the summer of warning letters

[Omega man]

23 is my number. But I don't look at any print outs in the morning. Most evenings I donate my turn in time to UPS. Getting old, and just trying to survive. First i've heard of the .5 rule.

By donating your time do you mean punching out and working off the clock? If so, you are not helping yourself and actually are hurting others. Letting UPS victimize you only empowers them to try to do it to others. We are all trying to survive, not just you. Screw their bogus numbers. We don't work for free.

 

[browniehound]

I say bring it on too as I am not going to do anything different. I'm going to be forced to talk less, but that's about it. This and the supervisor 2 steps behind me all day is going to give him his desired better number. The problem is, this doesn't represent the normal daily life of a UPS driver.

During safety rides, the sup. shoots the breeze as much as I do with my customers, yet its taboo during an OJS. No talking other than hi, can you sign and bye is allowed. This, in my opinion, is a great way to generate sales leads! (HAS A SALES LEAD EVER BEEN SOUGHT OR GENERATED ON AN OJS? Yeah, I didn't think so). I think I will continue this method long after the 3-day ride because I need to make the number proven on my OJS. I won't ask anyone how they are doing because they will respond by answering and this is not allowed, lol.

About 2.5 months ago the driver next to me on the line got an OJS. He has been with UPS for 27 years and is 59 years old. This was his first(suddenly after 27 years he is not good enough?) OJS ride of his career. About two weeks ago he was told his SPHOR was slipping lately since his ride.

I wouldn't have a problem with this if the driver were 25,30,35,40,45 or even 50. This poor guy is 5 years away from being a senior citizen and the center manager is busting him for performance! Can't they give anyone a break?

He goes out, acts proffesional, delivers his air on time, services all his packages, completes all his pick-ups on time and within the compliance time, and brings it back safely every night. He has done this every day for the last 27 years.

However, now that we are in the worst recession since the Great Depression he simply is not good enough at age 59. How ruthless is UPS? They are simply colder than the coldest-blooded killer in the world. The company should be rewarding him for his longevity and dedication to the job for almost 3 decades.

Instead they are whipping him like a race-horse in an attempt to get him to deliver a half a package more an hour. Why does UPS waste their time with him? They can't fire him for production because I believe it states in the Master Agreement that (I am paraphrasing) : consideration will be given to the age and physical condition of the employee in reagards to performance.

I think they should leave him alone and go after some young buck that is suspected of milking it. Again, why go after the old-timer?

 

[thessalonian13]

Several,, no, more than several drivers in my center have gotten warning letters over production in the past couple of weeks. Some have even gotten the 5 day suspension notice. This is mindblowing as several of the above mentioned are hard workers, they are all grieving it,, but the harassment is still going on strong. Any other centers dealing with this nonsense?

I wonder what a real lawyer would think about all this crap going on. I bet if this happenned at other companies, there would be lawsuits galore. Think all of us as witnesses to back up these harassment claims. Just thinking out loud.

 

[bham brown]

I wonder what a real lawyer would think about all this crap going on. I bet if this happenned at other companies, there would be lawsuits galore. Think all of us as witnesses to back up these harassment claims. Just thinking out loud.

Unfortunately, a class action lawsuit may be the only thing that wakes this company up. It is sad that UPS has taken this stance toward the employees who built this company. It is as though they could care less if they are in business 10 years from now. It's all about how much money they can make and the heck with hourly employees or customers.

As far as the radar the op was talkin about. I know I am on it. I do my job to the best of my ability as do most drivers. But in my building if you don't run, skip your lunch, or set your truck up in the a.m. off the clock you are going to be overallowed. Thus putting you on the radar. Do your job by the METHODS and do it SAFELY and you will be fine. Whether you are on the radar or not.

 

[over9five]

<sigh>

I had my 3 day ride about 3 months ago. It was a completely fair assessment of those days. The sup was not kicking my ankles, or telling me to hurry up. I did nothing different than the days before. In fact, after day two he told me the first two days averaged exactly what I did the day before without him.
The number should only be used as an average. You should be able to beat it occasionally too.

Do what you always do while on your ride. If you're doing things differently, than you did it to yourself and you deserve what you get.

If they significantly change your route after your 3 day ride, then you have an issue. Reasonable people should be able to agree that this would affect your SPORH.

 

[Jones]

<sigh>

I had my 3 day ride about 3 months ago. It was a completely fair assessment of those days. The sup was not kicking my ankles, or telling me to hurry up. I did nothing different than the days before. In fact, after day two he told me the first two days averaged exactly what I did the day before without him.
The number should only be used as an average. You should be able to beat it occasionally too.

Do what you always do while on your ride. If you're doing things differently, than you did it to yourself and you deserve what you get.

If they significantly change your route after your 3 day ride, then you have an issue. Reasonable people should be able to agree that this would affect your SPORH.

What led to you getting a 3 day ride in the first place?

 

[over9five]

What led to you getting a 3 day ride in the first place?

They said the route hadn't been done (ridden) in a long time, so they had no current SPOHR for it.

 

[Jones]

They said the route hadn't been done (ridden) in a long time, so they had no current SPOHR for it.

So up there everybody gets a 3 day, regardless of the numbers? That's interesting. Down here it's only done when they want to crack the whip on someone who they think is "underperforming".

