Tired as hell

[john346]

Questions for the pack. I've been putting in some killer hours, at least 48 to 55 hours per week. Lately it's really wearing me down, I'm never home, grouchy, the only time I have to get things done around here are on weekends, where I typically again am working like mad to beat the clock.
So in the center, they have guys getting finished by 17:00 daily, it's not like we are all pounded, it's just my area that has all this volume & miles. Two weeks ago, I asked my super if he could do something to lighten my days, the next day, Viola! He removed some routes off of my feed, and just like that, I worked a 8.75, felt like I was guilty of something. The next, a 9 hour day, still awesome to be home like regular people.
Thursday rolls around, and the routes are back on, I work an 11.5, I asked why & was told that the district mgr said that I didn't need those off, and it was a dispatching problem. Friday am I call the center manager & explain my plight, really understanding, and said he'd look into it. My load arrives, and I'm pounded again, NOTHING at all done.
My feeder explains that the center manager told him I'm a satellite center, and they can give me anything they want, & as such any thoughts about a grievance were out as well. That I should have understood this when I bid the route. This is the first I've heard about being labeled a satellite center, and think that they just pulled this out of their arse. I've been in contact with the shop steward to see what the union thinks of this. Has anyone else had to deal with any of this, or any clues where I go from here?

 

[over9five]

center manager told him I'm a satellite center, and they can give me anything they want, & as such any thoughts about a grievance were out as well. That I should have understood this when I bid the route.

Ha! I find that quite funny! "Don't even think about grieving it".
Yeah right, pal! I'd grieve it everyday till it's fixed.

Let us know what the steward says when he gets back to you.

 

[sx2700]

I think the general consensus around here is, stop whining, and if you don't like your job and the hours then UPS is not for you because it doesn't get any better.

 

[govols019]

I've always wondered how hard the company would fight 9.5 grievances from satellite routes.

 

[dannyboy]

unlike sx, who didnt beat people to the punch, but instead voiced his own opinion, working long hours is part of the ups mentality.

interesting though, he labled you as a

center manager told him I'm a satellite center

? how does one driver end up as a center.....?

i would also like to see where in the contract it says they can

and they can give me anything they want, & as such any thoughts about a grievance were out as well

As for you bidding the route, i would assume your route was not labled as a satilite center? lol, what some people come up with on the spur of the moment.

i believe i would file, every day. then let some light in on the subject. until you do, its obvious that just trying to talk to them as normal people do wont work.

after 33 years, and working more hours during the summer than peak, getting home near or after dark wll summer long really does suck. and for no really good reason other than they want to look good on paper.

d

 

[hyena]

This has been one of my center manager and stewards favorite lines as well. Well theres no point in grievieng it, your not gonna win were doing nothing wrong. With the steward right there saying hes right. File!!! If you believe you are being wronged file!!

 

[sortaisle]

If you signed up on the 9.5 sheet then you have a right to grieve your route. If you didn't sign up on the 9.5 sheet then your SOL. If you have signed, if they give you more than 3 9.5's in a week then it's a grievable offense. My building had to have those lists posted, I don't know if yours did or not. I was under the impression it was a contract thing.

 

[john346]

Thanks all. I popped in to grab my sandwich, and thought I'd see what activity I generated.
I never bid on the route, I was the "local" hired on 25+ years ago. I have never been afraid to roll up the sleeves & put in my time, but like most I don't like the smelly end of the stick all of the time. In regard to the 9.5 sheet, I never was sent one, I'd heard rumbling's about it, but I never had the opportunity to opt in or out.
I'm still waiting to see what indeed the steward has to say. If they can indeed switch me to a satellite center, then that edge has to have some cutting power to it as well.

Finally regarding my new buddy sx. I am so weary of you & your type. With all due respect do you honestly think that always taking the contrary position makes you look like some kind of man's man? I disagree, I think it makes you look like an ignorant stiff-necked jerk. If you work more hours than I, how is it that you have so much time to surf this web-site dropping your backwoods wisdom time and again? Always with the same tiresome "no it isn't theme". How indeed do you circumvent the DOT regulations of the 60 hour week? This isn't hard math for the rest of us.

 

[hyena]

If you signed up on the 9.5 sheet then you have a right to grieve your route. If you didn't sign up on the 9.5 sheet then your SOL. If you have signed, if they give you more than 3 9.5's in a week then it's a grievable offense. My building had to have those lists posted, I don't know if yours did or not. I was under the impression it was a contract thing.

Yes it is in the contract but that dont mean theyre posted. My favorite thing about my center is they IGNORE the contract. They act like it dont exist. But lucky for them Im here to help remind them. These sheets have never been posted at my center come to think of it theres a few others to that havnt. However they do like to post stuff that goes against the contract.


Whats a satalite center?

 

[cachsux]

If it makes you feel better my day is usually 14 to 15 hours driveway to driveway. I would make sure you take your lunch and pace yourself,safely,so that your numbers aren`t as appealing to mgmt and maybe they see the light.

On the flip side there`s lots of people getting tired on the unemployment line also.

 

[705red]

If it makes you feel better my day is usually 14 to 15 hours driveway to driveway. I would make sure you take your lunch and pace yourself,safely,so that your numbers aren`t as appealing to mgmt and maybe they see the light.

On the flip side there`s lots of people getting tired on the unemployment line also.

