Vacation Selection Time: Does your center follow the contract?

[Overpaid Union Thug]

So, Tuesday is the first day of vacation selection and I'm sure this year will be the same ole frustrating process like always. For many years (It started long before my time) our center has been catering to certain drivers by allowing them three or four days to select their vacations. And also waiting for people that are on vacation or just scheduled off to come back instead of having them call. This causes the lower half of the seniority list to be picking in late November and even as late as the end of December.

Our supplement clearly lays out a process for this but management and certain drivers that think they are special derail it on a yearly basis. The first 1/3 are supposed to select during the first ten calendar days and so on. That is completely ignored in our center. Could those of us affected stop this by filing on it or by picking when its supposed to be our turn and filing when the drivers we have to skip go running off to their daddy's in management to have our selections voided out? I mean the language does state that open weeks shall be assigned to lower seniority employees if the higher seniority people haven't picked during their alotted tines.

 

[Wally]

I always chuckle when I see the vacation pick calendar. Looks like a maze of numbers and slashes! No wonder it takes so long. Anyway, the new guys aren't getting summer time, so what's the rush?

 

[UPSGUY72]

We don't pick vacations until Feb / Mar depending on if it's a bid year or not. Are vacation year run May 1 -April 30. Than the will give you a day advance notice when it's your turn to pick and if you on vacation they will call you and tell you what weeks are open for you to pick.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I always chuckle when I see the vacation pick calendar. Looks like a maze of numbers and slashes! No wonder it takes so long. Anyway, the new guys aren't getting summer time, so what's the rush?

Some of us try and take vacations early in the year. I often select a week in January. When we don't get to select until late December prices for hotels/plane tickets can get pretty steep for January.

 

[Buck Fifty]

In our center, it is clearly understood that you will be skipped if you take it upon yourself to derail the process. Screwing the company is one thing, but screwing your brothers and sisters is unacceptable.

Also in our center, they have the TCD's pick with the drivers. Yet the company doesn't count them for the 15% limit for vacations. Believe I'll run that up the flagpole. Has anyone else filed on this.


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[Cementups]

We pick in Jan/Feb for the cycle year of Apr. 1 - Mar. 31. Usually not a big problem for us. Sometimes it get delayed a day or two but no big deal.

 

[Cementups]

In our center, it is clearly understood that you will be skipped if you take it upon yourself to derail the process. Screwing the company is one thing, but screwing your brothers and sisters is unacceptable.​

you can't skip a drivers picks. That's a violation of seniority policy. Why even have seniority if you're going to disregard it. The only time we ever skip is if the next person has no plans on closing out a week because the person being skipped may need/want that week.

 

[Brownslave688]

In our center, it is clearly understood that you will be skipped if you take it upon yourself to derail the process. Screwing the company is one thing, but screwing your brothers and sisters is unacceptable.

Also in our center, they have the TCD's pick with the drivers. Yet the company doesn't count them for the 15% limit for vacations. Believe I'll run that up the flagpole. Has anyone else filed on this.


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Exactly. If its your turn pick and then file if they try to tell u someone bumps u on a week.

 

[Brownslave688]

you can't skip a drivers picks. That's a violation of seniority policy. Why even have seniority if you're going to disregard it. The only time we ever skip is if the next person has no plans on closing out a week because the person being skipped may need/want that week.

Yes you can. If a driver hasn't picked by their date they fall to the bottom of the next days vacation pickers and so on. Works kind if like the NFL draft. If your pick isn't in when the clock hits zero look out.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

In our center, it is clearly understood that you will be skipped if you take it upon yourself to derail the process. Screwing the company is one thing, but screwing your brothers and sisters is unacceptable.

Also in our center, they have the TCD's pick with the drivers. Yet the company doesn't count them for the 15% limit for vacations. Believe I'll run that up the flagpole. Has anyone else filed on this.


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They count the TCDs here. It sure does help when we are fully staffed and get that extra summer week.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

you can't skip a drivers picks. That's a violation of seniority policy. Why even have seniority if you're going to disregard it. The only time we ever skip is if the next person has no plans on closing out a week because the person being skipped may need/want that week.

Yes you can. If a driver hasn't picked by their date they fall to the bottom of the next days vacation pickers and so on. Works kind if like the NFL draft. If your pick isn't in when the clock hits zero look out.

Yeah its written rather crystal clear in the contract. But its one of those things that just doesn't have any clear penalty defined for violating it. If all I will get is another "will comply" letter then we all know how that turns out.

 

[iruhnman630]

Up until two years ago we had two rounds of selection...one in Oct/Nov for the first quarter of the year then again in Feb/Mar for the rest of the year.

Returning to that practice would help alleviate these complaints, since only a few vacas get picked in Jan/Feb/mar.

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[Brownslave688]

Yeah its written rather crystal clear in the contract. But its one of those things that just doesn't have any clear penalty defined for violating it. If all I will get is another "will comply" letter then we all know how that turns out.

The penalty is if they haven't pick they are skipped over. Not sure how your vacation works but if was here I pick my vacation the day I'm supposed to. If a week later a driver who has five years on me picks a week that's full and I'm the low man. Tough titties.

 

[iruhnman630]

When you pick your vacation does not affect whether you get the weeks you choose or not unless you are one who misses your selection time.

Our center does it 25% per week, and I don't believe anybody has ever missed their pick due to being on vacation. Sorry lower seniority, but you need to wait until higher seniority has had their rightful opportunity.

 

[Brownslave688]

When you pick your vacation does not affect whether you get the weeks you choose or not unless you are one who misses your selection time. Our center does it 25% per week, and I don't believe anybody has ever missed their pick due to being on vacation. Sorry lower seniority, but you need to wait until higher seniority has had their rightful opportunity.

this thread isn't about young guys wanting to pick day one. It's about a guy who is due to pick on let's say October 25. If their vacation picks aren't in by the end of the day October 25 they go to the bottom of the list for October 26. It's really that simple. Some supplements or locals may have different language.

 

[brownmonster]

I like the guys that when its their turn to pick they have to wait a day and hold up the process so they can go home and discuss it with the wife. Plan ahead much? I have what I would like already picked out and I keep an eye on it as the picks come in to see where I stand.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

When you pick your vacation does not affect whether you get the weeks you choose or not unless you are one who misses your selection time.

Our center does it 25% per week, and I don't believe anybody has ever missed their pick due to being on vacation. Sorry lower seniority, but you need to wait until higher seniority has had their rightful opportunity.

Here it's the first 1/3 during the first 10 calender days. Then 2/3 the next 10 and so on. Sounds pretty straight forward. Rightful opportunity is clearly defined but people just don't seem to respect the language.

 

[Buck Fifty]

Here it's the first 1/3 during the first 10 calender days. Then 2/3 the next 10 and so on. Sounds pretty straight forward. Rightful opportunity is clearly defined but people just don't seem to respect the language.

Ditto.

 

[cynic]

For a PT'er such as myself, picking vacation is frustrating as I have NO idea what my other job will require of me in 6 to 12 months from when I pick my weeks. I also don't get paid vacation or holiday time on my other job so it really doesn't matter. I am very thankful for the full night's sleep I get when I have my vacation weeks at UPS.

 

[scratch]

I'm third from the top of a 60-man roster, we started selections this past week. I took the three weeks before the Monday holidays, and then I spread the other three weeks out as much as I could. I take Option Three for my Option Days, I still have three or four left. I stick half of my Option Pay into my 401K.

I started my fifth vacation week of this year today. It turned out a good week to pick so I can hopefully watch the Braves beat the Dodgers on the West Coast.