I can't even imagine what it would be like to be married to a UPS driver!

[helenofcalifornia]

I am a single mom whose kids are all grown for the most part (they don't need guidance or advice-just cash!!!), and was reading another of these threads and got to thinking what it would be like to be the spouse of a UPS driver. You know the earliest they will be home is probably 7, they are going to be dirty, tired and probably don't feel like talking. No real time to spend with the kids helping with homework, etc. It's bad enough with what we put up with for the job but what about being on the receiving end of what UPS does to the home life of a driver? I always have had close family around (divorced fairly early on in the career) who helped raise the kids when I wasn't there during the days and evenings. I can't imagine what it would be like if the spouse didn't understand what a driver's life entailed and the work involved. At least feeder drivers are kinda home for the late afternoons for their family. Sorry, just rambling thoughts on life at UPS.....

 

[toonertoo]

Im bout the same as you, although mine have never asked me for cash, ever.
Ive talked with some of the freshly divorced young hunks at my center, and the women want the money, just not the sacrifice of the husband being gone every night to earn it.
You give up one to get the other.
Then they want the other. Typical women who have never had to be in the work force.
Sorry to the women who are not like that.
I am glad I met my husband when I already did this, and didnt have to answer where I was every night, he already knows. How long he will hang out is anyones guess. Either way Ill be fine. If he was working late I would understand. What I would give to get home before him JUST once.

As for the rest with young kids I will try to help if they have a ball game or something to get to, but with the dispatch anymore, you dont have much room to help.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

"If the trucks aren't full then we aren't making any money." I've heard that a few times at UPS. I understand it and even agree but only to a certain point. Expecting the drivers to be able to work that way all the time is not reasonable. The main problem I see is that too many drivers get away with barely working 8 hours/day. They come in every morning and their shelves "MIGHT" be full but the aisle is totally clear and the floor under the shelves are reasonable. The drivers in that group of people are in between 4:00-5:00 everyday and are never asked for, nor do they offer, their help. There has to be a way to balance the work out across the board. It will never be perfect but there is no reason why so many people have to stay out so late and others get to come in so early. A good example of this is drivers that get in at 4:30 during peak while the rest of the crew is out until 8:00. That is just rediculous.

 

[rod]

Most of the time I would say a driver that gets done early every day is skipping his break and driving like hell. There are a few of him at every center. Usually they don't last too long before they get into a serious accident that cost ups a bunch of $ - then they disappear. It takes a very understanding spouse (especially when kids are envolved) to make a marriage to a ups package driver work.

 

[wornoutupser]

Our building has drivers out till 9-10-11 every night and our manager is not allowed to put in enough runs to handle the volume. I have filed greivances for over 9 1/2 and now the company is paying out the nose on them. They will not reduce the dispatch.
Last night 3 drivers called each other after the center could not arrange meet points and get everyone in before 9-10 PM. We managed to stall off the meet times, allowing drivers to finish the far out areas and save UPS massive driving time. Again, the drivers save money for the company-yet there was attitude when we started showing up earlier than we had reported in for.
I was told (by my manager) that Christmas this year will be worse than usual. UPS will not be putting in enough extra runs to handle the volume here or enough extra vehicles. Again, we have a "do as you are told or else" center.
My opinion is that we have a division /district manager problem. This building seems to be in "punishment mode" for a host of problems that were never correctly addressed in the past.The result is a driver workforce that is outstanding for the most part, yet furious against the company for everything that is pulled on us here.

Did anyone else have to do the pre test for the Ketter audit? We did. We were told by the division manager that if you did not pass it you would be taken of road. Period. How much review was done in the past year? Very little, yet drivers were threatened with their jobs again by Big Brown.

I would like to see the IBT's position on that one!

 

[BoogaBooga]

I have alot of respect for single Moms and Dads raising a family on their own-especially with the demands of an UPS job. Our family has a "Don't wait for Dad" policy, forcing me to usually be late to and sometimes missing family/school/friends functions. Communicating with cell phones and video cameras are a big help. The frustration to a family can be intense at times. I don't think it's fair trade-Family Time vs Working at UPS. Our union steward told us that we would be working longer and longer hours as this contract aged-I thought he would be proved mistaken, but I was wrong.

 

[raceanoncr]

Helen...Congrats on making a success of your career, enduring a difficult job with difficult circumstances. My ex was NOT understanding at all, of course she didn't work a day in her LIFE! So I said you either eat or be quite (not in those terms, of course, I wouldn't be breathing fresh air at this moment if I DID use those terms). She chose not eating I guess. She's now married to a grocery store stock clerk, got diabetes, filed bankrupcy...the story goes on and on. ANYWAY, she didn't like the package car hrs (hell, I didn't either). I moved to feeders. That was the proverbial straw. I now have a wife that is TOTALLY supportive and understands (although who can fully understand working for this company unless you actually go through it?).
Speaking of feeders. What hub or center do YOU work out of that feeder drivers get to spend afternoons with family? Have been with Company 28 yrs, 25 in feeders, and have almost NEVER been able to spend time at home during normal hours. My choice? Yes, but, out of about 90 drivers here, there are very few that start in daylight hrs. Those that do are now working 10, 11, 12 hrs a day because of mismanagement...the ususal story. Right now am sleeper driver gone for a whole week! Again, my choice, but would like to have better selection of runs to chose from that would fall in line with the stereotypical feeder driver. I don't see any here.
Again, congrats and good luck

