Forced 1 hr lunch

[soberups]

I don't take my lunch in my truck, nor do I bring my DIAD or packages in with me for lunch, and will absolutely tell them to come back in 42 minutes.

....and that goes for the shuttle driver and supervisors too.

I have a rural route. There arent any restaurants in the area where I take lunch.
I have lived and delivered in this community for over 26 years now, my wife works in this community, my kids went to school here. Many of my customers are also friends.
So if I am parked under a tree and get approached by a customer who needs their medication or other urgent package, I’m not going to tell them that they have to sit and wait for another 20 minutes until my lunch or break is over. That is rude and unprofessional and a poor way to treat someone who is not only a customer but a fellow community member.
I’m going to give them their package, and then add 30 seconds or a minute or however long it took me to grab that package onto the end of my lunch or break period.
The contract language says we are entitled to an uninterrupted meal period. The intent was to prevent management from dispatching us during the meal period or instructing us to take it in multiple short intervals.
It was not intended to prevent us from being respectful to customers in the scenario I have just described.

 

[soberups]

Meal periods is yet another issue where I see no need for "autonomy".

We should have one rule, for all, provided for in the National Master.

What works in the big city might not work in the country.

 

[Bubblehead]

I have a rural route. There arent any restaurants in the area where I take lunch.
I have lived and delivered in this community for over 26 years now, my wife works in this community, my kids went to school here. Many of my customers are also friends.
So if I am parked under a tree and get approached by a customer who needs their medication or other urgent package, I’m not going to tell them that they have to sit and wait for another 20 minutes until my lunch or break is over. That is rude and unprofessional and a poor way to treat a fellow community member.
I’m going to give them their package, and then add 30 seconds or a minute or however long it took me to grab that package onto the end of my lunch or break period.
The contract language says we are entitled to an uninterrupted meal period. The intent was to prevent management from dispatching us during the meal period or instructing us to take it in multiple short intervals.
It was not intended to prevent us from being respectful to customers in the scenario I have just described.

I have seen pictures of some of your lunch spots (and enjoyed them very much)....but we for sure live in different worlds.

When I clock out for my lunch, I'm on my time, and it's rude for a customer to disturb me....outside of a medical/emergency situation.

I have delivered my bid route for 20 years and also grew up there, but unlike you, I don't have this sense of civic duty while driving UPS's truck.
I'm simply here to sell my time.

In the end, 9 out of 10 people who try to interrupt lunch break, either want their Air Jordans or a box of weed.

 

[1989]

I have seen pictures of some of your lunch spots (and enjoyed them very much)....but we for sure live in different worlds.

When I clock out for my lunch, I'm on my time, and it's rude for a customer to disturb me....outside of a medical/emergency situation.

I have delivered my bid route for 20 years and also grew up there, but unlike you, I don't have this sense of civic duty while driving UPS's truck.
I'm simply here to sell my time.

In the end, 9 out of 10 people who try to interrupt lunch break, either want their Air Jordans or a box of weed.

Bring the box of weed back to the center manager so he/she can give it to the cops to take care of.

 

[Bubblehead]

What works in the big city might not work in the country.

Why not?

All of the meal period language that I familiar with is provided for in the regional supplements, which encompass multiple geographic and demographic variables.

I don't see a nationally defined time increment for our meal periods to be an autonomous issue.

 

[1989]

I do agree with that.
We need nationwide language allowing drivers to take 30 minutes if that is their preference.
Getting locked out of the board is BS though. If I am parked under a tree eating lunch and a customer pulls up and asks for their package, I dont want to be the jerk that says “sorry, you cant have it for another 42 minutes, I’m on my lunch break.”

You can hit end meal and deliver the pkg. when you go back to finish meal, the count down will start where you ended it. At least here it does.

I just give it to them and have them sign a info notice. Then put it in after my lunch.

This is why locking the board during lunch doesn’t prevent people from working through their lunch.

 

[542thruNthru]

You can hit end meal and deliver the pkg. when you go back to finish meal, the count down will start where you ended it. At least here it does.


This is why locking the board during lunch doesn’t prevent people from working through their lunch.

If someone is determined to work through their lunch it's going to happen. Locking the board stops most people being that 80% of the drivers these days rely on edd.

Giving a customer a package on the rare occurrence that they show up to your truck looking for it is different then delivering 20 stops without a board and inputting them later.

The only way to stop someone from working through their lunch is management disciplining them. Which we all know is never going to happen.

 

[22.34life]

My supplement allows u to take a 30 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks for drivers.so yes u can take a 30 minute lunch.

 

[22.34life]

Well in my supplement u can.

 

[Bubblehead]

Bring the box of weed back to the center manager so he/she can give it to the cops to take care of.

