Whom to believe?

kaposvar · 12-15-2007, 04:57 PM

Hello all. I had a dilemma and was wondering if I could ask for advice/opinion. Here it goes:
This is my second peak as a driver helper. Last peak I was working 4 weeks straight every day with the same driver. Then early spring I was called in to interview for an outside hire driver position. Another person was hired, who it turns out has worked for UPS some years back. I spent this past summer as a seasonal driver, was sent to driver training, etc. Has worked thru the summer pretty much. Had September/October "off" and beginning November 1st I have been working as a driver helper every day. I am to show up for work at a mall, where my driver leaves the truck and I deliver all packaged, air, bulks, etc. Once finished delivering, I do all pickups, CODs, etc. I am not given a specified time, such as "you have 2.99 or 3.99 hours to finish." I have until all work is completed. (Usually I am done in under 6 hours.)
Now here is the big dilemma I have...I have heard nothing for the past year, but how my center is 1 hire away from hiring another outside hire. The HR guy told me back in August I will be offered the spot. HR also said that no later than February/March of 2008 I will be hired on, since he has been in touch with our CM and there are retirings coming up after the 1st. He said to try and keep busy for the first couple months of the new year.
I spoke with my CM, who told me there are 2 drivers retiring in the next month, but both positions have to be filled from inside. The outside position will be filled after that, but somebody has to retire for that. There are 4 more drivers eligible for retirement, which doesn't mean they will retire. He said it could be a year or 5 years.
If HR and my CM keep in contact as I was told they do, how can they be so off? How can I be told that I am doing an outstanding job and my CM wishes he hired me last February instead of the person they went with, yet still be strung along? Am I supposed to "hang in there" for the next 5 years? The CM and all the sups know how much I love this job and I've heard nothing but how much they want to keep me on the team. If I am so wanted, how come I am not kept on? Should I tell them after peak, as much as it bothers me, but I think I need to work for a company that actually wants me.
Any advice would be much appreciated. Having read some of the posts, I know some of you will say something is wrong with me, for wanting to work for UPS. I have done the office job, and I much rather work out in the cold, heat, snow, rain, ice than sit in an office behind a desk and play the corporate crap game.

brownrodster · 12-15-2007, 05:43 PM

uhh. I don't understand the dilemma... Just work another job until the outside hire opportunity at UPS happens.

old brown shoe · 12-15-2007, 05:52 PM

Sounds like you have a great chance at the next job coming up or soon after that. If they put you through the drivers training and have invested the time and money in you. If you do a good job and show up on time without calling in sick you should wait and it will come to you. Remember after the first of the year the volume drops for awhile and there may not be work for you. Good luck

trplnkl · 12-15-2007, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaposvar

Hello all. I had a dilemma and was wondering if I could ask for advice/opinion. Here it goes:
This is my second peak as a driver helper. Last peak I was working 4 weeks straight every day with the same driver. Then early spring I was called in to interview for an outside hire driver position. Another person was hired, who it turns out has worked for UPS some years back. I spent this past summer as a seasonal driver, was sent to driver training, etc. Has worked thru the summer pretty much. Had September/October "off" and beginning November 1st I have been working as a driver helper every day. I am to show up for work at a mall, where my driver leaves the truck and I deliver all packaged, air, bulks, etc. Once finished delivering, I do all pickups, CODs, etc. I am not given a specified time, such as "you have 2.99 or 3.99 hours to finish." I have until all work is completed. (Usually I am done in under 6 hours.)
Now here is the big dilemma I have...I have heard nothing for the past year, but how my center is 1 hire away from hiring another outside hire. The HR guy told me back in August I will be offered the spot. HR also said that no later than February/March of 2008 I will be hired on, since he has been in touch with our CM and there are retirings coming up after the 1st. He said to try and keep busy for the first couple months of the new year.
I spoke with my CM, who told me there are 2 drivers retiring in the next month, but both positions have to be filled from inside. The outside position will be filled after that, but somebody has to retire for that. There are 4 more drivers eligible for retirement, which doesn't mean they will retire. He said it could be a year or 5 years.
If HR and my CM keep in contact as I was told they do, how can they be so off? How can I be told that I am doing an outstanding job and my CM wishes he hired me last February instead of the person they went with, yet still be strung along? Am I supposed to "hang in there" for the next 5 years? The CM and all the sups know how much I love this job and I've heard nothing but how much they want to keep me on the team. If I am so wanted, how come I am not kept on? Should I tell them after peak, as much as it bothers me, but I think I need to work for a company that actually wants me.
Any advice would be much appreciated. Having read some of the posts, I know some of you will say something is wrong with me, for wanting to work for UPS. I have done the office job, and I much rather work out in the cold, heat, snow, rain, ice than sit in an office behind a desk and play the corporate crap game.

No Kap, I don't think something is wrong with you, I think there is something wrong with the HR guy and the CM. Seems they can't keep their lies straight. OK, that may be a little unfair for me to say.
More than likely the CM is closer to telling the whole truth than the HR. The main reason they keep telling you "later" is that you are doing a good job for them and they want you right where you are, with no benefit expense to the company. You don't show up on the expense list as does a regular employee.
Now, having said that, there is still some possibility that you could get the next outside hire job, but when is a guessing game.
The discrepancy in the one/two inside hires may be a misunderstanding between the CM and HR. HR should have the inside info but maybe not. Next time you speak with the HR guy tell him what the CM said and see what happens. When I was trying to get hired I was considered as an outside hire even though I had 3 years with the company as a non-union clerk. Took another year an two more CMs for me to finally get hired. The jury is still out on whether the guy that finally gave me the job did me a favor or not.

