How is peak going so far?

[tups]

Here it's been crazy so far. Volume is heavy, stops high. Ok, peak is here no problem. But then they give us helpers that we can only use for 3, or 4 hours starting at noon. They tell us to call the cm to ask for more time to keep the helper. So we run through the whole day when we should be taking our lunch between the 4th and 5th hour, and take lunch after that, or at the end of the day when we're done. Sups's ask why we aren't doing anything for the last hour and a half, and it suprises me that we have to explain that since they are being so stingy on helper hours that we are not going to take lunch at the usual time while we have the helper, and run right through it and take it at the end of the day. So yesterday I had to let the helper go at 4:30 after getting a "permission granted" message from the sup to keep him for an extra 1.5 hours, then stopped and took lunch. Still had 45 stops left at 5:30 and rolled over by 15 minutes. Gonna get called in the office today for sure. And I am on my thrid helper so far in 2 weeks, the last 2 didn't want to deal with only 3 or 4 hours a day until the last week of peak. I mean for 9.50 an hour I don't blame them. Why are they being so tight assed on letting helpers work this year? they are really busting our ass to keep us under 9.5 as much as possible so far this year. But when it gets dark and I don't have the helper I will not work faster just to make it and risk an injury or accident. Screw them and their bonuses for keeping the money tight.

[wornoutupser]

This is the worst peak that have seen in Central Florida in over 20 years.

The company is LAYING OFF HERE! Full time drivers are being sent home and everyone is still working over 12 hour days.

The helper situation is horrible. Runs are being sent out at double their stop counts yet they are told that they do not get a helper.

Looks like Mikey still get to shaft the hourlies. They new guy said that UPS did an excellent job controlling the outside costs and that it is his job now to control the inside costs.

I guess that means we all work 14 hour daysfrom now on!

[Fredless]

What happened from last year? CFL was praised on UPSers.com for utilizing the most helpers in the country.

[Fnix]

Originally Posted by wornoutupser

This is the worst peak that have seen in Central Florida in over 20 years.

The company is LAYING OFF HERE! Full time drivers are being sent home and everyone is still working over 12 hour days.

The helper situation is horrible. Runs are being sent out at double their stop counts yet they are told that they do not get a helper.

Looks like Mikey still get to shaft the hourlies. They new guy said that UPS did an excellent job controlling the outside costs and that it is his job now to control the inside costs.

I guess that means we all work 14 hour daysfrom now on!

Are you longwood center?

[brownrodster]

Last week was hell week with record volume for our center. Some trailers not even unloaded and rolled over to the following days. Scores of missed packages on every truck.

This week we have a natural disaster which resulted in lower volume, cut routes, and layed off drivers. Our freeway is closed for 20 miles and under 10 feet of water in places and requires a 300 mile detour around the mountains to the other side of the state and back. Railroads are buried in mud.

If I have another customer get pissed off at me because his package from california is late I'm going to put my foot in his ass.

[freeloader]

Originally Posted by Fredless

What happened from last year? CFL was praised on UPSers.com for utilizing the most helpers in the country.

I believe you are correct. Either last year or the year before, CFL had the most helpers and also had the most delivery volume of any other district in the country. Jax hub (in NFL) also set volume records processing over 1 million packages in a 24 hour span.

[Penguin]

I'm underwhelmed by this peak season. The volume isn't very high and I'm not getting the hours I used to during peak.

[Captain America]

We have the staffing so that they can restrict me to 8 hours most of the last 2 weeks (see posting in Labor Relations). Most everybody else seems to be keeping things around 9.5 with rarely anyone going over 10.5.

[Harley Rider]

Heavy volume here. My paycheck this week is for 52 hours. They took lots of stops off me today because they don't want me running out of hours. Every available body in our center is working everyday.

[CFLBrown]

This peak is crappy, less then 3 weeks left. Someone tightened the purse strings in Florida just a little too hard. Way to go!

[wornoutupser]

Originally Posted by Fnix

Are you longwood center?

I am not in Longwood but I am in the same division.

[satellitedriver]

Peak is my easiest season. I get help. I have already made over $70,000.00 this year due to O.T., so at least for me it is a break.
Now come January, I will be working 47 to 50hr weeks til next December.
Happy New Year!
PAX

[Dirty Savage]

Peak? LOL! I have already amassed 18 hours of overtime this week, and there's still one day left! MUAHAHHAHAAHA I'M LOSING IT!!!!

