Do we deserve $32+/hour

[UPSGUY72]

Wow, so many post so little details.

FEDEX employees 3 drivers and 3 trucks to do what one (1) UPS driver does.

FEDEX...
Add the combined cost of paying 3 drivers, lets say, and average of $15 (wages, taxes, insurances) and hour. That's $45 and hour.
​Add the cost of trucks, fuel, maintenance, insurance, and replacement cost, lets say, and average $125,000 over a 8 years life. That's $375,000.

UPS...
$32+5 = $37 an hour. Vehicle over 8 years $125,000.

These are just ball park numbers but you can see why UPS can pay this rate to its driver and still have the highest margins of any transportation company in the known galaxy.

Comparing skills/education/supply and demand are good but what an employee earns for there company, there profit value, is also a major factor. The notion that UPS can just cast a net out into the wide world and fill there ranks overnight is absurd. If they could done that they would have already. Anybody that has done this job know its a lot more than just picking a box up here and putting it down there.


​Just look at the over the road trucker vacancies. Most people disparage truck driver for making $50-70K a year just sitting on there fanny. Yet, the turn over rate is 50% the first year and 75% in 3 years. Think the jobs is so easy and over paid? You try it then and not just to be a 30 day wonder job. Do it for 5-10-25-35 years because its that kind of experience that makes the largest share of a companies profits.

If you need to put detail down your trying to justify what you make....

 

[serenity now]

Mine is a single income household and I live a fairly frugal lifestyle by choice, not by necessity. 25% to my 401k, $6K/year to my Roth IRA, brand new car (as of 4/20) in my parking spot with very little OT.

seriously? the cat is no longer looking for a job?

 

[brapkurst]

How far $32 per hour goes is directly dependent on the cost of living in a particular area. The "value" of a dollar downstate from me in New York is half of what it is in my area. This goes for any major metro area where the cost of living, particularly real estate, taxes, entertainment, etc are much higher than most areas such as the inland Northeast, South, and Midwest.

 

[uber]

This is a good way of looking at it.
I was in HR at one time and I had no problem hiring very good drivers off the street with a 80% plus take rate.
Over half the part-timers did not make it ... probably way less.

Absolutely no problem hiring drivers off the street for permanent positions.
Relatively hard time hiring qualified part-timers off the street.
I know personally and from ad-hoc discussions that we are having a hard time hiring qualified management off the street in all career areas.
The increasing of the CEO salary and perks is an attempt to hire qualified CEOs from outside the company. Still a long way to go in that regard.

uhhhhh, you gotta go by the 1 out of 6 rule.

 

[ibleedbrown]

This is a good way of looking at it.
I was in HR at one time and I had no problem hiring very good drivers off the street with a 80% plus take rate.
Over half the part-timers did not make it ... probably way less.


Absolutely no problem hiring drivers off the street for permanent positions.
Relatively hard time hiring qualified part-timers off the street.
I know personally and from ad-hoc discussions that we are having a hard time hiring qualified management off the street in all career areas.
The increasing of the CEO salary and perks is an attempt to hire qualified CEOs from outside the company. Still a long way to go in that regard.

what would you say is the reason why off the street hires are more successful? what were some of the reasons that part timers were so unsuccessful? in your opinion what are some of the qualities it takes to make a successful driver?

 

[TUT]

Wow, so many post so little details.

FEDEX employees 3 drivers and 3 trucks to do what one (1) UPS driver does.

The math isn't quite like that. There are more UPS drivers per sq mile than any single Fedex entity. If it were truly 3x the Fedex Drivers to UPS drivers, then you would be right. You are able to handle more because you have a smaller area in general.

 

[uber]

what would you say is the reason why off the street hires are more successful? what were some of the reasons that part timers were so unsuccessful? in your opinion what are some of the qualities it takes to make a successful driver?

Part timers are already jaded?

 

[browniehound]

Drivers work their asses off everyday...and have to deal with the public and ****ty weather...they deserve every penny. That being said, yes us preloaders should get more than we make, to a point. I'm a woman in my early 30's. Everyday, i outload guys more than 10 yrs younger than me...better load quality, heavier assignment. And then when i'm done with my 1300+ pieces, i'm asked to go help this one or that one finish, because he's backed up and it's 9am. So i do, because i have to, and of course their trucks look like a bomb imploded

This is very common at UPS. The reward for a good job and hard work at UPS is more hard work. They don't pass out gold star stickers at UPS for a job well done.

 

[Bluefox]

When thinking about the rest of labor jobs out there, yes, we are overpaid. If we only got 40 hours a week, 32 dollars would not really go that far. It would be barely enough for a single income household. Is are job worth 32 an hour still? Id say yes if we had to pay for a our insurance and fund our retirements. 32 an hour plus all the beni's!! We have it reaaaaaaal good.

Do you realize you are the reason the company is going aftervour benefits? People like you make them think we would be ok with it. We are NOT ok with it ... shut your trap and let us keep our benefits. .. most of us need them

 

[TUT]

If we only got 40 hours a week, 32 dollars would not really go that far. It would be barely enough for a single income household.

I wish you had power and were in gov't, you would have 60K as a yearly min. living wage. I likey! Too bad they have it around 17.5K.

 

[beentheredonethat]

They cant find people in our building to last. Last peak 2 out of 20 Made it through and they are runners who will either get into a serious accident or injure themselves

The thread was entitled "Do we deserve $32+/hr" and it was regarding a FT permanent job. You are comparing it to what peak hires get for a peak job only. HUGE Difference.

 

[mancini]

No way do I feel drivers are over paid. I do think that the wage is partly what it is because of the years many upsers wait to given a chance at full time job. Without the pay, the company would have constant turn over at the full time level and in turn worse service than what we offer now.

