This kind of treatment is going on all over the workforce, not just ups. I was listening to a national radio show and they were talking about this whole issue. A couple main points I remember were:
1. Companies have huge piles of cash they are sitting on, many companies have more cash than at any other time in their history, but are sitting on it because of the ecomony. It was pointed out that they are still very profitable.
2. Companies arent hiring because they are doing so much more with the people they still have..(sound familiar upsers), the only problem is employees are being treated poorly, AND it was mentioned that customer service IS suffering, and companies are at the edge of having to hire or loose customers. The program also stated that once employees are able to find another job there will be a large exodus of folks leaving and this could result in more customer and manufacturing issues later on.
I dont blame ups for trying to tighten up the ship, but its all in the way it has happen. There seems to be no logical leadership going on, its all fear based. No matter what you think about the allowance system, they took time away during this whole recession so they could get on car and ride with everyone...in most cases with drivers who have had very few or no ojs rides during their years at ups. Where has the leadership and "guidance" been from the upper mgt during this whole time....including the ceo? I know ups was trying many things to cut costs but why wernt focus groups started in each center to see what could be done to help save money...target fedex customers....tighten up routes to save miles....etc, etc. Why are they paying people 90 dollars an hour triple time when anyone knows money is saved by running an extra route or two.Instead there is this flood of harassment(I dont use this word lightly) and fear going on...including mgt on mgt...unacceptable on all levels....period....there was, and is, a better way to handle all of this and it just wasnt done and it continues to be done wrong....and basically all I see differently is fedex becoming more hungry for OUR volume while ups mgt is too damn busy trying to "straighten out" all of their lazy, good for nothing, pathetic workforce of drivers, loaders/unloaders and some of their "soft" mgt. Once things get better, there is already a sign of this, and it will get better, there has been so much damage of resentment and non-trust, that it will take YEARS to get bact to the way things were...if ever(and things have never been 100% even before all of this.)