Discipline for not knowing safety questions 100%

[grgrcr88]

I just found out that the center managers in our building have been threatening people with termination if they can not recite the safety drivel with 100% accuracy!! We had a ketter audit Friday and apparently it did not go well, so every driver that was interviewed by ketter and did not do 100% was taken in the office(without a steward of course) and told they had better know the answers to perfection by Monday morning or they would be terminated.

Since when did having a photographic memory become part of our job description? I know that these are simply scare tactics by the company to try to get people to spend their personal time learning the companies safety drivel, but most of these guys will be so freaked out by the threat that they won't sleep all weekend and will probably stay up trying to memorize the answers only to go in on Monday morning and be so tired and nervous that they will forget all of it anyway. Not to mention that their blood pressure will probably be so high that it's unsafe for them to operate a motor vehicle!!

Anyone else had any of these threats thrown your way?

 

[abc123]

In the past, I've been told that if a sup came around and asked us the answers, and we didn't know, they could send us home for the day (no 3.5 hour guarantee). They never actually did it, though.

 

[grgrcr88]

I heard thru the grapevine(I'm on vacation) that our DM was told in no uncertain terms that "he cannot and will not fire anyone for not knowing the safety questions". I am sure this is far from over though!!

 

[TearsInRain]

i'll let the union guys tell me whether it's contractually possible or not, but i've yet to see anyone fired for it

safety is a joke at UPS

 

[CRASH501]

WOW , they go to new lows ! SAFETY IS KEY , but to memorize all that garb. is uncalled for . U sually those same guys can demonstrate safe practice and methods all day long

 

[Bubblehead]

The threat here is that "it's a condition of your employment".
Heard it in conjunction with sales leads also.
It nothing more than a calculated bluff.
They only do it because we let them get away with it, and because it works on the weak.
If each and everybody threaten in this manner grieved it as harassment, it would end.

 

[fxdwg]

Yeah, but isn't safety important enough to be a priority for UPS as well as you UPSers?
I've witnessed some horrible scenes because of a lax of safety cognizance. If it was ingrained in the people that I'm thinking of, they may be here today.
No offense folks, but sometimes I think BC's name should be changed to BCC (Brown Conspiracy Cafe). It seems like everyone at UPS is crooked (per posts I've read for years).
Everyone except the Union-represented people; or so it seems.

 

[UPSSOCKS]

Well if the union guys don't like it they could always quit, oh that's right they probably can't get a job anywhere else so they better learn the stuff. Well since I am experienced with Keter I will shed some light on this subject.

FIRST of all... Some of the questions on a Keter audit needs to be retained knowledge. A good management person should be able to tell you what parts need to be memorized, however for the more compicated stuff, a management person can print out laminated cards that the driver and/or employees can't keep with them, and when they are asked a question that they do not know they can pull their little cards out of their pockets and use it to help with the answer. Keter understands the lack of education our union workforce has and permits the use of "cheater" cards.

However because it is close to Christmas I will give another bit of knowledge. An employee can be fired if they demonstrate no effort to try to answer safety questions. A building/center will do in house audits to prepare for Keter. They are typically documented very well. A person that continues to not be able to answer certain questions could be disciplined. Especially if these matters are being explain to the employee on company time.

 

[local804]

Have them let you study it on the clock till you can get a 100. If they are paying you, just learn it while getting paid.

 

[cachsux]

Easy fix. Have 100% of the board fail it. Not the theories mind you, just the verbatim.

Here they want us to be able to demonstrate the theory.

 

[local804]

The verbatim is the silly part....

 

[cachsux]

The one sup who threw out the "I want verbatim" statement once is also the sup who recently had a crash in the yard. So much for his ideas.

 

[raceanoncr]

We had a ketter audit Friday and apparently it did not go well, so every driver that was interviewed by ketter and did not do 100% was taken in the office(without a steward of course) and told they had better know the answers to perfection by Monday morning or they would be terminated.

Anyone else had any of these threats thrown your way?

Sure. A couple years ago. Was standard procedure then. Til we stopped em with proof of a grievance that was filed and won.

You wanna PM me. I'll give you our BAs phone # to verify. He said if it EVER happens here, they'll be stopped dead in their tracks.

Procedure now is, you, at least, have to make EFFORT to know. That's all!

Not all of us are Keter robots. Or UPS robots. Most of us (me, at the top of the list) are relatively uneducated and not able to comprehend "book learnin". No slam intended, please. I only got 12th grade eddycasion, myself.

You tell these people that are losing sleep to chill out. Do the best you can. This company was not built on recitation. It was built on service and all of our people are very capable of servicing.

Carry on.

 

[UPSGUY72]

UPS threatens us about everything just get used to it. I memorized it once for driver school and have been able to recite it pretty much word for word ever since. It easier to remember it then put up with there crap when they ask you to recite it and you can't.

 

[bigblu 2 you]

Sure. A couple years ago. Was standard procedure then. Til we stopped em with proof of a grievance that was filed and won.

You wanna PM me. I'll give you our BAs phone # to verify. He said if it EVER happens here, they'll be stopped dead in their tracks.

Procedure now is, you, at least, have to make EFFORT to know. That's all!

Not all of us are Keter robots. Or UPS robots. Most of us (me, at the top of the list) are relatively uneducated and not able to comprehend "book learnin". No slam intended, please. I only got 12th grade eddycasion, myself.

You tell these people that are losing sleep to chill out. Do the best you can. This company was not built on recitation. It was built on service and all of our people are very capable of servicing.

Carry on.

same here.they actually sent a guy home for missing a few and he came back with pay.just put forth an effort and study or answer all on the clock.dont fall for scare tactics even though they sound true.our b a spoke with international and they will back us and want to know the names of any mngmnt that tries to enforce this dribble.

 

[over9five]

...... but most of these guys will be so freaked out by the threat that they won't sleep all weekend and will probably stay up trying to memorize the answers only to go in on Monday morning and be so tired and nervous that they will forget all of it anyway. Not to mention that their blood pressure will probably be so high that it's unsafe for them to operate a motor vehicle!!

What the hell is wrong with your people? Most of us here would just laugh!

 

[Anonymous 10]

My local filed a labor board charge when this was the flavor of the month. Ups stoped this and the labor board charge was withdrawn.

 

[grgrcr88]

What the hell is wrong with your people? Most of us here would just laugh!

Remeber I am in a "right to work" state. Unions are not top priority for the republican majority around here. That is until they get something like this happen. My phone was blowing up with people calling me wanting to know if they would be fired.I told all of them to relax, all they had to do was show that they were putting forth an honest effort. Not be a smartass, and if the company pushed it we would push harder. Also told them all "We DON'T DO HOMEWORK!!!!" If they expect you to know it better they need to pay you to study them.

I heard my BA and one of the center managers and the DM got into a pretty heated discussion about it, and they have relaxed their position. As I said the DM was told by his superiors that he could not fire people for this!!

It just pisses me off that guys will stress out and lose sleep over these BS scare tactics the company throws at them. I am with you guys, it would not bother me, I would just laugh it off but some of these guys just don't get involved enough to know any better.

 

[packageguy]

you can not get fired for safety questions period. They have to bring you early and study on there time. You can do what they do in my building tell them you have a d d. seriously you can not get fired for that.

p.s. just study on there time.,

 

[Coldworld]

one question for you all...when ketter comes in do they ask the supervisors and managers these same questions...do they have to know this stuff word by word. It would be interesting to know if they have been quizzed also