Is your HUB as screwed up as mine?

[ORLY!?!]

Is your HUB as screwed up as mine?

Recently a driver was pulled over by a cop while on the job. Low and behold the check on the onboard computer comes back as a suspended license. The driver in the past has been walked out of the building four times. Two times for totaling cars and the other two I have no clue as to why. I am sure the guy will be back in the HUB sometime, whenever he gets out of lockup. But as for a company that basically swoons over its high standards this is rather shameful.

Does anyone have that driver that is grotesquely overweight? I’m not picking on large people, but isn’t this like the military? In the military they frown upon such things. I mean the guys belly is hanging out and he is using baby steps just to move. He is wheezing madly trying to make a distance. Is driving that easy? I know its long hours but on a physical standard. A friend of mine came back into the HUB to work along side of me in a feeder house. Before this he was 320 pounds. He is also a replacement driver. In about 3 months time he dropped 70 pounds and is now 250 pounds, amazing.

People getting sighted for stealing, not caught. They are back to work the following day. People driving irregular carts that have obvious metal disorders and quite a few that cant even speak English, most of which are package car divers. A few pre loaders finished early and standing around in their cars 20-30 minutes before a shift ends. Package car divers getting their license revoked because they were caught speeding off the job.

I mean I’m rather fresh to UPS. I have been around a year and 4 months on my belt as of now. All these things, I am sure there will be lots more to come. Just thought I add some stories for your eyes. Does anyone have relative material to share? Thanks!

[soberups]

Originally Posted by ORLY!?!

.....Does anyone have that driver that is grotesquely overweight? I’m not picking on large people, but isn’t this like the military? In the military they frown upon such things. I mean the guys belly is hanging out and he is using baby steps just to move.....

No, this isn't like the military. The military is not a privately owned, for-profit organization with a labor agreement.

If UPS wants to impose physical fitness standards, I dont have a problem with that...as long as they are negotiated into the contract.

As far as people getting fired for stealing and then getting their jobs back....the company made a choice to enter into a labor agreement that specifies how and for what an employee may be terminated. If the company is unable to prove its case or justify that termination in front of a balanced grievance panel...or arbitrator...then the termination is not warranted and the employee should be returned to work.

[No such person]

We have driver who looks to be about 80 pounds overweight. He's also the driver who needs help 3 times a week. But when I do his route I always find myself with nothing to do for most of the afternoon. And yes, I take 2 ten minute breaks and a sixty minute lunch.

[BrOwN_PrIdE]

i'm a preloader and i'm not allowed to listen to my ipod at work. I asked security why and they told me that we are not allowed to have anything with headphones. Can anybody tell my why this is?

[dilligaf]

Originally Posted by BrOwN_PrIdE

i'm a preloader and i'm not allowed to listen to my ipod at work. I asked security why and they told me that we are not allowed to have anything with headphones. Can anybody tell my why this is?

It's a safety issue. You have to be able to hear what's going on around you. Recently UPS lost an employee. The employee was crushed by a feeder being backed into a dock.

[BrOwN_PrIdE]

was it because the guy had headphones in? I usually leave one headphone in and leave one headphone out to hear my music and my surroundings.

[Floridacargocat]

Admittedly, iPods and earphones offer some relief from the actual hard work of preloaders. However, they will have a hard time to understand instructions given by their supervisors and in case of an alarm.
Personnally I consider iPods and earphones a potential serious distraction leading to misloads, a.o. Most likely I am in the minority with this opinion.

[upsyo]

i don't understand why we can't wear headphones when they allow deaf people to work in the hub.

[BrOwN_PrIdE]

If ipods are such a health hazard, why is it that security is telling us we can't have them and not the safety guy? I haven't heard one safety guy say that ipods are dangerous and that we shouldn't wear them.

[fethrs]

Is there someone who is deaf or just hard of hearing, theres a difference.

[ORLY!?!]