Easy cach, there is a big difference in feeder hours and package car hours as in the term "hours worked". LOL

Sitting behind the wheel of a big rig and in and out of the trk 150 plus times a day.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

Tell your center manager that your satellite center needs 2 routes - lol!

Hyena - same here with the over 9.5 list. We were told by the BA that because it wasn't in the Central Supplement it didn't apply to us ------>anyone know if this is true?

A satellite route is a route that begins on area - extended routes. Driver meets his load, loads his own truck (here anyway), and goes home from the same start location.

We have one satellite route and it was taken by a driver who had to drive an hour to work, now he starts minutes from home.

 

[sortaisle]

Tell your center manager that your satellite center needs 2 routes - lol!

Hyena - same here with the over 9.5 list. We were told by the BA that because it wasn't in the Central Supplement it didn't apply to us ------>anyone know if this is true?

A satellite route is a route that begins on area - extended routes. Driver meets his load, loads his own truck (here anyway), and goes home from the same start location.

We have one satellite route and it was taken by a driver who had to drive an hour to work, now he starts minutes from home.

Wow...talk about a waste of resources. I mean it's great for the guy who's commute was cut down from an hour, but someone has to take that route out to him...wait for him to load himself and then start his day...it just seems like a waste to me.

 

[cachsux]

Easy cach, there is a big difference in feeder hours and package car hours as in the term "hours worked". LOL

Sitting behind the wheel of a big rig and in and out of the trk 150 plus times a day.

See how much difference it would make if I fell asleep behind the wheel of something weighing 80,000 lbs.

Even if I were to just be tired I could hit a pole or something,oopsy.

 

[tieguy]

Thanks all. I popped in to grab my sandwich, and thought I'd see what activity I generated.
I never bid on the route, I was the "local" hired on 25+ years ago. I have never been afraid to roll up the sleeves & put in my time, but like most I don't like the smelly end of the stick all of the time. In regard to the 9.5 sheet, I never was sent one, I'd heard rumbling's about it, but I never had the opportunity to opt in or out.
I'm still waiting to see what indeed the steward has to say. If they can indeed switch me to a satellite center, then that edge has to have some cutting power to it as well.

Finally regarding my new buddy sx. I am so weary of you & your type. With all due respect do you honestly think that always taking the contrary position makes you look like some kind of man's man? I disagree, I think it makes you look like an ignorant stiff-necked jerk. If you work more hours than I, how is it that you have so much time to surf this web-site dropping your backwoods wisdom time and again? Always with the same tiresome "no it isn't theme". How indeed do you circumvent the DOT regulations of the 60 hour week? This isn't hard math for the rest of us.

Sx is being honest. UPS is not the job for you if you're a 9 to 5er.

I'm curious if you're a satallite driver then where would the center manager put the work if he does not give it to you.

Are you the only satallite driver?

How does the feeder work. Does the guy run out to you and feed you and then deliver a route near you. If so any chance the guy is adjusting his own route at your expense.
sometimes the solution or part of the solution has to come from you. I don't understand how you could have been doing the job for 25+ years and not know you were a satallite driver. Do we leave you locked up in a room by yourself when you're off.

 

[govols019]

I'm curious if you're a satallite driver then where would the center manager put the work if he does not give it to you.

Not his problem. That's what the management team gets paid for.

 

[705red]

See how much difference it would make if I fell asleep behind the wheel of something weighing 80,000 lbs.

Even if I were to just be tired I could hit a pole or something,oopsy.

Now that hurts! I cant believe you brought up the pole! I thought we were boys!

 

[drewed]

Now that hurts! I cant believe you brought up the pole! I thought we were boys!

Oh come on ladies dont fight, but Red this sounds like an interesting story, Cach care to elaborate?

 

[705red]

I will explain and im not worried because its going to arbitration soon.

I wanted to go feeder but i wanted to go out of a smaller building out of district for several different reasons. Im in palatine big building 1300 plus members and everyone comes to me with their problems. So i picked northbrook were i really didnt know to many people so i could lay back and just be an employee again, but the manager did not want me because of my reputation(at least thats what i have been told).

He kept bypassing my seniority so i filed and won and right beore i went i received calls to becareful they didnt want me in northbrook. So i go through my first week of unproductive (training) with no incidents. Picked it up pretty good and i have to say the worst job in management is a feeder trainer sup. They had me out there in the first hour on the expressway with a trailer in a construction zone, i thought i was going to kill us both.

So my first night on the clock im giving a really hard run that included two runs to ohare no time to mess around. Not a good training route according to my sup. As i was pulling back into franklin i was on the phone with dispatch asking were i should drop the trailer. As i was pulling forward slowly it was pouring ran and the crosswalk was angled. A ptimer ran in front of me so i turned the wheel to the right to avoid hitting him, i straighnted back out but the end of the 53 footer scratched the phone tower and i was disqualified for an accident.

Ups on ups incident with no damage, when i was done filing out the accident report my sup said she was clocking me out at what ever time it was, i said im guaranteed 8 hours. Little did i know that my accident was at the 7 hour mark and when we were done it was almost 11 hours on the clock. So since last july everyone in my local calls me the 7 hour feeder driver.

And no i had not had a lunch or paid break and instead of running over the kid i got punished for doing the right thing. This is one of the draw backs for being a decent steward!

 

[filthpig]

I'm tired as hell too. Thank God every day that you're tired as hell from doing an honest day's work and getting and honest day's pay for it. There are a lot of people who aren't (or won't be in the near future) who'd kill to make 70k a year.