Do you follow seniority at your location???

At our location , the company is trying to circumvent seniority for extra work. They know they are doing it, choosing their favorites, and their answer is "file the grievance;" as in file and we will see if you win this time. We have contractual and past practice procedures that have been set in stone, yet our lower level management type people choose to ruffle our feathers. After a short time, we always win, but, our feeder department is based on "honesty and integrity" according to our feeder manager, and she is the main violator. Anyone else having these problems, or an answer to quickly handle this problem???
 
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diesel96

Well-Known Member
The senior drivers who were not ask the extra work first ,are the only ones who can file grievances for monetary reinbursement of hours worked by lower senority drivers....Once UPS starts paying out grievance rulings I'm sure upper mngmt will have a talk with your main violated.
Good Luck...
 

raceanoncr

Well-Known Member
The senior drivers who were not ask the extra work first ,are the only ones who can file grievances for monetary reinbursement of hours worked by lower senority drivers....Once UPS starts paying out grievance rulings I'm sure upper mngmt will have a talk with your main violated.
Good Luck...


Actually, diesel, not quite true. Yrs ago, the company had xtra work and, either used mgr or less senior hourlies, can't remember which. I caught it and filed, FOR MYSELF. The most senior drivers that were available were the ones that got paid. I was not one of the most senior that was available. I didn't get paid, although the grievance was won (I'll never do THAT again! Filing for some other drivers that are too scared or gutless to file only to have THEM win!!!)

I just recently won a different grievance on a less senior driver being called in. I didn't hear about the xtra work til the 4th day of our 5-day filing period. I hurry-uped and filed to make deadline but found out the steward had already filed on my behalf. We used my grievance and won but it was going to be won anyway on the merit of the steward's griev and I was most senior so I would have got $ anyway.
 

tritese

tritese
The problem is that there are too many gutless teamsters.....i don't blame anyone that will not file for others, my philosophy is "if you don't look out for yourself, then no one else will!"

I have heard of stewards filing on other people's behalfs......
 

brown67

Well-Known Member
We have an extra work list posted every week. Drivers who want extra work can sign it and then company starts calling the highest seniorty driver from that list. Works pretty well, but I have been past over once or twice by mistake. Filed on it and won the pay. Nice to get paid for doing nothing. Works well.
The reason they went to a list is the highest seniorty drivers got tired of getting calls at 3am to come and work preload. They didn't want the extra work. This way only the drivers who want extra get called.
 

mikeb

tnbrown
We have an extra work list posted every week. Drivers who want extra work can sign it and then company starts calling the highest seniorty driver from that list. Works pretty well, but I have been past over once or twice by mistake. Filed on it and won the pay. Nice to get paid for doing nothing. Works well.
The reason they went to a list is the highest seniorty drivers got tired of getting calls at 3am to come and work preload. They didn't want the extra work. This way only the drivers who want extra get called.
We have an extra work bid sheet posted monthly. The highest senior person on the list is called to do the work. If u turn down the work three times within a month, then u are skipped over the remainder of the month until the next bid is posted. I did this for a while until I got tired of my phone ringing at 3AM. My wife would get pissed! At our center we have drivers working preload daily. Our center is in a college town and its still hard to get reliable help. It never used to be that way until the last 5 years or so.
 

supercool

Well-Known Member
I have a sort of related question...

I'm a PTer (been with the company 2.5 years) and work on the sort aisle on our night sort. Our supervisor has a habit of sending people home before me (and other more senior people) who have much less seniority. Would grieving this be worth it? It's not like having to go to another area and do other work... it's just at the end he'll send people home early when sometimes I'd rather just get out of there.
 

Just Lurking

Well-Known Member
I have a sort of related question...

I'm a PTer (been with the company 2.5 years) and work on the sort aisle on our night sort. Our supervisor has a habit of sending people home before me (and other more senior people) who have much less seniority. Would grieving this be worth it? It's not like having to go to another area and do other work... it's just at the end he'll send people home early when sometimes I'd rather just get out of there.

Seniority is usually the right to work. There are exceptions like vacation, extra work and 8 hour requests but not for doing current job. Why not offer to leave first, the supervisor would get and unmotivated to stay employee gone and some that it motivated to stay for extra time.
 

dillweed

Well-Known Member
We have constant squabbles about extra work and who has the right to take it. Our center manager has a way of twisting the rules. Data Aq people are often given extra time because the are "qualified" on the computer.

They recently posted a job to stay and help the damages clerk re-pack and take care of left packages. But they stated that premium pay employees are not eligible to bid because they use the computer to make new labels. They only let basic pay people bid on Data Aq or sticker slapper jobs. Lots of preloaders would give their eye teeth to get those jobs and stop breaking their backs on the preload.

I asked for extra work, like cleaning up, and they say no overtime. Sat in my car and saw that less seniority people were staying on overtime to sweep. Had to go back in and make issue of it with union rep in tow. Got paid straight through the time I sat outside plus the time I stayed and swept. But they try to do this over and over and we all get tired of the games. Guess that's what they want. :mad:
 

705red

Browncafe Steward
I have a sort of related question...

I'm a PTer (been with the company 2.5 years) and work on the sort aisle on our night sort. Our supervisor has a habit of sending people home before me (and other more senior people) who have much less seniority. Would grieving this be worth it? It's not like having to go to another area and do other work... it's just at the end he'll send people home early when sometimes I'd rather just get out of there.
I would talk to your sup and let him know your interested in going home early too. If that doesnt work then file for seniority article 44.
 

hondo

promoted to mediocrity
I would talk to your sup and let him know your interested in going home early too. If that doesnt work then file for seniority article 44.

Local 705's contract covers seniority under art. 44 and (for part-timers article 22.9-doesn't exist in NMA). The NMA posted on this site shows art. 44 covering over 70lb. (our art. 39). I couldn't quickly find the language in the NMA.

I have a sort of related question...

I'm a PTer (been with the company 2.5 years) and work on the sort aisle on our night sort. Our supervisor has a habit of sending people home before me (and other more senior people) who have much less seniority. Would grieving this be worth it? It's not like having to go to another area and do other work... it's just at the end he'll send people home early when sometimes I'd rather just get out of there.

Here's what I recommend (and I play it both ways, to leave early or late as I want/need):
  1. Introduce yourself to your steward, explain the situation and ask about your rights under the NMA, and local/regional riders, supplements, addenda, and any established practices in the building. If at all possible, make sure you see it in print.
  2. Approach your supervisor, and possibly the manager in a friendly, but firm manner, and try to resolve this in a mutually satisfactory manner.
  3. If #2 fails, bring your steward in to the mix.
Think carefully about what you want. Do you only want to work 3 hours or less/night? Do you do all-star work mon-thurs and want to kick off early friday? Is there a minimum number of hours you need to work or risk losing benefits/seniority? What's fair to the management/company? Remember, it is a job, you are there to perform work aren't you? I saw a coworker leave the company over this (never found out if he quit or was fired)(and I know he needed the bennies). At the time all I could do was remind him of his Weingarten rights and point out a steward to him. I use my seniority as a "right of first refusal", first (or last) off the clock as I want it. But I try to be considerate of my coworkers and management team, usually opting for all the (bargaining unit) work I can get.
 
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