Employment/Union Membership confusion. Looking for opinions.

[km3]

So, I just started within the past month. I've been on probation and, according to my own calculations, I should have gained seniority by the end of next week.

The thing is, I got injured on the job. I was following the methods, the injury was more or less unavoidable. The cause of the injury is something that happens to all of us from time to time, and this time, it just happened to happen to me and resulted in a broken bone.

When I spoke with the manager at my hub in the office, I was first told that I would be relieved of my employment after the worker's comp process was completed. Fair enough. I know a thing or two about business, and I know it doesn't make sense to hold the position of someone who hasn't even passed probation yet and is unable to work. No hard feelings, just disappointment. The next night, I brought some papers from my appointment at the provider's office in, and the same person who told me I would be relieved of my employment then told me that I'd be kept on. Naturally, I became cautiously optimistic but a bit confused at the same time.

Well, I haven't worked for over a week, and now, to add to the confusion, I got a Teamsters member ID card in the mail along with a "Welcome to the Union" letter.

I'm sure I'll receive some clarity on the matter this coming week, but I'd still like to hear people's opinions. Am I being jerked around by management (I haven't been given any reason to believe they'd do that...yet)? Am I somehow in the union, or do they always send these cards out prematurely? Should I be looking for another job at this point, or if I have been offered TAW does that mean they're serious about keeping me?

 

[By The Book]

So, I just started within the past month. I've been on probation and, according to my own calculations, I should have gained seniority by the end of next week.

The thing is, I got injured on the job. I was following the methods, the injury was more or less unavoidable. The cause of the injury is something that happens to all of us from time to time, and this time, it just happened to happen to me and resulted in a broken bone.

When I spoke with the manager at my hub in the office, I was first told that I would be relieved of my employment after the worker's comp process was completed. Fair enough. I know a thing or two about business, and I know it doesn't make sense to hold the position of someone who hasn't even passed probation yet and is unable to work. No hard feelings, just disappointment. The next night, I brought some papers from my appointment at the provider's office in, and the same person who told me I would be relieved of my employment then told me that I'd be kept on. Naturally, I became cautiously optimistic but a bit confused at the same time.

Well, I haven't worked for over a week, and now, to add to the confusion, I got a Teamsters member ID card in the mail along with a "Welcome to the Union" letter.

I'm sure I'll receive some clarity on the matter this coming week, but I'd still like to hear people's opinions. Am I being jerked around by management (I haven't been given any reason to believe they'd do that...yet)? Am I somehow in the union, or do they always send these cards out prematurely? Should I be looking for another job at this point, or if I have been offered TAW does that mean they're serious about keeping me?

I think they may of talked it over(got advice from upstairs) about the possibility they may have let you go without just cause, your injury on the job, probably not a reason to let someone go. I would call the number on the union letterhead and ask about your membership in the union and talk over your current job status.

 

[idrivethetruck]

Contact your local Teamster business agent. He would be the one to help you fight to keep your job.

 

[pickup]

To the original poster, it sounds like you are like Schrodinger's Cat: not knowing if you're alive or dead, career wise at least. If you don't get the reference, you can google it, but based on the grammatical correctness of your post, I suspect you are well read and you got the reference.

As the two posts above me already pointed out, the best place to inquire is your local union which is obviously closed for the weekend.

You could share your start date and the number of days you've worked up to a certain date and then we could probably figure out for you if you actually achieved union status or not but that would really give your identity away to the corporate monitors that check out this forum. To some degree, you already have given your identity away, but hey you didn't say anything wrong.

 

[km3]

To the original poster, it sounds like you are like Schrodinger's Cat: not knowing if you're alive or dead, career wise at least. If you don't get the reference, you can google it, but based on the grammatical correctness of your post, I suspect you are well read and you got the reference.

As the two posts above me already pointed out, the best place to inquire is your local union which is obviously closed for the weekend.

You could share your start date and the number of days you've worked up to a certain date and then we could probably figure out for you if you actually achieved union status or not but that would really give your identity away to the corporate monitors that check out this forum. To some degree, you already have given your identity away, but hey you didn't say anything wrong.

I kind of got it. Wouldn't have understood at all 9 months ago, though.

I was afraid I had included too much information in my original post, although I did obfuscate some of the details. Apparently not enough. At the time I posted it, I figured they could figure out who I was if they wanted to. I was kind of hoping it wouldn't affect me, since I'm just here to get opinions on the situation as a whole, not trash talk supervisors and managers who, so far, have been nothing but helpful to me. It's like I said, I would have understood the decision to let me go (but I'd still be disappointed).

I think they may of talked it over(got advice from upstairs) about the possibility they may have let you go without just cause, your injury on the job, probably not a reason to let someone go. I would call the number on the union letterhead and ask about your membership in the union and talk over your current job status.

Well, I'm not exactly sure what the management hierarchy is like here, but the person I spoke with seemed to be fairly high up on the totem pole.

Does anyone know if these union ID cards are sent out based on attaining seniority, or paying off the initiation fee? I have a theory that I didn't think of until after making this thread.

 

[By The Book]

I kind of got it. Wouldn't have understood at all 9 months ago, though.