12-15-2007, 06:07 PM

Hang in there if you want to be a driver...everyone of us street hires goes through the same thing.....we will be hiring soon for the outside hire position heard it for 2 years..... and just stay on it, it will come. Find a flexible job in the mean time and jump when UPS says jump. That is if you really want to be a driver.

kaposvar · 12-16-2007, 06:59 AM

Thanks all of you for your responses. I do want this job more than anything and I have to learn not to get my hopes up. I will jump when UPS tells me come on board, my hope is that it is before I turn 60.

over10.5 · 12-16-2007, 08:58 AM

Why dont you get in line like all of the other part timers? Yeah it sucks working part time, but 99 percent of us did it. Put your time in. Dont try cutting in. At least this way you know that you will have a shot at full time driving. Until then quit crying!!!!

705red · 12-16-2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaposvar

Hello all. I had a dilemma and was wondering if I could ask for advice/opinion. Here it goes:
This is my second peak as a driver helper. Last peak I was working 4 weeks straight every day with the same driver. Then early spring I was called in to interview for an outside hire driver position. Another person was hired, who it turns out has worked for UPS some years back. I spent this past summer as a seasonal driver, was sent to driver training, etc. Has worked thru the summer pretty much. Had September/October "off" and beginning November 1st I have been working as a driver helper every day. I am to show up for work at a mall, where my driver leaves the truck and I deliver all packaged, air, bulks, etc. Once finished delivering, I do all pickups, CODs, etc. I am not given a specified time, such as "you have 2.99 or 3.99 hours to finish." I have until all work is completed. (Usually I am done in under 6 hours.)
Now here is the big dilemma I have...I have heard nothing for the past year, but how my center is 1 hire away from hiring another outside hire. The HR guy told me back in August I will be offered the spot. HR also said that no later than February/March of 2008 I will be hired on, since he has been in touch with our CM and there are retirings coming up after the 1st. He said to try and keep busy for the first couple months of the new year.
I spoke with my CM, who told me there are 2 drivers retiring in the next month, but both positions have to be filled from inside. The outside position will be filled after that, but somebody has to retire for that. There are 4 more drivers eligible for retirement, which doesn't mean they will retire. He said it could be a year or 5 years.
If HR and my CM keep in contact as I was told they do, how can they be so off? How can I be told that I am doing an outstanding job and my CM wishes he hired me last February instead of the person they went with, yet still be strung along? Am I supposed to "hang in there" for the next 5 years? The CM and all the sups know how much I love this job and I've heard nothing but how much they want to keep me on the team. If I am so wanted, how come I am not kept on? Should I tell them after peak, as much as it bothers me, but I think I need to work for a company that actually wants me.
Any advice would be much appreciated. Having read some of the posts, I know some of you will say something is wrong with me, for wanting to work for UPS. I have done the office job, and I much rather work out in the cold, heat, snow, rain, ice than sit in an office behind a desk and play the corporate crap game.

Let me get this right, you meet a driver and he leaves you the truck by yourself to deliver and pick up? That my friend is not a driver helper position! You are acting as a regular driver at this point, a helper should be with the driver at almost all times. Now i understand that you can go in one stop when i do the other, but they can not leave you a whole truck to do by yourself. Were exactly are you working?

kaposvar · 12-16-2007, 04:51 PM

"Let me get this right, you meet a driver and he leaves you the truck by yourself to deliver and pick up? That my friend is not a driver helper position! You are acting as a regular driver at this point, a helper should be with the driver at almost all times. Now i understand that you can go in one stop when i do the other, but they can not leave you a whole truck to do by yourself. Were exactly are you working?"

Our center is in the Midwest, smallish, about 50 drivers. I was told the only reason, although I do have a commercial license, I cannot drive the truck myself, is because on paper I am a helper. We have a couple of drivers (actual drivers with low seniority) who are also being used as helpers this year and sent out with other drivers. I didn't think much of the entire set up, since I was under the impression that after the 1st once retirings happen I will be hired on as the outside hire. I figured the company is trying to save a few dollars wherever they can.

Brown Dog · 12-16-2007, 07:01 PM

Our helpers are not to collect COD's. We had an outside hire get jacked around for 4 years. It sounds like you have an inside trak, I wish you well. Only believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. You sound like just the kind of guy UPS would love to have as a f/t driver

j13501 · 12-17-2007, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 705red

Let me get this right, you meet a driver and he leaves you the truck by yourself to deliver and pick up? That my friend is not a driver helper position! You are acting as a regular driver at this point, a helper should be with the driver at almost all times. Now i understand that you can go in one stop when i do the other, but they can not leave you a whole truck to do by yourself. Were exactly are you working?

Red,
Like most things at UPS, helper language varies depending on the supplemental contract. In many areas, what he described is normal operating procedure. It's amazing sometimes how many different work rules there are, all across the country, based on when that article was negotiated and who was at the table.

UpstateNYUPSer · 12-17-2007, 03:55 PM

The driver who delivers the mall in our center has a trailer that he parks in the mall parking lot and his helper delivers out of that.

705red · 12-18-2007, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaposvar

"Let me get this right, you meet a driver and he leaves you the truck by yourself to deliver and pick up? That my friend is not a driver helper position! You are acting as a regular driver at this point, a helper should be with the driver at almost all times. Now i understand that you can go in one stop when i do the other, but they can not leave you a whole truck to do by yourself. Were exactly are you working?"

Our center is in the Midwest, smallish, about 50 drivers. I was told the only reason, although I do have a commercial license, I cannot drive the truck myself, is because on paper I am a helper. We have a couple of drivers (actual drivers with low seniority) who are also being used as helpers this year and sent out with other drivers. I didn't think much of the entire set up, since I was under the impression that after the 1st once retirings happen I will be hired on as the outside hire. I figured the company is trying to save a few dollars wherever they can.

Im all for the company making money and profits, just not at the cost of the members.