free for 7 minutes, no supervisor be it Full or PT has the right to adjust your time without approval and your knowledge, time shaving is an integrity issue and can get any management in serious trouble, if you start working without clocking in to get ahead of the game and no-one asked or approved you to do this and then suddenly you want all of that volunteered free time back you will be out of luck, as far as pt sups being corrupt and shaving numbers, there is some truth to the fact when I ran the twilight sort I would always have to double check preloads time cards because the sup hardly made his numbers and tried to charge hrs to my sort, I would always call them out on it, i did not make a lot of friends in management that way but my main concern was my sort and my guys getting their hours.
 

oldngray

nowhere special
I have never seen any management person get fired for shaving time from hourly. I had a center manager who did it and nothing was done to him. When they do it they are saving the company money so UPS has a vested interest in encouraging it to occur.
 

TednAZ

Member
This is commonplace at my hub.They'll shave 5 minutes off the end of your clock out time and then turn around and write you up for being 2 minutes late the next day
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
I have never seen any management person get fired for shaving time from hourly. I had a center manager who did it and nothing was done to him. When they do it they are saving the company money so UPS has a vested interest in encouraging it to occur.

Unfortunately, I have seen dozens get fired for this.
Often I was on investigation teams.

Wiped out 12 people in one fail swoop back in the 90's in Miami.
The funny thing is the fired management did not see anything wrong with this ... different culture. At least superficially.
 

Bagels

Family Leave Fridays!!!
My BA once explained it to me as the local regularly strikes backdoor deals that keeps IBT members working, even though UPS's guidelines would suggest that these cases proceed through the arbitration process. Therefore, the local took the position that if IBT members kept track of their time , noticed discrepancies & the company made them whole - either at the time or a the local hearing - the matter would be dropped. I filed on a FT supervisor (nicknamed The Doc, short for time card doctor) who was a habitual offender, and the remedy the union pushed for was that only two persons (both OMS) would be "granted" access to "correcting" time cards for one year.

Today it's rare that my time cards are doctored. I'm unclear if that's because management's keeping their hands off the time cards, or because they finally learned that they'll get themselves caught if they change mine. Regardless, tricks still played indirectly.

Unfortunately, I have seen dozens get fired for this.
Often I was on investigation teams.

Wiped out 12 people in one fail swoop back in the 90's in Miami.
The funny thing is the fired management did not see anything wrong with this ... different culture. At least superficially.
 

BakerMayfield2018

Fight the power.
I have never seen any management person get fired for shaving time from hourly. I had a center manager who did it and nothing was done to him. When they do it they are saving the company money so UPS has a vested interest in encouraging it to occur.
I have seen 2 center manager's in the last 5 years fired for this horrendous act.
 
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