Insight on coworkers claiming harassment? On Topic

[10 Pt]

Just to be clear, I never mentioned anything about the over 70 to anyone. Almost no one on preload uses the tape which is why they have us come in early to check for them. I tape 10+ a day but have never mentioned anything about them, I just tape them and move on to the next car.

Again, I know I did the wrong thing with the hazmat situation and I know how to handle the situation in the future.

That looks like EXTRA work to me and should be offered to hourly in seniority order.

The shippers that don't affix the over 70 label by the pkg label should be noted in the center of origin. That issue can (and should) be audited and fixed and drivers should know what their responsibility is in affixing the highlight tape upon pick up.

The ball is dropped from every point of handling the 70+# pkgs and therefore the blame finally gets put upon the lowly loader who loads 4-5 trucks every morning.

Does the company hold the shipper and the pick up driver accountable? You've got to see the big picture here.
The workers comp payouts drive the issue of employee responsibility but we (the company as a whole) are treating the symptoms and not the disease.
There are NO shippers on my route that don't comply with the OV 70 language. Why? Because I make sure they understand their responsibility of keeping our (and their own) employees safe when they ship heavy pkgs.

 

[Rack em]

You haven't admitted that you had no place engaging the preloader, aka harassing.

I have admitted that I shouldn't have said anything to him and that I did the wrong thing NUMEROUS TIMES. But the ONE instance where I engaged him doesn't warrant the term harassment in my mind. If I continually tried to point out stuff he was doing wrong or bothering him then yes that would be harassment. But I only slipped up and did the wrong thing this in one instance.

 

[10 Pt]

You haven't admitted that you had no place engaging the preloader, aka harassing.

Again, I know I did the wrong thing with the hazmat situation and I know how to handle the situation in the future.

 

[Bubblehead]

2. You did harass the preloaded while messing with him 2 times in as many days.

2. No, I believe you're wrong

He's fishing to be validated, while patronizing his suitors.

 

[10 Pt]

I have admitted that I shouldn't have said anything to him and that I did the wrong thing NUMEROUS TIMES. But the ONE instance where I engaged him doesn't warrant the term harassment in my mind. If I continually tried to point out stuff he was doing wrong or bothering him then yes that would be harassment. But I only slipped up and did the wrong this in one instance.

"Only one time" is viewed the same as continuous in the realm of (UPS) workplace harassment.
The company only cares about the total effect when dealing with an alleged hostile work environment whether it's one time or continuous.
Maybe suggest the local sort supes audit ALL of the incoming (local) loads for shippers out of compliance with the OV70 language and I'm sure the affected drivers will get a refresher course as well.
Commission this practice to be done every day until the next safety meeting and then review the progress of the local shippers.
The same can be done by supes in the preload primary unload areas.
If the company wants to fix it the company knows how.
Until that happens you're trying to stop the Mississippi River with a bottle cork.
Good luck.

 

[Rack em]

If you read the OP you would know that in the second instance he wasn't even in the car when I went in there to do my job and tape the damn box. He came in the car immediately after I went in there and proceeded to yell and curse at me which was observed by another driver. How is it possible that him following me in a car yelling and cursing is me harassing him?

I and others believe he was upset about the hazmat situation (and rightfully so) and followed me in the car because he simply didn't want me in the car at all?

 

[542thruNthru]

If you read the OP you would know that in the second instance he wasn't even in the car when I went in there to do my job and tape the damn box. He came in the car immediately after I went in there and proceeded to yell and curse at me which was observed by another driver. How is it possible that him following me in a car yelling and cursing is me harassing him?

I and others believe he was upset about the hazmat situation (and rightfully so) and followed me in the car because he simply didn't want me in the car at all?

Please stop harassing preloaders. They have enough to worry about. They don't need you harassing them on top of it. Your harassment is starting to border on stalking. So for the last time I'm asking you to back off with the harassment.

Thank you.

