for management personel

[dannyboy]

i have been in the office cleaning out and stumbled on some documents about unionization.

i dont really want you to respond quickly, but instead to think about it.

i suspect that if we were not currently a group of employees already represented by a union, the stage would be not only set, but overwhelmingly so for a union to organize the workers of today.

let me give you an example of the 6 things a union organizer hates to find

1 the employee has a reasonable belief that management is not taking advantage of them

2 employees have pride in their work

3 up to date progress reports shared with employees by management

4 no serious grievance or complaints of unfair treatment by management

5 no claims of favoritism by management

6 supervisors, managers, and executives who have a good workng relationship with their employees

so, as a manager, what have you done to keep the union at bay?

and as such, why is it that you are so quick to judge the union member for filing, when you are still setting the stage in your opperations for union intrusion/representation every day, and then complain when people have had enough and take action?

here is a list of reasons as to why employees usually seek the representation of a union

favoritism
inequitable pay practices
lack of appriciation
ignored complaints
lack of knowledge as to how their jobs fit in
kept in the dark about over all ops
unexpected changes
pressre tactics
lack of training
harsh treatment by supervisors
lack of adequate equipment or materieals
inadequate pay or benefits
lack of personal attention
unsafe or inadequate working conditions
lack of job security
lack of advancement oppertunities
poorly defined personel policies
lack of a credible complaint procedures.

hmmmm, maybe ups management needs to look inward a bit. even with the union, a lot of these issues not only remain, but are a constant reminder of what life would be like without the union at ups.

one last thought.

I know there will be one at least that will claim that it has to be this way, because we are already in the union.

i beg to differ. just like a manager that claims to have never violated the contract because he was never caught, i think its time for a mindset change if you actually want a change.

d

 

[JaxUPSHub]

great post. Should be made a sticky.

+1

 

[northroad]

after the last buyout maybe ther is a need for some action????

 

[randomUPSISer]

Interesting post. I always said most of the same when I worked in operations. Given the culture, and treatment of employees unionization of the company was a inevitability. You cant treat people like dirt and not expect it.

You said it alot more eloquently than I ever did though

 

[tieguy]

One point that was usually stressed in management classes on labor was that the contract at one point started out with very few pages in it.

It was our methods as you outline in your post that created all the extra pages.

Its a lack of trust that forces more language in the book in an attempt to clearly define the rules.

Its a lack of trust that keeps the both sides from growing even stronger. Some of it is clearly managements fault. At the same time I've always thought unions had to drive that wedge into company employee relations so that employees continued feeling a need for the union. In a sense management and the union are often the maachovelian manipulaters with the employee the pawn in the game. Most drivers are proud of the jobs they hold and the company they represent. Most do not want to be in an antagonistic relationship with their employer. Everyone has the basic needs of kinship, teamwork, pride in workmanship and being appreciated. Most know the job is not for the feint of heart. Communication is a big part of the relationship that is often neglected. Communication breaks down barriers with relationship issues. The boss should clearly communicate the expectations and reasons behind what we do. The employee also has to be willing to communicate with the boss in order to maintain a good working relationship. The union shop sometimes inhibits that communication. I personally have not had a problem with unions except in rare cases where the employee forgets he also works for and has obligations to his employer. I recognize the benifits that collective bargaining brings. At the same time unionism may have put itself out of business. There are now many government agencies that address the various issues once only raised by unions. Many companies including UPS have a grievance process similar to a union grievance process because they recognize that the process facilitates communication and resolves issues before they end up in court. It appears I'm starting to ramble since this has been one of my favorite topics to discuss and debate over the years. But the worst thing we can actually do is to take sides and stop working together just because we are in a union shop. If anything I think the union has an obligation to learn to integrate itself more into the business to ensure they also understand and support its efforts.

 

[dannyboy]

tie

what are the two most important phrases in good management employee relations

mmfi and mmfa.

do you know what they are?

d

 

[dannyboy]

well the silence is deafening. wonder why nobody knows?

mmfi

make me feel important!

classic ups issue, isnt it? instead of making the employee feel like they are a valued asset to the company, instead we are portrayed a liability, something to be avoided at all costs. and the few sups that actually address the value issue keep repeating "there are thousands of people that would take your job tomorrow"

makes the employee feel important?

mmfa

make me feel appreciated.

nothing says you or your effort is appreciated like screwing up your plans for the evening by making service, then when you return to the center, all you hear is that you are about out of hours, and you need to get off the clock. then in the am, all you catch is how you looked on the reports for the center team, and none of it good.

why is the i dont give a biggun mentality spreading? because management spends endless hours finding fault, but milliseconds showing appreciation to its employees. usually reserved at the retirement party.

so why is it this way? jim casey did not leave this type of legacy. it has developed on its own, with blessings from above. people that are too focused on bottom line earning, instead of improving what has made this company what it is.

shame

d

 

[trplnkl]

why is the i dont give a biggun mentality spreading? because management spends endless hours finding fault, but milliseconds showing appreciation to its employees. usually reserved at the retirement party.

My retirement party really made me feel important and appreciated for the years I worked at UPS. Oh Wait! There was no retirement party.

 

[tieguy]

My retirement party really made me feel important and appreciated for the years I worked at UPS. Oh Wait! There was no retirement party.

you didn't get the invite? It was a blast.