 

[tieguy]

You may also find that being married to someone in some other job may give you the same results. Husbands getting home late etc. UPS is not the only act in town but at the same time there are many jobs out there where you could work the same hours and earn less. In my neighborhood the neighbors come home around 5 pm but they are generally leaving the house around 5:30 to 6 am. Adds up to the same number of hours when you count em up.

 

[BROWN OBSERVER]

Ever wonder what the divorce rate is for package drivers? UPS should do a study on this, bet its close to divorce rate for Law Enforcement. Abnormally high.

 

[rngri4]

Ever wonder what the divorce rate is for package drivers? UPS should do a study on this, bet its close to divorce rate for Law Enforcement. Abnormally high.

Most law enforcement divorces occur for two reasons, the person can't keep their pants zipper, and the most common is that the spouse can't deal with the stress that her partner brings home every night. A woman doesn't want to hear about the guy who blew his head off that night, or the child that the officer found murdered etc. It gets mostly kept inside, and eventually, since the spouse doesn't want to hear about the officers day at work, he/she figures they don't want to hear anything, and communication stops. I was an officer in WV after I quit college, because I thought I knew everything, and needless to say, any job at UPS is better than anything dealing with law enforcement.

 

[MR_Vengeance]

Most law enforcement divorces occur for two reasons, the person can't keep their pants zipper, and the most common is that the spouse can't deal with the stress that her partner brings home every night. A woman doesn't want to hear about the guy who blew his head off that night, or the child that the officer found murdered etc. It gets mostly kept inside, and eventually, since the spouse doesn't want to hear about the officers day at work, he/she figures they don't want to hear anything, and communication stops. I was an officer in WV after I quit college, because I thought I knew everything, and needless to say, any job at UPS is better than anything dealing with law enforcement.

really? i just applied at the highway patrol looks like i need to think this over.

 

[BROWN OBSERVER]

It gets mostly kept inside, and eventually, since the spouse doesn't want to hear about the officers day at work, he/she figures they don't want to hear anything, and communication stops. (Quote)


My point exacrly. Most times if the wife/spouse is not in the "buisness", its hard to relate to what goes on during a shift. The technical jargon (which sometimes seems simple or mundane) goes over the head of who you're speaking to. Ever speak to someone about your day and halfway through you realise the person is not even listening?

Take a look at stressfull jobs,you'll see a marriage work if the couple is involved in the same vocation. If not.......Good Luck!

 

[Bill]

Our building has drivers out till 9-10-11 every night and our manager is not allowed to put in enough runs to handle the volume. I have filed greivances for over 9 1/2 and now the company is paying out the nose on them. They will not reduce the dispatch.
Last night 3 drivers called each other after the center could not arrange meet points and get everyone in before 9-10 PM. We managed to stall off the meet times, allowing drivers to finish the far out areas and save UPS massive driving time. Again, the drivers save money for the company-yet there was attitude when we started showing up earlier than we had reported in for.
I was told (by my manager) that Christmas this year will be worse than usual. UPS will not be putting in enough extra runs to handle the volume here or enough extra vehicles. Again, we have a "do as you are told or else" center.
My opinion is that we have a division /district manager problem. This building seems to be in "punishment mode" for a host of problems that were never correctly addressed in the past.The result is a driver workforce that is outstanding for the most part, yet furious against the company for everything that is pulled on us here.

Did anyone else have to do the pre test for the Ketter audit? We did. We were told by the division manager that if you did not pass it you would be taken of road. Period. How much review was done in the past year? Very little, yet drivers were threatened with their jobs again by Big Brown.

I would like to see the IBT's position on that one!

Haven't you realized by now that the IBT is not interested in you, but rather how much in dues they can get from you. The Teamsters allow UPS to do what they want, your benefits and pension have been cut, but your union dues go up every year as you receive a raise that doesn't even meet the inflation rate. Wake up already. The Teamsters are looking out for their own pocket and not representing who they are supposed to represent. It's time for a change. Vote for the APWA if you wnat a secure future.