I was afraid I had included too much information in my original post, although I did obfuscate some of the details. Apparently not enough. At the time I posted it, I figured they could figure out who I was if they wanted to. I was kind of hoping it wouldn't affect me, since I'm just here to get opinions on the situation as a whole, not trash talk supervisors and managers who, so far, have been nothing but helpful to me. It's like I said, I would have understood the decision to let me go (but I'd still be disappointed).




Well, I'm not exactly sure what the management hierarchy is like here, but the person I spoke with seemed to be fairly high up on the totem pole.

Does anyone know if these union ID cards are sent out based on attaining seniority, or paying off the initiation fee? I have a theory that I didn't think of until after making this thread.

Each local seems to do things differently than the next, process wise and like I mentioned call the number and ask the source, no need to theorize.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Just curious as to what kind of unavoidable injury sustained while following the methods results in a broken bone.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

If you broke a bone while on the clock, unless you got hit by a meteor, sounds like you weren't using the methods.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

If you broke a bone while on the clock, unless you got hit by a meteor, sounds like you weren't using the methods.

He would have been expected to have seen and avoided the meteor.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

If you broke a bone while on the clock, unless you got hit by a meteor, sounds like you weren't using the methods.

I've seen broken bones, broken teeth, etc. and none of it was the employees fault. Extendos, falling rollers (happens often), falling packages, etc.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

To the OP, as far as I know, you are welcomed to the union as soon as you start paying dues and initiation fees. These are taken out prior to gaining seniority so it does not surprise me that you would receive that in the mail.

The main thing, as has been said, is have you worked enough days to gain seniority? We've had people who worked 30 days, were hurt, and UPS fired for getting hurt; only to have them retain an attorney and win back-pay/reinstatatement because they actually did gain seniority, and UPS management made an "error".

Always worth double-checking, and hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[Indecisi0n]

To the original poster, it sounds like you are like Schrodinger's Cat: not knowing if you're alive or dead, career wise at least. If you don't get the reference, you can google it, but based on the grammatical correctness of your post, I suspect you are well read and you got the reference.

As the two posts above me already pointed out, the best place to inquire is your local union which is obviously closed for the weekend.

You could share your start date and the number of days you've worked up to a certain date and then we could probably figure out for you if you actually achieved union status or not but that would really give your identity away to the corporate monitors that check out this forum. To some degree, you already have given your identity away, but hey you didn't say anything wrong.

I ain't not got the reference

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

He would have been expected to have seen and avoided the meteor.

He would have been told he should have cleared the airspace.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

What is this "membership card" that I've read about on here? I've been a member for almost two decades and have never recieved a card from the Teamsters.

 

[km3]

To the OP, as far as I know, you are welcomed to the union as soon as you start paying dues and initiation fees. These are taken out prior to gaining seniority so it does not surprise me that you would receive that in the mail.

The main thing, as has been said, is have you worked enough days to gain seniority? We've had people who worked 30 days, were hurt, and UPS fired for getting hurt; only to have them retain an attorney and win back-pay/reinstatatement because they actually did gain seniority, and UPS management made an "error".

Always worth double-checking, and hope you have a speedy recovery.

Nah, definitely not. I have the date circled on my calendar. Unless there was some miscommunication, I wasn't there yet.

The member thing isn't as much of a mystery anymore. I was just kind of hoping that somehow I had gained seniority and that I was wrong about the date, but that doesn't seem too likely.

I can't reveal the exact nature of how I got injured or of the injury itself here. Not yet. Maybe once I know what's going to happen to me. I agree with Sleeve_meet_Heart, though. Sometimes it's just unavoidable. In my short time here I've already seen my fair share of incidents of both varieties.

 

[TheKid99]

I never got a welcome to the union letter and union membership card and I been here a year

 

[brownmonster]

He would have been expected to have seen and avoided the meteor.

Under the umbrella of expect the unexpected?

 

[PiedmontSteward]

So, I just started within the past month. I've been on probation and, according to my own calculations, I should have gained seniority by the end of next week.

The thing is, I got injured on the job. I was following the methods, the injury was more or less unavoidable. The cause of the injury is something that happens to all of us from time to time, and this time, it just happened to happen to me and resulted in a broken bone.

When I spoke with the manager at my hub in the office, I was first told that I would be relieved of my employment after the worker's comp process was completed. Fair enough. I know a thing or two about business, and I know it doesn't make sense to hold the position of someone who hasn't even passed probation yet and is unable to work. No hard feelings, just disappointment. The next night, I brought some papers from my appointment at the provider's office in, and the same person who told me I would be relieved of my employment then told me that I'd be kept on. Naturally, I became cautiously optimistic but a bit confused at the same time.

Well, I haven't worked for over a week, and now, to add to the confusion, I got a Teamsters member ID card in the mail along with a "Welcome to the Union" letter.

I'm sure I'll receive some clarity on the matter this coming week, but I'd still like to hear people's opinions. Am I being jerked around by management (I haven't been given any reason to believe they'd do that...yet)? Am I somehow in the union, or do they always send these cards out prematurely? Should I be looking for another job at this point, or if I have been offered TAW does that mean they're serious about keeping me?

If you were offered TAW, take it. Those days will count towards your seniority and you'll make more than you would on comp.

Call your union hall tomorrow morning and find out what the deal is. We typically don't send out membership cards until a month after someone has been initiated but every local is different.