Not a chance.

I did that a couple of times and got zero feedback, then spent weeks looking over my shoulder.

That's when I adopted the attitude that I don't care, or need to know, what is in any package....just sign here please.

 

[1989]

Not a chance.

I did that a couple of times and got zero feedback, then spent weeks looking over my shoulder.

That's when I adopted the attitude that I don't care, or need to know, what is in any package....just sign here please.

I did it a couple times. Once the feds got involved. The other time was a pick up. The local police took the pkg back to the shipper. The police gave them a warning. They said it was a federal offense to ship even though it’s legal in the state.

 

[1989]

If someone is determined to work through their lunch it's going to happen. Locking the board stops most people being that 80% of the drivers these days rely on edd.

Giving a customer a package on the rare occurrence that they show up to your truck looking for it is different then delivering 20 stops without a board and inputting them later.

The only way to stop someone from working through their lunch is management disciplining them. Which we all know is never going to happen.

I have never heard of local mgmt saying anything if someone worked through lunch. But know a couple people who were fired for it....the decision came from above

 

[soberups]

I have seen pictures of some of your lunch spots (and enjoyed them very much)....but we for sure live in different worlds.

When I clock out for my lunch, I'm on my time, and it's rude for a customer to disturb me....outside of a medical/emergency situation.

I have delivered my bid route for 20 years and also grew up there, but unlike you, I don't have this sense of civic duty while driving UPS's truck.
I'm simply here to sell my time.

In the end, 9 out of 10 people who try to interrupt lunch break, either want their Air Jordans or a box of weed.

It has less to do with my sense of “civic duty” and more to do with my strong desire to not be an arse hole to the people I live and work among.
Seriously. I am sitting there in the truck eating a sandwich and a customer pulls up next to me asking for the signature required package they are expecting that is literally 6 feet away from me on a shelf.
I am not going to make them sit there for 23 minutes until I am done with my lunch.
I’m gonna open the door, grab the package, let them sign, and then probably spend a minute or so chatting with them about football, or the weather, or how their kids/dogs/garden is doing. Because in a few days or a week, I will be seeing them again.

 

[soberups]

Why not?

All of the meal period language that I familiar with is provided for in the regional supplements, which encompass multiple geographic and demographic variables.

I don't see a nationally defined time increment for our meal periods to be an autonomous issue.

So lets say you deliver to a business and the guy who normally signs for everything is busy/on the phone/in the crapper/ otherwise unavailable.
There is another employee sitting there at a table eating a sandwich or having a smoke break who you know from past experience is perfectly willing to sign for packages when the normal receiver is gone.
Do you ask him for his signature when you know he is on his break?
Do you refuse his signature if he offers it because you know he is on his break?
If you asked him to sign and he said “no, you need to wait for another 9 minutes until my break is over” wouldn’t you think he was being a bit of a jerk? And would you be happy about loading 200 lbs of boxes back into the car as NR1 so that you could re-handle them again tomorrow?
Cooperation and courtesy go both ways...

 

[Dr.Brownz]

Go take 30 get fired and explain to people how you got fired! “ I didn’t want to take 1 hour lunch)

If you are managment it's sad you've internalized company propaganda

If you are a driver even sadder. Did you not read the post where he says there is a state law in his state prohibiting this?

 

[Returntosender]

If you are managment it's sad you've internalized company propaganda

If you are a driver even sadder. Did you not read the post where he says there is a state law in his state prohibiting this?

You think ups follows the law. They will pay fine to send a message.

 

[Dr.Brownz]

You think ups follows the law. They will pay fine to send a message.

To send a message that they will pay out the fines and then get sued for wrongful termination if they try to fire this guy for not taking an hour lunch when the state law says they can't force more than a half hour?

 

[Returntosender]

To send a message that they will pay out the fines and then get sued for wrongful termination if they try to fire this guy for not taking an hour lunch when the state law says they can't force more than a half hour?

Billion dollar in profits. Paying a few hundred grand is nothing. I speak cause employee is on workers comp company pays attorneys more money than it would cost just resolve the broken leg.

 

[Est.1998]

Keep getting done at 530 by skipping, they'll adjust your workload till you're getting done at 630 again.

You're not limited to just sitting in your truck, or in a restaurant. There's plenty of stuff to do

This is true. Sometimes I work out, visit family or friends who live nearby, today I painted my hand truck. Sometimes I'll take the whole hour at one time, other times I break it up into 15mins throughout the day.

 

[purehavanne]

They tried to enforce 11-3 lunch here. That lasted about a week because of all the late savers. I take one hr and lay down and relax. Back and feet feel fresh rest of the day.