 

[JustTired]

SPORH alone.......without consideration of the myriad allowances and variables of the job as a whole......is no where close to a fair measurement of a persons worth.

bham brown said it best "It is as though they could care less if they are in business 10 years from now." I'll go a step further and say that with all of the jobs sent overseas....It is as though all corporations could care less if there is a U.S. in 10 years (OK...maybe 20 at the most). It comes down to greed.... pure and simple!

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But if it does they have no one to blame but themselves. The smart ones are converting there money to anything but the US dollar as we speak.

Someone needs to step up to the plate and stop the insanity.

 

[over9five]

SPORH alone.......without consideration of the myriad allowances and variables of the job as a whole......is no where close to a fair measurement of a persons worth.

But when the SPOHR is derived from a 3 day ride, it does take everything into account (at least for those 3 days, as an average).

I like SPOHR better than over/under. SPOHR's easy to figure out, no-one can figure out over/under.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The key word is average. If you run 19.0, 20.0 and 18.0, which works out to an average of 19.0, would be better than the company going with the 20.0

Production, the use of technology for discipline and healthcare will be three of the major issues in 2013.

 

[FracusBrown]

SPORH alone.......without consideration of the myriad allowances and variables of the job as a whole......is no where close to a fair measurement of a persons worth.

bham brown said it best "It is as though they could care less if they are in business 10 years from now." I'll go a step further and say that with all of the jobs sent overseas....It is as though all corporations could care less if there is a U.S. in 10 years (OK...maybe 20 at the most). It comes down to greed.... pure and simple!

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But if it does they have no one to blame but themselves. The smart ones are converting there money to anything but the US dollar as we speak.

Someone needs to step up to the plate and stop the insanity.

In a production based job, what should determine a persons worth?

 

[hellfire]

whats alarming to me is most of the drivers getting harassed are honest , hard workers , most with high senority.They go out,, never complain, dont have attendance or discipline issues..on a side note,, some of the drivers getting warning letters are still running under but not meeting there new stops per hour qouta

 

[soberups]

<sigh>


Do what you always do while on your ride. If you're doing things differently, than you did it to yourself and you deserve what you get.

If they significantly change your route after your 3 day ride, then you have an issue. Reasonable people should be able to agree that this would affect your SPORH.

We dont work for "reasonable people".

We work for people who are unable to do our jobs, so they justify their own by writing X number of warning letters per week in order to meet a quota.

We service the customer; they service the metric. We generate the revenue; they piss it away on petty harrassment, endless reports, and meaningless warning letters.

 

[Jones]

If they do a 3 day ride, 4 day ride, whatever, the number they use should not be an average, it should be your worst (least best) day. Because those days do happen, obviously it happened with a sup on the car.

 

[Driveslayer]

Its important to have union meetings in the morning before work to update drivers on these issues. Several drivers must get involved to inform others. If your steward seems unmotivated to schedule meetings, then call your business agent, local and national. Some drivers have been fired related to production. UPS knows they would be setting themselves up for lawsuits once an driver is fired, so they are very selective in that process. No one is off their radar, but they are concentrating on replacing Gen Y drivers and eventually filling those spots from the huge pool of applicants that they can work into the system. I expect many innocent people are going to be involved in traggic accidents, because of this unrelenting pressure to go unrealistically faster. Eventually ups will be held liable. Hang in there and protect your rights.

 

[LagunaBrown]

Its important to have union meetings in the morning before work to update drivers on these issues. Several drivers must get involved to inform others. If your steward seems unmotivated to schedule meetings, then call your business agent, local and national. Some drivers have been fired related to production. UPS knows they would be setting themselves up for lawsuits once an driver is fired, so they are very selective in that process. No one is off their radar, but they are concentrating on replacing Gen Y drivers and eventually filling those spots from the huge pool of applicants that they can work into the system. I expect many innocent people are going to be involved in traggic accidents, because of this unrelenting pressure to go unrealistically faster. Eventually ups will be held liable. Hang in there and protect your rights.

Well said...... Our safety and the safety of the public is in question with "Virtual Time Studies" that set unrealistic standards. I would rather take a 3 day ride and set a semi-true number than have supervisors ( who don't have the guts to stand up to IE when they know studies are impractical ) force drivers to speed, offer poor service and jeopardize peoples safety so their "numbers" look good. In my eyes, the integrity U.P.S. once had is gone.

 

[bham brown]

We have bi weekly union meetings before work to try and figure out to handle the madness. If we could get more drivers to come we may be able to accomplish something..Most are scared to be seen at the meeting. And that's the way management wants it. They want you so scared that you won't stand up for yourself.

Laguna, their integrity is long gone. These yes men that are in management now would give up their children to turn a number..It won't be long before the customers start seeing that UPS doesn't care about them either. Then they will go elsewhere. If it continues as it is now, you are witnessing the beginning of the end to a business that we all thought would be around forever..

 

[Jim Kemp]

I will be glad to see "Contract Time" get here they always seem to lighten up then.

 

[theoneone]

Sorry to hijack this thread but i saw the title and was wondering what to do. Getting a warning letter pretty soon because i guess im not fast enough. What should i do? Never really had a problem before so i dont know how to go about things. It has to do with telematics.