So yeah, it's 11.50 an hour, and around 20 hours a week at my new job. My wife is making 13 an hour, 20 hours a week (they started her higher because she actually ran
at our previous job together, I was her underling).
Yeah I know, 18.75 is starting pay, after maybe 5 or so years it's what, 35, 40? 70-90k a year top rate? I already knew that going in, but thanks anyway.
So I don't know how many of you saw my other posts on this site, or ACTUALLY READ MY ORIGINAL POST HERE, but like I said, I was never planning to work at UPS more than a year, year and a couple months TOPS. Like I said, wife and I have been planning for almost a year now to start a small farm. Feel free to make your "You couldn't hack UPS you won't hack a farm!" comments! So yeah only the starting pay really counted for me.
I deserve some criticism for not realizing how difficult the job would actually be (and no I wasn't just watching my trainer, he was sorting the package car and I was making the deliveries and working the DIAD, but the significant thing was that he was planning the stops, which is where I ran into trouble).
But beyond that, the decision to quit wasn't just based on "oh
this is harder than I thought." Believe what you want, though. I'm sorry, but I didn't marry my wife so I could see her for an hour in the evenings and on weekends. She was trying to get me to quit for like a week before my first solo day, honestly. Again, I really respect what you guys do, but for me, I'd rather live in a damn cave if it meant spending more time with family. That's just the type of person I am, different strokes for different folks.
I was pretty vocal about this in the "Should we strike" thread. Somebody there said something along the lines of "I would take a pay cut if it meant a guaranteed 8 hour day." I totally
ing agree with that, and I wish more of you did. I would probably still be driving if I knew the hours were going to be reasonable.
But with my trainer driving, and organizing the package car while I delivered the stops, which you would think would make
go a lot faster, I was getting home at like 7:15, 7:30, after leaving around 8:15 in the morning, with a 20 minute commute. That's 11 hours, people, off-peak. I can't imagine it getting any shorter as peak rolled around. Again, respect to you guys for putting up with that. But, ya know... work/life balance... is a thing that exists. So.
It's funny, this site is actually where I got my first clue about the long hours. They didn't mention anything about working a 50 or 60 hour week when I was hired, or in the driver class. It kind of freaked me out seeing you guys talk about it.
And then I started driving. The first thing I heard was the driver who worked the route near mine, and got the extra stops they took off my route because it's a training route, bitching at a supervisor, saying he normally has an 11 hour day and now it's 11 and a half.
Honestly I don't know what he's complaining about. What's another half hour when you're never
ing home anyway? Sad.
So yeah, if HR had told me there was a decent chance I'd work 11 hour days, off peak, I very likely wouldn't have taken the job back in August. Scratch that, definitely wouldn't have.
