Centennial Roadshow ... pretty lame ...

[UPScomputerGUY]

Hotdogs, cokes and kiddie stuff. Now don't you think a company this large and celebrating 100 years could do better?

Should have been Open bar, kegs, live music .. heck we could have afforded a major rock band to tour the country for us. Could have had pig roasts and some good eats! This should have been big ... hey it's 100 YEARS! How about giving away and all expense paid vacation Hawiian Vacation at each show ... now that would have been a festival and 100 year celebration to be proud of and one heck of a morale booster for the troops!

[moreluck]

Open bar, kegs.....huge liability. A family driving home, dad drank a little (or mom) and they all get killed. No, I don't think so!!

[clockrider]

but cold hot dogs, stale chips, nasty cotton candy, cold coffee and hot soda pop leave a LOT to be desired.....I am not saying a 6 course sit down meal, but grilled burgers, kielbasa, brats, and freshly popped popcorn are not too much to ask. I heard there were nice lunches for customers and community agency folks, and nice dinners for Board of Director, Region, and District staff level types.

As usual, the peon employees are last on the list. Have you seen the banners? The wording is something like "Customers, Communities, Employees". Shows me where we stand.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by UPScomputerGUY

Hotdogs, cokes and kiddie stuff. Now don't you think a company this large and celebrating 100 years could do better?

Should have been Open bar, kegs, live music .. heck we could have afforded a major rock band to tour the country for us. Could have had pig roasts and some good eats! This should have been big ... hey it's 100 YEARS! How about giving away and all expense paid vacation Hawiian Vacation at each show ... now that would have been a festival and 100 year celebration to be proud of and one heck of a morale booster for the troops!

UPS is packed to the gills with bottom-line thinkers. What ever made you think they'd opt for more than the bare minimum?

[over9five]

"Now don't you think a company this large and celebrating 100 years could do better?"

He's right, you know. Maybe not the free booze, but at least a live band....

[Sammie]

Originally Posted by UPScomputerGUY

Hotdogs, cokes and kiddie stuff. Now don't you think a company this large and celebrating 100 years could do better?

Should have been Open bar, kegs, live music .. heck we could have afforded a major rock band to tour the country for us. Could have had pig roasts and some good eats! This should have been big ... hey it's 100 YEARS! How about giving away and all expense paid vacation Hawiian Vacation at each show ... now that would have been a festival and 100 year celebration to be proud of and one heck of a morale booster for the troops!

If you've noticed every year on Founders Day (UPS's anniversaries) how the free cookouts we get are less
and less "grand"....And the thing is, that's most likely
a business expense that can be written off anyway.

[clockrider]

A cookout on Founder's Day? All we get is a crappy piece of stale sheet cake from WalMart. Consider yourself lucky if you get a cookout!

[grami72]

As Moreluck said, any competent attorney will tell you that the days of companies sponsoring open bars and keggers are long gone.
That being said, why should UPS go to all the expense and trouble of hosting some huge bash, and giving away vacations for its 100th anniversary? Isn't the job security, and highest wage and benefit package in the industry enough? Obviously not. Therein lies the problem. Whatever they do, someone will bitch and it will not be enough. If UPS were to go to you, and ask you to do something outside of the contract, I suspect you would be the first one to scream. However, under no contractual obligation, you expect UPS to throw a great show for you.
If you don't like the centennial show, don't go. Sorry if I offended some people, but I spent 32 years with UPS. 80% of the management team, at least, are people who want to do the right thing for UPS and their employees. 80% of the union employees also want to do the right thing. From the tone of this board lately, I don't think you could tell this. Unfortunately, a company of over 350,000 people is being consistently bashed here by 20 or 30 anonymous people.
Go ahead, bash away.

[Harry Manback]

You guys obviously didn't set foot in the ultra lavish Kohler port-a-potties. For a second there, I felt like a king on the Throne.

