Anyone working Saturday in the northeast?

tieguy

Banned
I went into a ups building today looking for a package that has been sitting there for a week due to all the weather problems. Its something I needed by Monday. To my horror I saw slides stacked high everywhere with packages. Package cars full of packages and the saturday air sup told me there were also several retain trailers in the yard full of packages. I can fully appreciate what two blizzards in a week can do to a delivery operation. I was however dismayed to see that the building did not bring all the drivers in to clean up today. I saw a lot of green proflowers box's sitting around which I can easily guess were supposed to be delivered before valentines day. I'm hoping the new corporate concept of profitability does not mean we now sacrifice service. The only delivery vehicle I've seen in my neighborhood has been a fdx truck who did get stuck across the street but at least was there. The shipper I used uses and advertises fdx shipping. They shipped mine ups as I requested. If I let them ship fdx I would have my package now. So with that rant in mind my question is to ask if anyone else in the snow ravaged Northeast did the right thing and worked Saturday to clean up the service disconnects.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Our center has some guys delivering today to get some Valentine's stuff delivered.

Are you talking Saturday air only or are you also talking about ground pkgs?

Our center did add a 2nd driver today. I guess UPS relaxed the Saturday commit times by 90 minutes (except for Early AM) just for today.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
We had a sign up sheet for Saturday, but were told it was going to be just for "valentines day stuff", and since they only took the top 20 drivers that signed up it's clear they don't intend to try and get a head start on the real problem. My guess is that they don't want to pay OT to the whole building (all hours worked on Saturday are time and a half). I agree they should have brought have everyone in, or at the very least everyone who was willing to work.
 

TheKid

Well-Known Member
We worked a few full timers for the V Day stuff. I worked and got 4 hrs. OT........easy money. We are caught up but I don't think that all of the work has been making it up to us (Mass.).
 

Brownforall

Member
Sounds like the backups here in the blizzard (s) area of DC/ VA /MD /PA are going to continue into next week as well. I ordered Valentine's flowers mistakenly though FedEx, and they were delivered ahead of schedule this morning. My UPS Next Day Air 10:30am letter that I had placed before the second blizzard was just delivered on late Friday.

Is it just sheer volume at UPS (twice as much as FedEx i presume) that is causing such a disparity? If I had used UPS as I had planned to for the flowers, they may not have gotten there until long past the survival rate of the blooms. I agree that the OT cost may have been a big factor and that ground delivery would understandably wait until normal hours of next week. But damn -- how does FedEx do it? - they're in the same snow states as UPS. Or is it just a smoke and mirrors appearance, and the complaints about FedEx are hidden somewhere in their hubs?
 

Just_another_day_at_work

Well-Known Member
I was surprised too, I thought all the drivers going to deliver today. I am not saying I would love to work, but packages waiting to be serviced. I think we could have handled this week way better than how we did. Yesterday they sent a message to make it in by cut off, sheet all EMCs?! On my route streets are pretty OK, there is no such thing as EMC, but not enough time... Tieguy probably your package was in the ending section on the truck. :(
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
none of these are service failures - they're "Emergency Condition" packages. New way of hiding a problem.

Using Emergency Condition the way it was meant to be used is one of the best things for driver safety. Using Emergency Condition the way that some of you have described is simply poor management and reminds me of the mismanagement of Rural Remote.
 

brownrod

Well-Known Member
I went into a ups b. I was however dismayed to see that the building did not bring all the drivers in to clean up today.

You do realize we are only allowed to work 60 hours per week, right? Whenever there is a blizzard here we put in 60 hours m-friend and the extra packages just hang out until the snow goes away.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
You do realize we are only allowed to work 60 hours per week, right? Whenever there is a blizzard here we put in 60 hours m-friend and the extra packages just hang out until the snow goes away.


I thought operations were suspended for two days? If so, then the drivers would have hours available. I know if it were me I would much rather work on a Saturday to try and get some of the backlog eased. With Monday being a holiday it will only add to the pile sitting in the building.

I assume (and may be wrong) that had they worked today it would have been at straight pay because of the two days that operations were suspended. Someone please correct me on this if I am wrong.
 

NHDRVR

Well-Known Member
The Nashua, NH center is working Sat. for the Valentines day stuff and, I am sure, they will clean some of the late stuff from the snow in Chema...
 

NHDRVR

Well-Known Member
The 1/2 inch????

(laughing) I know.... Our dispatcher told us on Wed. that we were getting 9000 extra pieces that were held up due to inclement weather. I always assume that Chema bottlenecks a lot of stuff so the other centers can control the flow more evenly. I may be wrong...
 

jimstud

Banned
I thought operations were suspended for two days? If so, then the drivers would have hours available. I know if it were me I would much rather work on a Saturday to try and get some of the backlog eased. With Monday being a holiday it will only add to the pile sitting in the building.

I assume (and may be wrong) that had they worked today it would have been at straight pay because of the two days that operations were suspended. Someone please correct me on this if I am wrong.

it is still considered a 6th punch because their regular shift is mon thru fri so it is overtime.
 

OVERBOARD

Don't believe everything you think
On Friday during the morning PCM the sup told us that if there any doubt about making a delivery, EC the pkg, In my option he should of said " if you have any valentines' day boxes that you cant deliver call the center and we will make arrangements" but he didn’t. I del all the pkgs I had for valentines day, even walk a mile for one, I exaggerated a little, even so I bet there was drivers that didn’t care and EC the pkg instead.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
On Friday during the morning PCM the sup told us that if there any doubt about making a delivery, EC the pkg, In my option he should of said " if you have any valentines' day boxes that you cant deliver call the center and we will make arrangements" but he didn’t. I del all the pkgs I had for valentines day, even walk a mile for one, I exaggerated a little, even so I bet there was drivers that didn’t care and EC the pkg instead.
Sounds like they cared about as much as the company does.
 

hudson

Well-Known Member
I received a email memo late Friday that said FedEx was running a special Sunday sort and delivery in certain cities for proflowers.com...Try to get a Teamster to that...The memo also said that this was the first time in FedEx history that they were going to deliver on a Sunday...This is only the beginning of FedEx one upping us...Guess who is going to deliver 100% of proflowers.com volume next year? Not UPS...
 

OVERBOARD

Don't believe everything you think
I received a email memo late Friday that said FedEx was running a special Sunday sort and delivery in certain cities for proflowers.com...Try to get a Teamster to that...

FYI There are teamster that work every Sunday for UPS
 
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