Warning Letters...

[dillweed]

Many of us feel that a warning letter is close to the last step before being fired. Most places I've worked operated in that manner and were consistant.

UPS is different. They use verbal and written warnings like a toddler's time out or slap on the ass. We never know how close we are to being fired or how much other employees have gotten away with before being fired. As another poster mentioned here, it revolves around management's hot topic of the day.

Union steward once told me not to worry until they fired me. Then they can dig deeper into the situation and find out if all the others who made the same error were fired. (of course they weren't)

Threats are only words and we can only be aware of what they want us to do and make our best efforts. When it comes right down to it they don't want to fire good employees. They just don't like getting their butts chewed in those conference calls. dw

 

[scratch]

"Since when can they force you to turn in leads?"

Ditto that. What happens if you don't?

Nothing, I seldom do. My route is 95% DR, very little businesses. I have three Commercial pickups and one Residential Pickup, maybe ten to twenty packages a day. I would turn them in if I could, not many people ship that much out of their house. Last one I turned in was last year when I shipped my notebook across town and it was sent back Fedex. That business never got a call from us.

 

[mattwtrs]

How about the leads that are posted by drivers that are never in that section of the centers territory? Their names were on the annual hit list for not having any leads and the next thing you know they get that elusive lead. Did the OMS happen to take care of the "chosen few".

 

[brownmonster]

We have several drivers that don't turn in sales leads and then we end up the only center in the district at 100%. Interesting.

 

[Channahon]

Here's my take on warning letters. As a management person I followed the progressive discipline as noted by the local contract, as the discipline can vary from local to local.

If I had to speak to a driver 3 times for the same issue, documented the talks on his/her employee records, and the same issue arises again, it would be no surprise to the employee that a warning letter is sent. The purpose of the warning letter is to change behavior.

Understanding avoidable accidents to be an exception, they always warranted a warning letter. The intent is the safety of the driver and general public.

Now there is some management that abuse warning letters. I would almost throw up when sitting in meetings, a service failure would be reviewed and the first thing out of a division managers mouth would be a warning letter was sent. Once again, based on the severity of the issue, it may have been warranted. Like loading a hazmat on a plane, that didn't take off on time, and because someone did not audit the package, and perhaps falsified an audit form.

However, management that abuse warning letters are either insecure, lazy or cannot handle confrontation or conflict resolution.

A warning letter situation should always be reviewed with the driver, prior to the letter being sent.

I have seen many grievances where a warning letter was rescinded because the management person took the easy way out to appease upper management with some form of discipline.

Don't underestimate the power of a warning letter, even if you don't agree with the letter, I have also seen drivers who lost their jobs, using warning letters and employee records as documentation. Not only at the Union hall, but with outside agencies and attorneys.

 

[tups]

I have a question about warning letters. I am going in for a meeting this week where I am sure I will be receiving a letter from the center manager. The incident involves an alleged late air delivery. It is a long story, but in a nut shell, I had a bulk stop with over 110 pieces to a business. 40 of them were a combination of NDA and Int'l express pieces. They are typically mixed together with all the ground pieces, loaded at the rear door of the truck. On this particular day I arrived at the stop around 10:15 am, and began sheeting packages. I got a signature and completed the stop, THEN got a message in the diad saying air was late. I just pressed x-other and took off for my next stop. I was notified the following week I had 40 late airs for that stop, all sheeted and completed at 10:31. They say I was late, and/or put the stop in pre-record, or did something that they cannot figure out that mad ethe stop late. I have been talking with my steward and he hinted that the letter is going to be for 1-late airs delivery, and 2- not notifying the center of the late air message. I can deal with the warning for not notifying the center of the late air message. But I was not late to the stop and did not deliver late. So I am not willing to take the fall for the late air delivery. I have suggestions from filing a grievance over it, to not signing the letter. I guess I am just looking for some input or ideas on this one. I have been told in the 2 years I've been there that I would get a warning for a couple things, but have never seen, signed or received one. The idea of putting the 'signed under protest or under duress' on it seems like one option. Any ideas?

 

[surviv'n_it]

I have never received a warning letter but have seen them passed out at the center. Over the last few years I have seen them just taped to the diad of the driver, for him to find when he punches in. I have seen them pass out a couple during a PCM, and just handed to the driver in the office in the morning. I have also heard of them just mailed, not sure if it was certified.