Seriously though . . . volume is way up compared to last year as we've been completely annihilated every day since mid-November. This is all thanks to the fact that the Canadian dollar has been trading at parity and wouldn't you know it my customers just love the internet shopping. The gift baskets and the DeLong Farms' wreaths have started to come, but I have not yet seen something that is obviously an xmas gift. It's still the same old crap that keeps coming and I find myself dreading the coming weeks when the real hits the fan.

[DS]

Its really heavy in Toronto as well.Same deal with the helpers.I`m getting killed with resi's.My back is sore already and theres still 2 weeks to go.Sorry to hear about the floods brownrodster,thats gotta suck.I did 53 hours last week and I'm going to hit 55 this week.I'm getting too old for this crap.And what happened to global warming?Its friggin freezing here.I've taken to wearing 5 long sleeve t shirts underneath 2 ups shirts and my vest .Not to mention my pink floyd pajama bottoms under my pants.Joy to the world.

[fredly00]

Hrmm Wednesday I had 70 Stops off by 2 pm(had a lunch in there too...)
empty truck for P/U starting at 3pm... was home by 6pm.

Well when I was with UPS peak was the best time for me.
As for the fella with 52hrs this week, I was doing that all year
my hours actually went down during peak..
Of course running a 28ft truck with 4 helpers sure was nice.

[big_arrow_up]

This is our first peak with EDD so it's interesting. So far we are already running with at least 3 more routes per day than we were last year at this time. We have lots of new drivers and some were basically thrown into the mix with the minimum amount of training. That wouldn't be possible without EDD but I still think training should be important. Other than having more routes it doesn't really seem like peak yet. I'm sure things will go down hill in the next week or two though.

[leastbest]

Originally Posted by tups

Here it's been crazy so far. Volume is heavy, stops high. Ok, peak is here no problem. But then they give us helpers that we can only use for 3, or 4 hours starting at noon. They tell us to call the cm to ask for more time to keep the helper. So we run through the whole day when we should be taking our lunch between the 4th and 5th hour, and take lunch after that, or at the end of the day when we're done. Sups's ask why we aren't doing anything for the last hour and a half, and it suprises me that we have to explain that since they are being so stingy on helper hours that we are not going to take lunch at the usual time while we have the helper, and run right through it and take it at the end of the day. So yesterday I had to let the helper go at 4:30 after getting a "permission granted" message from the sup to keep him for an extra 1.5 hours, then stopped and took lunch. Still had 45 stops left at 5:30 and rolled over by 15 minutes. Gonna get called in the office today for sure. And I am on my thrid helper so far in 2 weeks, the last 2 didn't want to deal with only 3 or 4 hours a day until the last week of peak. I mean for 9.50 an hour I don't blame them. Why are they being so tight assed on letting helpers work this year? they are really busting our ass to keep us under 9.5 as much as possible so far this year. But when it gets dark and I don't have the helper I will not work faster just to make it and risk an injury or accident. Screw them and their bonuses for keeping the money tight.

I was always told to take my lunch between the third and sixth hour. I always have and always do. I had a jumper last year. I picked him up at noon and went to lunch at one. The work got done. l work at a consistent pace and don't worry about it. In the old days I had some say on jumper hours. Now they say 2.9 hours, fine. I work as instructed.

The roads here in Iowa have been bad!! Ice every where and now fresh snow on top of it. Makes for very slippery conditions. Gravel roads 35MPH topps and park on road and walk it in the the house other wise good luck getting out of driveway.

[satellitedriver]

Originally Posted by DS

Its really heavy in Toronto as well.Same deal with the helpers.I`m getting killed with resi's.My back is sore already and theres still 2 weeks to go.Sorry to hear about the floods brownrodster,thats gotta suck.I did 53 hours last week and I'm going to hit 55 this week.I'm getting too old for this crap.And what happened to global warming?Its friggin freezing here.I've taken to wearing 5 long sleeve t shirts underneath 2 ups shirts and my vest .Not to mention my pink floyd pajama bottoms under my pants.Joy to the world.

The pink pajama thing was just a little too much information.
I am older than you, "so buckup you young whippersnapper".
It's friggin freezing in Canada?
I will alert the media.
As to the global warming thing, ask big AL.
Any bets out there that Time Magazine will have AL as "Man of the Year".
My money says, they will buy into it.
All joking aside, I really respect all what Y'all have to put up with in the northern climates.
Heat, tornados and the occasional snow/ice storms, I can deal with.
What y'all have to deal with on a daily basis, in the winter months ,might be more than I could stand.
PAX

[tieguy]

so far a quiet peak.

[packagestud]

This is the best peak ever. Oh yes, I retired last Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[over9five]

This is the best peak ever. Oh yes, I'm in Feeders now!!!!!!!!