Originally Posted by Floridacargocat

Admittedly, iPods and earphones offer some relief from the actual hard work of preloaders. However, they will have a hard time to understand instructions given by their supervisors and in case of an alarm.
Personnally I consider iPods and earphones a potential serious distraction leading to misloads, a.o. Most likely I am in the minority with this opinion.

Hell, I used to bring a mp3 player with me but the security guards caught me with one day. I see mp3 players as a moral booster. Tell you the truth, I could hear a sup yelling out all the way down the line inside a car while a buzzer was going off. Meanwhile the sup on the line couldnt hear anything while on the line.

Theres a rhythm you gain when preloading. Music only helps you gain it and keep it. I never missloaded while listening to music. In fact I worked harder, faster and more energy during the week. Preloaders should have the freedom and opportunity to do as they please. The hypocrisy is letting security guards have everything we are not allowed to have in the building.

[fethrs]

Originally Posted by ORLY!?!

. Preloaders should have the freedom and opportunity to do as they please.

If that were the case they would only come to work when they felt like it. That's why there are rulies and polices, even if we don't agree with them.


The hypocrisy is letting security guards have everything we are not allowed to have in the building.

The security guards are not the problem they are not part of ups, they are a seperate company. Ups is responsilbe for its own employees.

[dilligaf]

Orly, you sound like a spoiled child that is used to getting whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted it. Welcome to the real world.

[stevetheupsguy]

Originally Posted by BrOwN_PrIdE

was it because the guy had headphones in? I usually leave one headphone in and leave one headphone out to hear my music and my surroundings.

Originally Posted by upsyo

i don't understand why we can't wear headphones when they allow deaf people to work in the hub.

Originally Posted by ORLY!?!

Hell, I used to bring a mp3 player with me but the security guards caught me with one day. I see mp3 players as a moral booster. Tell you the truth, I could hear a sup yelling out all the way down the line inside a car while a buzzer was going off. Meanwhile the sup on the line couldnt hear anything while on the line.

Theres a rhythm you gain when preloading. Music only helps you gain it and keep it. I never missloaded while listening to music. In fact I worked harder, faster and more energy during the week. Preloaders should have the freedom and opportunity to do as they please. The hypocrisy is letting security guards have everything we are not allowed to have in the building.

IPODS's, Cell phones and radio's are a distraction. You're paid to work, not listen to your favorite tunes. Can't you go 4-5 hours without listening to your music? Are you trying to drown out the voices in your heads? Get a grip already. Your work gives you the time to be able to think for a change. Use that time wisely, and think. JMHO, as always.

[BrOwN_PrIdE]

As a preloader, what can headphones be a distraction to? People can think while listening to music. Its not like you go into some kind of zone of nothingness.
I'm not trying to drown out the voices, but rather that annoying buzzing noise that goes off every other second along with the humming of the belt.
I think preloading provides a great opportunity to listen to your music. It's like working out with music.
It's easy going 4 hours without music, but going in mon-fri having to see and hear the same ole stuff gets pretty dull sometimes.

[ORLY!?!]

Originally Posted by soberups

No, this isn't like the military. The military is not a privately owned, for-profit organization with a labor agreement.

If UPS wants to impose physical fitness standards, I dont have a problem with that...as long as they are negotiated into the contract.

As far as people getting fired for stealing and then getting their jobs back....the company made a choice to enter into a labor agreement that specifies how and for what an employee may be terminated. If the company is unable to prove its case or justify that termination in front of a balanced grievance panel...or arbitrator...then the termination is not warranted and the employee should be returned to work.

You'd be surprised, indeed. Look at the license plate on your package car, it says fleet. A Navy and Marine term for sure. The way they teach their sups is exactly the way they teach officers in the military. Expectations and performance is valued in terminology and delivery as the military would provide to an individual. Trust me, they treat this as if it were another services as a military. Look at USPS, most of them are retired military. As so the people working for UPS and FEDEX. This is the next best thing to working for armed forces then being on the front lines. In a way, this is the front lines.