 

[DS]

If you comlpeted the stop at 10:31 it was late.
are they are accusing you of having late air or falsifying your time card? lots of variables here...

 

[30andout]

Warning letters make great wallpaper for my workshop wall.

 

[Griff]

I don't understand this at all. In the DIAD4 it usually doesnt matter what time you stop complete it at, so long as you started to scan stuff before 10:30.

 

[tups]

I don't understand this at all. In the DIAD4 it usually doesnt matter what time you stop complete it at, so long as you started to scan stuff before 10:30.

Ya...exactly. Even the center manager agrees with that. But he contends that...and I quote..."I know you did something wrong, I just don't know what it is" I know I was on time to the stop, anyone can figure that out by seeing the 110+ pieces that were scanned. I mean, how can someone scan that many, including manually entering int'l packages, digging them out of the load, then putting them where the receiver wants to have them? As far as it being late I think there was some kind of screw up in their system. I just am not willing to take a fall for late air. The steward and the BA are both going to be there when I go in, so we'll see what happens I guess.

 

[over9five]

The only way you'd get the late air alert if you started sheeting at 10:15 would be if you prerecorded and went back in at 10:31 for the signature, OR

If you had an EAM mixed in there that you didn't notice. But that wouldn't make all 40 late.

Strange...

 

[tups]

I don't understand this at all. In the DIAD4 it usually doesnt matter what time you stop complete it at, so long as you started to scan stuff before 10:30.

Exactly. I was there at 10:15 and started sheeting then. Stop was finished at 10:31 when I got the signature. I didn't pre-record anything. As of this morning nothing has happened, and I think that they don't have anything to pin on me otherwise it'd already be done. This incident happened over a week ago and they been saying 'we're looking into this' ever since. So we'll see.

 

[Griff]

Exactly. I was there at 10:15 and started sheeting then. Stop was finished at 10:31 when I got the signature. I didn't pre-record anything. As of this morning nothing has happened, and I think that they don't have anything to pin on me otherwise it'd already be done. This incident happened over a week ago and they been saying 'we're looking into this' ever since. So we'll see.

Did you actually get the late air 'reason' screen after you hit stop complete? On any given day I scan my last NDA at 10:28-10:29 and stop complete it after 10:30 and I've never had it say it was late. Sounds like they might be trying to meet their warning letter quota for the month.

 

[brownmonster]

Maybe when you manually entered one of the Internationals you hit express plus instead of express. Does the boss have proof that all 40 are late?

 

[old levi's]

I think Brownmonster may have solved the mystery. By any chance did you receive one of those response req. messages near the end of the stop ( around 1030).

 

[surviv'n_it]

You should talk to you center manager. I had 1 nda letter for a commercial stop in which I scanned at 1025 and then scanned all the ground packages. After I got the signature and stop completed it, the late air message popped up.

I didnt go any further but called and talked directly to my sup who then passed me on to the center manager. I explained I dont know why its coming up late as it was scanned before 1030. My center manager then told me to use the A option, opens after commit or requested late delivery.

He told me to use that anytime I knew I was there ontime but it would show up late. It has never happened again, but I would still call the center and talk with a sup before choosing a late reason.

 

[over9five]

That's odd. Every day I get to my last air stop at 10:25 and sheet air and ground till 10:50. Never shows late unless there's an EAM.

 

[tups]

Did you actually get the late air 'reason' screen after you hit stop complete? On any given day I scan my last NDA at 10:28-10:29 and stop complete it after 10:30 and I've never had it say it was late. Sounds like they might be trying to meet their warning letter quota for the month.

It does sound like that. And they havent done anything as far as bringing me into the office, so i think they might have tried but couldn't come up with anything. As far as that stop goes, all the airs were late, so I couldn't be that I hit the A button for express plus. Or a late eam in there somewhere. There were 40 of them total that showed up late. Last week I was covering a route that no one else really knows all that well and I think they needed me on it. Today I just did a trash truck of splits, and they were up guys that went home. It's just another thing in the center that is bringing our morale way down.

 

[brownmonster]

Probably sent you one of those nicely timed safety tips at 10:29 that kicked you out of the stop. Leave us alone until 10:45, some people have things to do!