 

[Duckwithapipboy]

If you read the OP you would know that in the second instance he wasn't even in the car when I went in there to do my job and tape the damn box. He came in the car immediately after I went in there and proceeded to yell and curse at me which was observed by another driver. How is it possible that him following me in a car yelling and cursing is me harassing him?

I and others believe he was upset about the hazmat situation (and rightfully so) and followed me in the car because he simply didn't want me in the car at all?

From the Hazmat situation you made him feel defensive. Walking into his car and doing his job for him (hell, even just checking up on his methods) would rightfully make him feel that you are singling him out. Our center has Tree House Safety meetings every Friday with a quick meetup on Mondays, but they don't breathe down our necks every day. That would be like me loading a tier and walking back in to find a safety comm. member moving boxes I just loaded to "make it safer."

You should stop looking for justification in whether or not the harassment complaint was valid, and take a look back at your OP:

a preloader who I've worked with for 3+ years and never had a problem with.

Ignoring the 2nd grade taddle telling to the super... 3+ years and you couldn't pull him aside into a more informal conversation about safety? You might be on the committee but you don't have to play it out as if you have to quote from whatever safety manual you may have. He knows these things, so it is a better use of your time to work with him on why he won't follow proper methods.

 

[10 Pt]

Maybe look at this another way...

The safety committee is and should be a "steering" committee to help everyone do their job safely and to generally address (to management) unsafe issues that threatens our safety while at work.

The supervisors are to supervise the work. The "work" includes the methods of doing the work.That is the common thread throughout the collective bargaining agreement and should transcend and include any function of the means to that end. They supervise...we work.

Demonstrating and addressing work methods to a GROUP is one thing. Having a co-worker take a supervisory role one on one is wrong, is not protected activity in the collective bargaining agreement and aggravates some hourly as you have found out first hand.
Get the supervisors to do their jobs and auditing hourly's work methods is part of their job. That's what the safety committee is set up for. They preach it and they should make it happen. It's not your job. End of story.

 

[BrownInTx]

Does that go for management too?

Yes that goes for management also. Any
lackadaisical supe should be given the walk. I personally think to gain the respect of many drivers you as a supe better be able to perform whatever job you're asking of yourself. If something isn't being addressed correctly it's the supes job to step over there and show one how it's done. I know unfortunately most supes can only point fingers.

 

[Faceplanted]

Get off the safety committee. Think about this, your coworkers already look at you as an ass kisser and a snitch. Idk if your a swing driver but when you do start covering lots of routes, the bid drivers will go out of their way NOT to help you with info, and some may go as far as telling their customer not to help you out as they would the bid driver. Remember us drivers usually all look out for each other, your basically management in drivers eyes.

We have a cpl safety snitches at our center, nobody respects them.

 

[BrownInTx]

Get off the safety committee. Think about this, your coworkers already look at you as an ass kisser and a snitch. Idk if your a swing driver but when you do start covering lots of routes, the bid drivers will go out of their way NOT to help you with info, and some may go as far as telling their customer not to help you out as they would the bid driver. Remember us drivers usually all look out for each other, your basically management in drivers eyes.

We have a cpl safety snitches at our center, nobody respects them.

"Safety snitches" ? What a way to look at fellow hourly. Shouldn't everyone be working safely ? If you're not working safely with safety being number one in mind you are making a mistake

 

[Faceplanted]

"Safety snitches" ? What a way to look at fellow hourly. Shouldn't everyone be working safely ? If you're not working safely with safety being number one in mind you are making a mistake

No, they are exactly that, safety snitches

We have a few other drivers on the safety committee. They understand that we are not supposed to Be named, and not supposed to face discipline based on what they see. We have no problem with them brining up concerns to management. We do have a problem with snitches telling management "hey I saw so and so doing this"

To be named or disciplined is purely a function of management, not an hourly.

Huge difference!!!