 

[Bill]

Helen...Congrats on making a success of your career, enduring a difficult job with difficult circumstances. My ex was NOT understanding at all, of course she didn't work a day in her LIFE! So I said you either eat or be quite (not in those terms, of course, I wouldn't be breathing fresh air at this moment if I DID use those terms). She chose not eating I guess. She's now married to a grocery store stock clerk, got diabetes, filed bankrupcy...the story goes on and on. ANYWAY, she didn't like the package car hrs (hell, I didn't either). I moved to feeders. That was the proverbial straw. I now have a wife that is TOTALLY supportive and understands (although who can fully understand working for this company unless you actually go through it?).
Speaking of feeders. What hub or center do YOU work out of that feeder drivers get to spend afternoons with family? Have been with Company 28 yrs, 25 in feeders, and have almost NEVER been able to spend time at home during normal hours. My choice? Yes, but, out of about 90 drivers here, there are very few that start in daylight hrs. Those that do are now working 10, 11, 12 hrs a day because of mismanagement...the ususal story. Right now am sleeper driver gone for a whole week! Again, my choice, but would like to have better selection of runs to chose from that would fall in line with the stereotypical feeder driver. I don't see any here.
Again, congrats and good luck

You can thank the Teamsters for most of the problems that have been created. They do nothing for you while they line their pockets. To make matters worse, now the Teamsters want you to work until you are 65 years old to receive a REDUCED pension without further penalties. You might be able to work until 65 in feeders (although I doubt you would want to), but think of the package car drivers. They will never be able to do that strenuous job at 65, let alone at 50. The Teamsters have set up a system where most drivers will never see a pension.

 

[dammor]

You can thank the Teamsters for most of the problems that have been created. They do nothing for you while they line their pockets. To make matters worse, now the Teamsters want you to work until you are 65 years old to receive a REDUCED pension without further penalties. You might be able to work until 65 in feeders (although I doubt you would want to), but think of the package car drivers. They will never be able to do that strenuous job at 65, let alone at 50. The Teamsters have set up a system where most drivers will never see a pension.

We just had a guy here retire at 58. Please explain the 65. There is no way in hell we can or want to do this job that long.

 

[rod]

We just had a guy here retire at 58. Please explain the 65. There is no way in hell we can or want to do this job that long.

I retired at 53 with a full pension from Central States. That was 5 years ago. (just in time from what I hear)

 

[twnjrspc]

You can thank the Teamsters for most of the problems that have been created. They do nothing for you while they line their pockets. To make matters worse, now the Teamsters want you to work until you are 65 years old to receive a REDUCED pension without further penalties. You might be able to work until 65 in feeders (although I doubt you would want to), but think of the package car drivers. They will never be able to do that strenuous job at 65, let alone at 50. The Teamsters have set up a system where most drivers will never see a pension.

Let me correct you Mr. Bill the IE Engineer/ Company man. Those that chose to elect James "Jr." Hoffa aka "Mr. No Show", can be thanked for the problem created in the Central States Pension fund. He failed to negotiate, or should I be so bold to say, agreed to shaft those in the Central States, along with his Bud's at Big Brown, to skimp on the proper contribution amounts to sustain the fund, which would have maintained the retirement levels. Hoffa commonly refers to this as "The Best Contract Ever". Again, let me correct-"The Companies Best Contract Ever". The fix to this problem is to Vote Hoffa Out, and to ignore those like you that attempt to divide and conquer us hourly employees. Another thing Mr. Bill. Without any Union protection at all, Big Brown would go well beyond the daily whipping we take from you. Also, If someone would want to work to 65, then a cush job as an engineer would be far more easier than feeders.

Vote The Tom L Slate!

 

[tieguy]

Let me correct you Mr. Bill the IE Engineer/ Company man. Those that chose to elect James "Jr." Hoffa aka "Mr. No Show", can be thanked for the problem created in the Central States Pension fund. He failed to negotiate, or should I be so bold to say, agreed to shaft those in the Central States, along with his Bud's at Big Brown, to skimp on the proper contribution amounts to sustain the fund, which would have maintained the retirement levels. Hoffa commonly refers to this as "The Best Contract Ever". Again, let me correct-"The Companies Best Contract Ever". The fix to this problem is to Vote Hoffa Out, and to ignore those like you that attempt to divide and conquer us hourly employees. Another thing Mr. Bill. Without any Union protection at all, Big Brown would go well beyond the daily whipping we take from you. Also, If someone would want to work to 65, then a cush job as an engineer would be far more easier than feeders.

Vote The Tom L Slate!

Leedham again? I'm curious what makes him a more viable candidate this time? As an outsider it appears the logic used to sell one candidate or another is to usually try to discredit the opponent by accusing him of being a company man.

Its leedhams second try and from what I hear I would guess most teamsters still don't know much about him. Does he come from a strong local? What's his record like? Did he successfully build up a retirement fund somewhere? These are some of the questions I would probably ask in assessing him as a candidate.

On the other side of this post, I'm curious just how much money would it have taken to fix the central states plan. How should hoffa have asked for it? By putting a bigger share into the ailing plans at the expense of other plans or by jacking everyones contribution up equally which would mean other plans would still be way ahead of CS.

 

[outta hours]

On a lighter note about being married to a UPS man

"You know I got it
If you wanna come get it
stand next to this money
like- ey ey "


Nuff said

 

[trickpony1]

Tie-
Pick your poison.
Considering the fine reputation of Hoffa and the Teamster's organization in general, who's to say the last election wasn't "rigged"?
I know who I'm not voting for.