 

[SmithBarney]

I say absolutely yes! Fed-Ex makes a comparable wage and look what they do! Their trucks are empty and I'm delivering 350-400/day. Fed-Ex Ground is doing half that and in 4 times the area. Hence the statement from my Fed-Ex Ground buddy "I see four UPS drivers on my route" (and he knows their names).

First off: Yes 32+ is a bargin for what you do for the company. In the simplest terms, roughly your first 10 stops(if NDA, 30 if ground) pay your wages for the day. Everything else is money in the bank for UPS.

Secondly, FedEx Express does not make a comparable wage. Current Express drivers start at ~$15 and will never top out at currently $23
That being said Express has a fair top out. Unforunately any mid range Driver will NEVER top out under the current pay progressions.

 

[Catatonic]

what would you say is the reason why off the street hires are more successful? what were some of the reasons that part timers were so unsuccessful? in your opinion what are some of the qualities it takes to make a successful driver?

My observations are mainly that a P/T has a fallback to their old P/T job.
P/T generally have not worked any real job but UPS and feel a certain sense of entitlement and they do not go out and ride their route before they start and on the weekends after they start. They have been unionized and feel they just come in and once they punch the clock, they start working and don't do anything related to the job off the clock.
If they don't make it, there is always next year when they can bid again.
Most P/Ts make it on their 2nd try.

The "off the street" driver hire has worked other jobs and understands how great a UPS driver job is.
If they don't make it, they are gone and they will do whatever it takes to make seniority.
They go out and drive their route before they start and on weekends ... they are hungrier and wiser in the ways of the world.

 

[The Milkman]

My observations are mainly that a P/T has a fallback to their old P/T job.
P/T generally have not worked any real job but UPS and feel a certain sense of entitlement and they do not go out and ride their route before they start and on the weekends after they start. They have been unionized and feel they just come in and once they punch the clock, they start working and don't do anything related to the job off the clock.
If they don't make it, there is always next year when they can bid again.
Most P/Ts make it on their 2nd try.

The "off the street" driver hire has worked other jobs and understands how great a UPS driver job is.
If they don't make it, they are gone and they will do whatever it takes to make seniority.
They go out and drive their route before they start and on weekends ... they are hungrier and wiser in the ways of the world.

That was me back in 81...Worked a lot of jobs before UPS...worked 2 jobs to make ends meet..Was happy to be givin a chance to drive, having weekends off, good benefits and yes it was a demanding job..I worked at GM for a while and did many other Jobs 12 yrs prior to getting in but I will say this..."It was not as easy as it looked" Looking back now retired over 5 yrs already..We all earn our pay...The Stress and Physical and mental demands that you deal with daily at times made you wonder if it was really worth it.. I made it and it was rough at times, many other times I enjoyed my job but after going public and all the downsizing, and lack of mgnt and driver morale ,slowly but surely it showed on everyones faces. The Company picnics, the Christmas center parties and safe driving award get togethers slowly went away to nothing more than an impersonal thanks..Oh well..Life goes on

 

[Indecisi0n]

$34.50 would be better.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Yesterday was a light day so after I delivered an add/cut I ran off a moved. As I was leaving that stop and heading to start my pickups I came upon a pkg car parked on the side of the road. The driver had just completed the stop on the right side of the road and I assumed he was getting ready to drive to the next stop. I tooted the horn and began to pass him on the left when all of a sudden he darts out from in front of the package car to deliver the stop on the left hand side of the road. He also had a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. I leaned out and told him that is why we are taught to cross behind the package car. His response was "oh well". I just shook my head and headed to my first pickup stop.

 

[pretender]

My observations are mainly that a P/T has a fallback to their old P/T job.
P/T generally have not worked any real job but UPS and feel a certain sense of entitlement and they do not go out and ride their route before they start and on the weekends after they start. They have been unionized and feel they just come in and once they punch the clock, they start working and don't do anything related to the job off the clock.
If they don't make it, there is always next year when they can bid again.
Most P/Ts make it on their 2nd try.


The "off the street" driver hire has worked other jobs and understands how great a UPS driver job is.
If they don't make it, they are gone and they will do whatever it takes to make seniority.
They go out and drive their route before they start and on weekends ... they are hungrier and wiser in the ways of the world.

I normally agree with most of your posts, but I have to differ with you on this one. When I went from P/T to driving, I did go out on the weekend and ride the route, and I was grateful for the opportunity. Of course, this was back in the '70s, shortly after the provision was made in the contract for part timers to go into driving. Perhaps the sense of entitlement had not had a chance to sink in... The drivers with the worst attitudes were typically Feeder drivers who were hired "off the street".

 

[Bubblehead]

My observations are mainly that a P/T has a fallback to their old P/T job.
P/T generally have not worked any real job but UPS and feel a certain sense of entitlement and they do not go out and ride their route before they start and on the weekends after they start. They have been unionized and feel they just come in and once they punch the clock, they start working and don't do anything related to the job off the clock.
If they don't make it, there is always next year when they can bid again.
Most P/Ts make it on their 2nd try.

The "off the street" driver hire has worked other jobs and understands how great a UPS driver job is.
If they don't make it, they are gone and they will do whatever it takes to make seniority.
They go out and drive their route before they start and on weekends ... they are hungrier and wiser in the ways of the world.

You observed that from where, your cubical in Atlanta?
I observe the polar opposite from the hub floor.
I see men and women that have waited as much as ten years for their opportunity.
They are there early and are desperate to make good on their chance.
I am not a privy to what they do on the weekends or before and after work, nor are you unless they broadcast it, which on occasions they have.
​As their steward, I tell them to do whatever it takes to get their thirty days, then come see me and I will teach them how to survive the next thirty years.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Hoke worked in operations during the early part of his career so he knows from what he speaks.