[Channahon]

Tough decision for me. Retire in Jan 06 or spend another year and stick around for the 100 year party. No brainer!!!

[tieguy]

Originally Posted by Harry Manback

You guys obviously didn't set foot in the ultra lavish Kohler port-a-potties. For a second there, I felt like a king on the Throne.

LOL, that was the classiest port a pod I've ever seen.

[wakyzachy]

Originally Posted by UPScomputerGUY

Hotdogs, cokes and kiddie stuff. Now don't you think a company this large and celebrating 100 years could do better?

Should have been Open bar, kegs, live music .. heck we could have afforded a major rock band to tour the country for us. Could have had pig roasts and some good eats! This should have been big ... hey it's 100 YEARS! How about giving away and all expense paid vacation Hawiian Vacation at each show ... now that would have been a festival and 100 year celebration to be proud of and one heck of a morale booster for the troops!

How, long have you been working here? You sound like a newbie. Its UPS for crying out loud. We are lucky enough to have a water and ice machine in the hub. Probbally they will soon be charging us for the ice. LOL

[DS]

Originally Posted by grami72

I spent 32 years with UPS. From the tone of this board lately, I don't think you could tell this. Unfortunately, a company of over 350,000 people is being consistently bashed here by 20 or 30 anonymous people.
Go ahead, bash away.

Hang on a sec there buddy,nobody is bashing anybody.
People are giving thier opinions.I also agree that the 100th
year should`ve been special.Not a crappy barbeque with
hot dogs and warm pop.I think they should`ve taken this
way further and let the public know why we are the #1
pkg delivery company in the world...

[clockrider]

I do not think most employees would expect alcohol to be served, but our district's Centennial Roadshow was an embarrassment to the company. They ran out of food, they told us they could not give the kids bracelets at Race the Truck because they were saving them for the one the following week, they ran out of coloring books, and went inside the hub to make photocopies. The clown ran out of balloons to make balloon animals.

I had my family there, and I was utterly appalled. The food was atrocious. We left and went to a local restaurant to eat because the food was seriously lacking.

The way they built it up in my District that this is a once in a lifetime thing, and everyone should attend, I am glad more people did not show up, because the food would have run out sooner, and we might have had a riot on our hands.

I understand each location had a tight budget, but do not build it up that it is going to be this big wonderful celebration, and disappoint everyone, mostly the kids.

Corporate Express and Lands' End made sure that they were there making a buck off of the souvenirs. Each UPS employee who attended could have been given a small token of appreciation for attending. At least the ones who volunteered got a shirt.

And I do not consider myself an ungrateful employee. I appreciate the opportunity this company has provided me. The benefits and pay are without peer. But the fact that management is so untrusting of the employees who go out every day, and give 120% (I know there are dogs out there, too, but they are outnumbered by the hard workers). It was evident in '97 that management couldn't survive without us. We are all in this together, though. You cannot have too many chiefs and not enough indians.

I overheard one manager tell a FT sup that all employees lie, cheat, and steal. Not all of us do. I am a shareholder, too. I may not get MIP, but I bust my butt every day, and get no thanks from anyone associated with the company. I do my job because of the satisfaction I get by providing my customers world class service. It would be nice to get a sincere thank you every now and then. I do not need a coffee mug, t-shirt, or baseball cap. Just be sincere, and a little more trusting. Jim Casey was.

[fredly00]

UPS has costs down for this.
.47 hotdog per employee
.73 burger per employee
based on the fact that drivers will be out till
after the party is over, so they will get some
stale 7-up, and a few chips thus included in the festivities.

[helenofcalifornia]

I think we can all agree that at the centers with the managers and supervisors who give a damn about their employees (including the "troubled ones") and understand what work they do every day and respect that, will probably get a better return from the drivers when they are asked to go "above and beyond" when asked on occasion. It's a two way street. Yeah, UPS could have put on a better show. Better food, better demos, and I like that idea of a free Hawaiian vacation given away at every roadshow. They probably would have gotten a better turnout too. Only one person went from our center. I still have faith in the company, but it isn't the unwavering faith of years ago. Too many missteps and poor leadership ideas coming from the top lately.

