Personal Day question

I am a part-time sorter. I gave me my supe a 15-day notice for a personal day. He said no, becuase there were too many people off already. Are they allowed, by contract, to do this?

If you requested a day around Labor Day they could be short around that time.

The day is 8/18 and I was told that there are too many people on vacation. Considering they schedule the vacations, how is that my problem? A personal day is a personal day, right? I want to know what the contract said about it.

You don't have a copy of the contract?

Personal days, optional days...they are scheduled by MUTUAL AGREEMENT. Your supervisor has to give you an answer seven days prior to the day you request. Therefore, you were correct to ask for it when you did, so that staffing can be checked and an answer given. Too many people ask with only seven days to go, well, that will be denied every time. You need to understand, based on staffing for the day you request, and taking into consideration anyone else requesting a day off for the same date (seniority rules, you know), the answer may be no. I hope you get the next day of your choice. Good luck.
Oh, by the way, UPS does NOT schedule your vacations, they are chosen, by seniority order, by the bargaining unit.

They must let you know seven days in advance, which he did. This happens all the time in our center. If they have let other people take personal days in the past with the same amount of people on vacation than inform your union rep.
He should than talk to management about past practice.

You should of had a 48 hour notice if your day was approved /denied. Failure of a notice on managements part defaults approved. Note that you could be/or bump(ed) someone due to your seniority.

The contract says plan on working that day.
You will not get a day off if UPS is shorthanded.
Getting your personal day when you choose is an almost impossible thing to do here. That's sad, but a fact.

"The day is 8/18 and I was told that there are too many people on vacation. Considering they schedule the vacations, how is that my problem? A personal day is a personal day, right? I want to know what the contract said about it."

Contract mandates a percentage of the work force. Obviously we can not allow everyone off on the same day.

Not sure what supplement you guys are under, but in the Atlantic area vacation and staffing issues have no bearing on personal holidays. The center MUST allow up to 5% of employees to take a personal day each day. The only way you can be denied is if the quota for that day has already been filled with senior people.

I've learned that if you really need off dont relay on UPS treating you fairly. Call in at least one hour before start time and say you're sick and you will not be able to attend work today Period. They will bend over backwards for the two hour bonus babies (2 Hours hmm something smells rotten in denmark but hurry look the other way) I'm a scratch driver that follow the rules and yes I probably will never have off the friday before and the monday after my vacation but I will make my Son's band recital when he performs his first band solo! Cough Cough think I'm coming down with something....

Need a contract?? Her you go.
Make it a favorite to go back to.
http://www.browncafe.net/public/upsnma

(Message edited by gman on August 18, 2004)

"Not sure what supplement you guys are under, but in the Atlantic area vacation and staffing issues have no bearing on personal holidays. The center MUST allow up to 5% of employees to take a personal day each day. The only way you can be denied is if the quota for that day has already been filled with senior people."

In our part of the Atlantic we can deny the optional but the top 5% gets paid time and a half that day.

In Michigan, staffing, vacations, etc are not and cannot be used as a factor, it's a simple guaranteed minimum of one per center allowed off by seniority.

The minimum is usually treated by the company as the maximum allowed as well, just like in most other similar clauses such as vacations. (minimum 10 and 17 percent).

<font color="ff0000">In our part of the Atlantic we can deny the optional but the top 5% gets paid time and a half that day.</font><font color="000000">
Hmmm...thats not the way I'm reading it, Tie, and I do believe we are both under the same Atlantic area supplement.
Aricle 54, section 2 reads:</font>
<font color="0000ff">If an employee works on an approved personal holiday, he/she shall recieve holiday pay plus time and one half(1-1/2) for all hours worked or at the employees option he/she may elect to recieve time and one half (1-1/2) for all hours worked and retain the personal holiday for future use. The Company will make available(1) personal holiday per day in each center, or a number equal to five percent(5%) of the employees in the center, whichever is greater.</font>
To me, the language reads that once a PH has been approved, the Company can ask an employee to work, but they can't force him to. To my knowledge, at least in my building, noone has ever been denied a PH due to staffing issues or vacations, and there have been plenty of instances where management would certainly have used that option if they had it.

We have denied in the past and ended up paying time and a half. I have never seen anyone collect the personal holiday and time and a half. I'll have to revisit the language when I get a chance. May have some local/ supplemental language that spells it out. During that time we did grant one optional but not the 5 percent which would have been 4 more.

Deliver Man is right. In our center, we get paid time and a half and get to keep our personal to use at a later date. They cannot force you to work!!