You guys don't seem to understand how the safety committee is supposed to work

 

[BrownInTx]

No, they are exactly that, safety snitches

We have a few other drivers on the safety committee. They understand that we are not supposed to Be named, and not supposed to face discipline based on what they see. We have no problem with them brining up concerns to management. We do have a problem with snitches telling management "hey I saw so and so doing this"

To be named or disciplined is purely a function of management, not an hourly.

Huge difference!!!

You guys don't seem to understand how the safety committee is supposed to work

I agree no names should be ever be mentioned.

 

[Rack em]

From the Hazmat situation you made him feel defensive. Walking into his car and doing his job for him (hell, even just checking up on his methods) would rightfully make him feel that you are singling him out. Our center has Tree House Safety meetings every Friday with a quick meetup on Mondays, but they don't breathe down our necks every day. That would be like me loading a tier and walking back in to find a safety comm. member moving boxes I just loaded to "make it safer."

You should stop looking for justification in whether or not the harassment complaint was valid, and take a look back at your OP:



Ignoring the 2nd grade taddle telling to the super... 3+ years and you couldn't pull him aside into a more informal conversation about safety? You might be on the committee but you don't have to play it out as if you have to quote from whatever safety manual you may have. He knows these things, so it is a better use of your time to work with him on why he won't follow proper methods.

I wasn't walking in his car to do his job for him, I was doing my job but taping the over 70. I have said this before, but I come in 15 minutes early and get paid to check the PC's on one side of the belt for any over 70s without tape.

I should have handled it differently with the hazmat, I know that. I have continuously admitted how I was wrong.

 

[cosmo1]

Pretty sure Clock said it was wrong to go to management but he didnt feel it was wrong to say the job was done incorrectly. I'm not sure if that's harassment....he didn't say he was constantly badgering him about it.

I told a sorter that was assigned to me that he needed to get off his phone and stop letting packages jam up and rip open.. I don't think that was harassment

Are you management now?

 

[Rack em]

Get off the safety committee. Think about this, your coworkers already look at you as an ass kisser and a snitch. Idk if your a swing driver but when you do start covering lots of routes, the bid drivers will go out of their way NOT to help you with info, and some may go as far as telling their customer not to help you out as they would the bid driver. Remember us drivers usually all look out for each other, your basically management in drivers eyes.

We have a cpl safety snitches at our center, nobody respects them.

Maybe some of my co-workers do think that, but most of them have no problem with me or any of the other safety committee members (4 total). We have 27 drivers in our center and I get along with damn near every single one of them, I even hang out with a lot of them outside of work. We actually do a lot of group activities at our center because we all get along.

I am a swing/cover driver and have never had a problem with drivers helping me out if I end up going out blind. I've never been (as far as I know of) called "management" in any of my co-workers.

 

[Rack em]

No, they are exactly that, safety snitches

We have a few other drivers on the safety committee. They understand that we are not supposed to Be named, and not supposed to face discipline based on what they see. We have no problem with them brining up concerns to management. We do have a problem with snitches telling management "hey I saw so and so doing this"

To be named or disciplined is purely a function of management, not an hourly.

Huge difference!!!

You guys don't seem to understand how the safety committee is supposed to work

I have been on the committee for about a year and a half now and this is the first and ONLY time I have or ever will drop a name. I messed up, I wasn't thinking clearly that day, and I have learned from my mistake that will never happen again.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

CS---you did nothing wrong.
Dave.

 

[Faceplanted]

Your def from a small center from how your explaining things, I will also assume you are in a small center that does not file much or abide by the contract.

Best of luck. I was "forced" to join th safety committee when I started. Talked to a few union guys who been around the block and realized it was total bs and not my style. Lasted for a cpl weeks before I just stoped doing the stuff I was asked.

I enjoy clocking in 1-5 min before start time, going to pcm, getting in my truck and leaving. Idk how any hourly would want to be more involved in this job than is necessary. For that join management