Just because there is a union is play doesnt mean these people are looking to treat you any different of expectation of a services a armed forces would provided. Most of those postions are alike that of ups unload, load and accuracy. Even the term service is another word sups use, "how many years you spend in the service?".

If a person is stealing, or reported as stealing, they that person should be obligated as complete supervision, as that person is now. This person is 8 years in and has a huge 410k and will retire with a nice pay a month for rest of thier life. Perhaps that has something to do with it.

As for the fat guy, well what do you want really? Seniority is a double edged sword. You want skill or you want someone whos been there forever? If I owned a buisness, I would want the person with the most skills and responsibilities to take the front. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but there should be a standerd as the military has for all its workers.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

It is simply a safety issue. You do have a valid point but your safety is far more important. Don't they play the radio during your preload? Here they alternate the stations each day to please everyone. One day I walked in and they were playing an oldies station. How in the hell do you work at a fast pace while listening to Neil Diamond?

[stevetheupsguy]

Originally Posted by BrOwN_PrIdE

As a preloader, what can headphones be a distraction to? People can think while listening to music. Its not like you go into some kind of zone of nothingness.
I'm not trying to drown out the voices, but rather that annoying buzzing noise that goes off every other second along with the humming of the belt.
I think preloading provides a great opportunity to listen to your music. It's like working out with music.
It's easy going 4 hours without music, but going in mon-fri having to see and hear the same ole stuff gets pretty dull sometimes.

I can't wait till you become a driver. Then what, are you gonna pimp that ride?

[soberups]

Originally Posted by ORLY!?!

As for the fat guy, well what do you want really? Seniority is a double edged sword. You want skill or you want someone whos been there forever? If I owned a buisness, I would want the person with the most skills and responsibilities to take the front. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but there should be a standerd as the military has for all its workers.

I dont have a problem with standards.

If the company wants standards, then negotiate them into the labor agreement.

I do not want management to have the ability to make up the standards as they go along, and apply them only to those they choose.

[BrOwN_PrIdE]

Originally Posted by stevetheupsguy

I can't wait till you become a driver. Then what, are you gonna pimp that ride?

some drivers have stereos that hookup to their truck. I'll probably do the same.

[stevetheupsguy]

Originally Posted by soberups

I dont have a problem with standards.

If the company wants standards, then negotiate them into the labor agreement.

I do not want management to have the ability to make up the standards as they go along, and apply them only to those they choose.

As they currently TRY to do.

Originally Posted by BrOwN_PrIdE

some drivers have stereos that hookup to their truck. I'll probably do the same.

Uh, ok, I guess. Read this and see what could happen to you.
http://www.browncafe.com/forum/ups_d..._building.html

[Mike23]

Go to walmart, get some rechargeable batteries, a battery charger and cheap @$$ radio that runs on batteries. Then tape it to your dash...voila! A tape deck

[stevetheupsguy]

Originally Posted by Mike23

Go to walmart, get some rechargeable batteries, a battery charger and cheap @$$ radio that runs on batteries. Then tape it to your dash...voila! A tape deck

I think BrOwN_PrIdE will have to attach it to his/her _______ blank, for now. This is like the old match game. Any takers?

[tieguy]

Originally Posted by BrOwN_PrIdE

As a preloader, what can headphones be a distraction to? People can think while listening to music. Its not like you go into some kind of zone of nothingness.
I'm not trying to drown out the voices, but rather that annoying buzzing noise that goes off every other second along with the humming of the belt.
I think preloading provides a great opportunity to listen to your music. It's like working out with music.
It's easy going 4 hours without music, but going in mon-fri having to see and hear the same ole stuff gets pretty dull sometimes.

Jackson Mississippi had an employee listening to earphones get crushed by a tractor trailer. He never heard the trailer backing in on top of him.

The annoying buzz noise you hear is meant to be heard and warn you that a belt is getting ready to start.

[stevetheupsguy]

And now you've heard from both sides.