Thats sad. There is money in the budget for retirements.

 

[over9five]

you didn't get the invite? It was a blast.

Thats sad. There is money in the budget for retirements.

Yes, the retirement party is held every ten years for all employees who have retired since the last one. It is held in Aardvaark, Alaska.

 

[tieguy]

well the silence is deafening. wonder why nobody knows?

mmfi

make me feel important!

classic ups issue, isnt it? instead of making the employee feel like they are a valued asset to the company, instead we are portrayed a liability, something to be avoided at all costs. and the few sups that actually address the value issue keep repeating "there are thousands of people that would take your job tomorrow"

makes the employee feel important?

mmfa

make me feel appreciated.

nothing says you or your effort is appreciated like screwing up your plans for the evening by making service, then when you return to the center, all you hear is that you are about out of hours, and you need to get off the clock. then in the am, all you catch is how you looked on the reports for the center team, and none of it good.

why is the i dont give a biggun mentality spreading? because management spends endless hours finding fault, but milliseconds showing appreciation to its employees. usually reserved at the retirement party.

so why is it this way? jim casey did not leave this type of legacy. it has developed on its own, with blessings from above. people that are too focused on bottom line earning, instead of improving what has made this company what it is.

shame

d

I sometimes wonder if Jim did not leave this type of legacy. His words spoke against that type of insensitivity but maybe he should have done more to discourage it.

Jim was ahead of his time but maybe todays times would have caught up with him.

I do think a lot of what Jim left was lost when we went public. I think we've been looking for our lost soul since then. There was a partnership concept then that quickly dissapeared.

Some of the things we did have gone to the wayside. We did more on the personal communication side in the 80's. Nothing like getting everyone together for a challenge of the eighties meeting and filling them up with truth serum to build teamwork. Today we put videos of the CEO out and think it does the same thing.

We're now going into a new phase where we focus even more on profit and cost. This concept could allow us to make some good business decisions or it could end up taking us down the wrong path.

 

[Old International]

So true Danny Boy. On my run I will never see my direct supervisor. The only time I interact with him is when there is an issue with something I have done, or he needs me to go out of my way to get somebody's butt out of hot water. I would like to hear just once or twice, that I am doing a good job.

 

[dannyboy]

We did more on the personal communication side in the 80's. Nothing like getting everyone together for a challenge of the eighties meeting and filling them up with truth serum to build teamwork

tie

how much did that team work, the empowerment of the front line to make decisions, grow the company? im not talking necessarily profit, but growth?

i also remember the top down mentality, where the corp worked with regions and districts to build and streamline, and the districts were there to assist the center team to grow the business. where the brains of 250,000 were used, instead of the solitary brain trust of it.

where the center manager was actually able to manage something, and by making decisions based on his knowledge and experience, he was there to remove issues that were causing problems with your route, help customers with their shipping needs etc.

compare that with today's center manager, where all he is today is an overpaid messenger from the higher up's and ie. maybe that is why they see the need to cut the position, as in reality, all that responsibility is now in the hands of the district?

while we have made great strides in customer satisfaction and in most cases service, the stats can very much lie if you use them for the final story on service.

and of course the driver, who within certain constraints, was able to make decisions concerning his customers, to make ups a valued part of their businesses.

and of course, now we have to call the center to ask for permission to put the package car in reverse, do not have the permission to run the route as we see it run best, but follow every minute demand from people elsewhere.


but the real disservice that the current method employs is the degradation of the workforce, both hourly and management. neither have a perceived value in todays ups.

d

 

[tieguy]

tie


and of course, now we have to call the center to ask for permission to put the package car in reverse, do not have the permission to run the route as we see it run best, but follow every minute demand from people elsewhere.

roflmao , did backing accidents go down? I feel sorry for the center sup that has to take all the phone calls.Boy a little malicious obedience and your center could get killed with service failures.

but the real disservice that the current method employs is the degradation of the workforce, both hourly and management. neither have a perceived value in todays ups.

d

may I disagree on this one? I never sought value from the corporation. I get my feelings of value from my boss, my coworkers and the toughest critics of all the drivers in my operation. When I returned to work I had so many people go out of their way to show their concern and to welcome me back. It was very humbling. I can't imagine anything the corporation could say or do that could possibly compare. If we could capture the sincerity of the driver , bottle it and inject it in managment god help us.

I agree to various degrees with much said here. I understand where you're coming from. When My job actually becomes its toughest is when I have to translate some of the zaniness from above. Some I translate, some I laugh at. Some I dilute. There is a love affair with micro management as you have so eloquently pointed out. And there are times I have to tell people I can't touch this one or do anything about this one even though I consider it the ultimate cop out. Despite the love affair with micro management I still try to find a way to put my own spin and perhaps my own vision on how things should work. It will probably cost me any more promotions and such but I have to feel good about what I do when the day is done.

many school boards now employ a student from the school system as a board member. What a great idea to incorporate in this company. Let a driver with your wisdom and perspective sit on our board and refresh the leadership with doses of grass roots reality.

 

[dannyboy]

tie

thankyou for the compliment, but i would suspect that there are a ton of front line workers more competent, wise, and diplomatic than i for that position. and who knows, maybe a bit more passionate as well, although that might be my strongest point.

d