What do you like about the Union?

hypocrisy

Banned
We suck! We're bullies, thugs, lazy, good-for-nothings, malingerers, mobsters, stupid, whiners, cry-babies, uneducated, know-it-alls, insubordinate, two-headed asses (my personal favorite), and jerks. Did I miss anything?

OK now that we got that out, what do you like about the bargaining unit working under a Union contract?
What do we do well?
Do you like the fact that there is structured discipline?
That we can't ask for raises?
That seniority can solve many issues?
That the rules are there for you to turn to when you need guidance?
That the vacation/sick/option/funeral/holidays are spelled out and usually get you the day off too?
That the contract keeps you from doing the grunt work? (or that it's supposed to)
Do you use the Union to get your employees to work together more/produce more?
Do you use the Steward to 'help' problem employees get on the right path?
When something unpopular comes down, such as being forced to deliver the Saturday before Christmas, do you welcome language like Article 40 that lets you point the finger elsewhere?
Have you used any part of the contract to get what you needed from corporate?

Share some stories where the Union and/or the Contract helped you as a Supervisor or Manager.

Flame away, but I look forward to some honest responses.
 

CharleyHustle

Well-Known Member
Unions promote mediocrity.

Maybe in some instances, but certainly not all. I don't think there are any airline pilots that are mediocre. Professional sports leagues and their players also come to mind. Heck, at my barn even our "least best" package driver can out work most of the people on the planet.
 

hypocrisy

Banned
They already have been in my area, they kept a good percentage of the part-timers that were going to make seniority. I'd look for another push closer to summer.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
If you think unions promote mediocrity, maybe it is you just looking in the mirror.

I need to look no further than my center. We had a driver no show/no call on Tuesday. They had a very hard time getting in touch with him to work yesterday but he did show up. He missed 3 days during Peak with a "back injury" and refused to come in and drive (area knowledge) while a helper delivered.

We have drivers send packages down the belt for address corrections when these could easily be done in the DIAD. Most of these are the result of 911 address changes not being updated by the shipper (NY Lottery) and are commercial stops. We have casual drivers who blow off chasers leaving them for the regular driver the following day. We have packages in our look up room where if the driver took just a few seconds to call the consignee could have been delivered.

Most of our employees do a great job but there are always those few who do just enough to get by. That is why I say unions promote mediocrity.

menotyou, you are welcome to be my Peak helper--bring a lunch and some sturdy shoes--you would need them. There is nothing mediocre here.
 

menotyou

bella amicizia
I would run rings around you. Even today, 3 weeks out of surgery. Nice try, Nanc. I bet my center wouldn't trade me for you. Knowing I will be gone 7 more months at a minimum, I bet they wouldn't trade.
You aren't a Charlie's angel, like me. :winks: BTW, I am the blonde one.


I imagine I would see ringpops for stop signs, cotton candy for clouds, twizzlers for guard rails, and so on.
 

hypocrisy

Banned
I need to look no further than my center. We had a driver no show/no call on Tuesday. They had a very hard time getting in touch with him to work yesterday but he did show up. He missed 3 days during Peak with a "back injury" and refused to come in and drive (area knowledge) while a helper delivered. An individual driver who has health and probably other issues is hardly the fault of the Union. Hopefully the Center started the disciplinary process.

We have drivers send packages down the belt for address corrections when these could easily be done in the DIAD. Most of these are the result of 911 address changes not being updated by the shipper (NY Lottery) and are commercial stops. We have casual drivers who blow off chasers leaving them for the regular driver the following day. We have packages in our look up room where if the driver took just a few seconds to call the consignee could have been delivered. How is the lack of work ethic here attributable to the Union? Did the Union train these employees? Does the Steward or Business Agent advocate not going the extra steps? Doesn't the Contract specifically state that Employees are to conduct themselves in the best interest of the Employer?

Most of our employees do a great job but there are always those few who do just enough to get by. That is why I say unions promote mediocrity. Why do you attribute the negative few to the Union and not the majority?

menotyou, you are welcome to be my Peak helper--bring a lunch and some sturdy shoes--you would need them. There is nothing mediocre here.

Well, since you refused to respect the original intent of this post I'm going to go ahead and respond to your comments.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I need to look no further than my center. We had a driver no show/no call on Tuesday. They had a very hard time getting in touch with him to work yesterday but he did show up. He missed 3 days during Peak with a "back injury" and refused to come in and drive (area knowledge) while a helper delivered.

We have drivers send packages down the belt for address corrections when these could easily be done in the DIAD. Most of these are the result of 911 address changes not being updated by the shipper (NY Lottery) and are commercial stops. We have casual drivers who blow off chasers leaving them for the regular driver the following day. We have packages in our look up room where if the driver took just a few seconds to call the consignee could have been delivered.

Most of our employees do a great job but there are always those few who do just enough to get by. That is why I say unions promote mediocrity.

.

Why are any of these examples of poor job performance attributable to membership in a union?

My wife is the Human Resources and Finance manager at a mid-sized company, and on a daily basis she deals with performance issues such as you describe among her non union workforce.

If the disciplinary language in the contract is supposedly preventing the company from holding its lazy, good-for-nothing employees accountable, why did the company attempt to solicit a "yes" vote from those same employees on the contract that contains that language in the first place?
 

nightfly

DOIN IT WITH STYLE AND GRACE
Mediocrity exists in a new generation of self-entitled workers, with poor work ethics! Are the union police officers and firefighters, mediocre in upstate N.Y.? Just asking.
 

nightfly

DOIN IT WITH STYLE AND GRACE
Mediocrity exists in a new generation of self-entitled workers, with poor work ethics! Are the union police officers and firefighters, mediocre in upstate N.Y.? Just asking.
 

stink219

Well-Known Member
Let's not forget 1 important fact. UPS approached the Teamsters to bargain a contract years ago. Look it up. Ask your management team. UPS "gave" me nothing. Everything I have right now, 2 cars, a house, a boat, food, clothing , cash in a safe, it's all due to the teamsters that bargained it for me. Without our great union, you would make no more than FedEx. Trust me.
 

just_a_number

Well-Known Member
Upstate you said in your building that u have packages in our look up room where if the driver took just a few seconds to call the consignee could have been delivered.


When did the company issue a phone for me to call their customers??? Thats y we have clerks
 

stink219

Well-Known Member
Upstate you said in your building that u have packages in our look up room where if the driver took just a few seconds to call the consignee could have been delivered.


When did the company issue a phone for me to call their customers??? Thats y we have clerks
Upstate was referring to his personal cellphone. He calls off the clock.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Upstate you said in your building that u have packages in our look up room where if the driver took just a few seconds to call the consignee could have been delivered. When did the company issue a phone for me to call their customers??? Thats why we have clerks

It is your choice as to whether you use your personal cell phone for company business. I choose to. Had one the other day where the consignee forgot what street they lived on. One phone call, ADC in DIAD, consignee had package and one less for the clerk to process. I have a T-shirt shop that takes their lunch when I am in their area so I call ahead with the CODs and they leave me the checks.

Upstate was referring to his personal cellphone. He calls off the clock.

I do not call consignees off the clock---I call them by their given names.
 
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