[Sammie]

Originally Posted by grami72

As Moreluck said, any competent attorney will tell you that the days of companies sponsoring open bars and keggers are long gone.
That being said, why should UPS go to all the expense and trouble of hosting some huge bash, and giving away vacations for its 100th anniversary? Isn't the job security, and highest wage and benefit package in the industry enough? Obviously not. Therein lies the problem. Whatever they do, someone will bitch and it will not be enough. If UPS were to go to you, and ask you to do something outside of the contract, I suspect you would be the first one to scream. However, under no contractual obligation, you expect UPS to throw a great show for you.
If you don't like the centennial show, don't go. Sorry if I offended some people, but I spent 32 years with UPS. 80% of the management team, at least, are people who want to do the right thing for UPS and their employees. 80% of the union employees also want to do the right thing. From the tone of this board lately, I don't think you could tell this. Unfortunately, a company of over 350,000 people is being consistently bashed here by 20 or 30 anonymous people.
Go ahead, bash away.

Ok Sweetcheeks, allow me to start bashing away...

Between my husband and I, we have so far donated 62 years of our lives to UPS.

In 1977, UPS in Colorado celebrated one of the company's anniversaries with a huge open house in our hub. All families invited. Fabulous food for all. The kids could crawl all over the vehicles that their parents drove around in during their long work days.

Pictures were taken of everybody for the Big Idea (long since a forgotten memory...) The company was "family" then. People walked out of that event feeling SPECIAL. Imagine that!!!

Now, 30 years later, that story is just a forgotten fairy tale and the company has apparently become so poverty stricken that it can no longer afford such celebrations or fan fare for its valued employees.

Please consider something else here. UPSer's spend more time at work than they do with their own families if you tally up the total hours in a week.

I'm not complaining about something as insipid as the lack of keggers or open bars or vacation give aways. I'm just truly embarrassed that on the 100th anniversary of this company, and considering the tremendous work ethic that it's people bring forth, that this company couldn't provide a more gracious thank you in return for those of you who bust your a**e* each and every day.

And if nobody else can offer you a proper thank you at this time for all that you do, I can't offer you a nice party, but I certainly do thank you for all of your efforts.

[tieguy]

good points sammie and you're right.

I think one problem with this setup is it was engineered for both our celebration and to be a display for the customers on friday. So instead of celebrating our history and our accomplishments as one family we get a display that is carefully marketed for the customer.

the significance of a company reaching its 100 years was lost here. In fact we should have added another paid holiday this year and had local celebrations for our people at least on par with a 4th of july. Rent a park, barbecue etc. An expensive endeavor but what the heck its only once every 100 years.

We could have warned our customers ahead of time so they could have adjusted thier shipping plans to ship before or after and then invite them to the celebration.

we've forgotten how to celebrate as a company. Everything is carefully planned and marketed with a public corperation flair. Every penny is carefully counted. After all we don't want to tell our stockholders we didn't make the plan because we spent the profits on one hell of a party.

Its sad and somewhat embarrassing. Kind of like getting the same tie from the same relative for the 5 birthday in a row. You appreciate the thought but wonder why they even bothered if its so much trouble to make it something special this time.

[tieguy]

Mike if you or Jim W-stock are reading this its not too late to change our ways. The roadshow is a joke. this thing has corperate mumbo jumbo written all over it. 100 years deserve a big party at the district level. Not a marketing scheme.

[BrownBlackandBlue]

Why don't you call up James P. H. and tell him you want a better party negotiated into the contract. You've earned it.

[hoser]

at fx express, we would have free bbq's at the end of our days to celebrate the dumbest of things, like the launch of the sales lead program, the fact that we hit our goals, etc. the least UPS could do is have something like this for EVERY center the day of the centennial.