Extra drivers ??

GolfCart

Well-Known Member
Last year we had extra drivers all the time , so I would go to work and get to go home ( no pay ) . I am in the top 5 at my hub . It would show scheduled off ( NOT a call in ) . It was GREAT !! to get off on a Friday and have a 3 day weekend , or just to take a day to get AWAY from UPS . This year my boss said HIS boss said NO ONE ! would EVER go home as scheduled off again . On Friday they offered me to go home , I said cool ( bad load ) SURE !! I'll go home . Then he said " you know you just burned your 1st sick day " I said " forget it , I am working today " SO I worked . Is it legal to call in cover drivers work some , send some home ? and force me to work ? I wanted off ( full time bid driver ) my buddy ( cover driver ) he was begging to work , but he was sent home . Why was scheduled off taken away or dead days taken away ? 2 union stewards said I could file a grievance on them , but I called union hall and he said I could NOT file . He said because the cover drivers are NOT full timers , so I could NOT bump them . Last year we got to go home anytime ( cover drivers worked ) . It was great , just to go in and get to go home and " save " your sick days until you were really sick . We had one guy that would work 2-3 days a week for yrs . He would have to count every month to make sure he had enough reports for the year . Now NO ONE can ever get off again at my hub unless you call in sick or off on vacation . I told my boss " I need to be scheduled off in a few weeks for a doctor appt. " He said " well thats your SICK DAY !!" I said " I guess you will be surprised , because I am NOT going to tell you , 2-3 weeks ahead that I need a sick day . I'll just call in the day needed off , because yall are being jerks about this , so why should I be nice to and give 2-3 week notice ?


Just needed to VENT about this , 1st Friday of Jan me and 3 other full time guys got to go home , now they are making cover drivers call in or come in and get sent home with no pay . I know its my job to work EVRY day , but when you have a guy begging to run my crappy day and I want to go home without pay , whats the big deal???????????????
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
The big deal is they are finally cracking down on the abuse of dead days. Casuals know the deal when they sign on. It is nice that you take time off to make sure they get their hours--I do the same---but IMO if you have days on the books they should be used first and then if you want time off you can take it without pay.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
If a cover was told to show up and then is sent home without pay, they need to grieve it.

When I read the thread the first time I didn't catch this. You are 100% correct--if a casual/cover driver is called in and then sent home without pay they should absolutely grieve it for however many hours they would have worked that day, which they would get from the OR for the run that they would have covered.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
I don't see that it matters if you use your sick day now, or later when you're really sick. Either way, you get your sick days paid. They can't use it as an occurrence against you as you did report.

Take the day off and enjoy.

Or am I missing something?
 

Bubblehead

My Senior Picture
I heard the same thing or at least something parallel.
They are treating call ins the same way here
We have no sick days, but can split our option week into 5 single day vacations.
People are getting all twisted up over it.
Personally I don't care.
As I see it, when they do this, they are just protecting my attendance record making additional call ins possible later in the year.
The money will work itself out in the end.

As far as scheduled offs are concerned, they will do it when they need to in order to get the driver with knowledge on the route that's hanging.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I don't see that it matters if you use your sick day now, or later when you're really sick. Either way, you get your sick days paid. They can't use it as an occurrence against you as you did report.

Take the day off and enjoy.

Or am I missing something?

He is taking the day off, not because he has something going on, so that a casual/cover driver can work. Past practice would let him do that and take a "dead day". They are telling him that he has to burn a day.
 

GolfCart

Well-Known Member
but for YEARS , UPS has always let us go home and let cover drivers work . It was a fun ride while it lasted , going to miss those days off . I wish the cover drivers had the balls to file on them for making them come in and go home as layoff with no pay . He has 2 cover drivers calling in , to see if they work or not . I just hate that UPS has gotten so bad to work for , I did LOVE my job yrs ago , now , I HATE it .
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Calling in and coming in/being sent home are two entirely different things. If you call in and are told you are not needed you don't get paid. If you are told to come in you should then get the 8 hour guarantee.
 

GolfCart

Well-Known Member
Calling in and coming in/being sent home are two entirely different things. If you call in and are told you are not needed you don't get paid. If you are told to come in you should then get the 8 hour guarantee.

My boss has talked our cover drivers to call in on stand-by ( not laid off and not working most days ) , so they do not work or get paid for that day . Now that is wrong !!!!!!!!!!!! They are NOT driving and they can not go back to part time work . We have one guy a cover driver who comes in every day and says " what am a doing today " I came in to work . They let him shuttle or run air .
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
That whole setup you guys have with casuals seems like a pain. Our cover drivers are regular FT who come to work every day just like the bid drivers. If we have extra, senior driver who wants the day off gets it. No one has to burn a sick day or any mickey mouse stuff like that.
 

hubrat

Squeaky Wheel
Jones, it was that way here forever. Just last week we were told if we're a bid driver we will work every day, no more layoffs and jrs covering our routes. Look for changes soon.
 
I used to go home a good 10-15 times a year without pay for years. Then our pension credit hours went from 1600 to 1800,so I reduced that to 5-6 times. Now we've been told they went from 1800 to 2040 so now I'll reduce that to once or twice unless I'm truly sick.
The down side is not being able to let your body catch a break every now and then. But the upside is now they will have to find work for all the lower seniority cover drivers and they can get their hours too! Or maybe these jackwads in upper management will stop over dispatching and put the much needed split routes back in like they should be. Either way,the forecast for 2012 is a lot more $$$ in my pocket. Thanks jackwads.
 

old brown shoe

30 year driver
We use to get days off when we had extra people who were not working. A few years back that changed and the only time you could get a extra day was to use a sick day. Every once in awhile they may call and offer you a day because it works in their favor for dispatching routes with drivers who know routes to cover. Only thing wrong with it is they call the driver who works best to have off that day and not from the top down as they should. It's like a surprise vacation day when they call.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
Jones, it was that way here forever. Just last week we were told if we're a bid driver we will work every day, no more layoffs and jrs covering our routes. Look for changes soon.
We have it in black and white in our supplement that voluntary time off will be offered in seniority order, so I don't see it changing before the next contract if at all.
 

Ghost in the Darkness

Well-Known Member
I always wondered why guys called in to see if they are working. The sups are in the building in the morning they know whats going on, let them call you. You come in, you work... I'm sure they will find someone to go home. If they ask you if you want a day off then confirm with them that it is a layoff day. Otherwise I'm gonna work. I have no problem with taking a layoff day on occassion to help get lower seniority drivers or cover guys some hours but I won't use my personal time that way. One of the sups put it in as a personal day on a few occassions but I always check and make sure its changed to a layoff.
 

GolfCart

Well-Known Member
They ate told to come in , they are listed to work every day if needed . My boss just told them to call in under the table deal . They should come in , but they made a deal with the devil .
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
but for YEARS , UPS has always let us go home and let cover drivers work . It was a fun ride while it lasted , going to miss those days off . I wish the cover drivers had the balls to file on them for making them come in and go home as layoff with no pay . He has 2 cover drivers calling in , to see if they work or not . I just hate that UPS has gotten so bad to work for , I did LOVE my job yrs ago , now , I HATE it .
I really wonder if this is what they are going for. Make the old timers work and force them to retire?
 
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