Is the heat on??

UnloadDrone

Disgruntled...
The heat has not been on at my hub at all this year. I was wondering if it is like this everywhere? Both US and Canadian operations. This is my eighth peak at UPS and the heat has always been on. We have been told that UPS has no obligation to heat the building beyond 45 degrees. I can understand cutting costs, but this is ridiculous, not that I expect any less from management. I just see it as a clear cut case of cost cutting vs. safety.

I greatly appreciate any responses and insight into why this has happened, and what, if anything, may be done to try and resolve it.
 
D

Dis-organized Labor

Guest
The heat has not been on at my hub at all this year. I was wondering if it is like this everywhere? Both US and Canadian operations. This is my eighth peak at UPS and the heat has always been on. We have been told that UPS has no obligation to heat the building beyond 45 degrees. I can understand cutting costs, but this is ridiculous, not that I expect any less from management. I just see it as a clear cut case of cost cutting vs. safety.

I greatly appreciate any responses and insight into why this has happened, and what, if anything, may be done to try and resolve it.


You gotta' be kidding me??? Who said that?
 

UnloadDrone

Disgruntled...
Sort Manager I believe. I heard this through the grapevine. If I would have had time today to track him down after work I would have asked to hear it myself. I should have gone to his office and waited. It's probably 70 in there. :p
 
L

Loufan

Guest
I don't think anything is heated in our building. At least the work areas. All the Offices, training rooms are heated, but everything else is freezing. It's all good though, I'll take the cold over the hot humid summer days any day.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
Years ago we worked out of a run down building that had absolutlely no heat in it except for in a dinky office and one stall bathroom that froze up if we had an extended cold spell. If it was 20 below outside it was 20 below inside. Our Union steward at the time put a thermometer in the dressing room and kept track of the freezing temps we had to change clothes in every morning and evening then filed a grievience. Managements solution was to buy the cheapest elect. heater they could find and place it right in front of the thermometer. Even though the thermometer read 100 plus degrees the room itself was still freezing. After complaining to management about it and nothing else being done (other than them laughing that the thermometer read 100 degrees) the Union steward filed another grievience, with photos of the thermometer reading 110 degrees) stating it was too hot in the changing room. :wink2: They finally installed a furnace that heated the whole building. It's always been a battle with them:sad-little:
 

UPSSOCKS

Well-Known Member
Actually Unload Drone you are correct. And before you socks haters jump pn me, I am on the union's side for this one. The buildings temp has always been between 50F-55F, this year to save costs they have lowered it to 40F-45F. I have been fighting this battle with the PE manager for three weeks now. These college kids are coming in wearing T-Shirts and I am taking an abundance of sick call offs. It is because people are sweating in a freezing building and getting sick. You have to realize in large buildings it might be 45 where the thermostat is but at the corners of the building it is in the 20's. No one in my building wants to acknowledge this. It's gotten to the point that we have been sitting down people and talking to them about dressing warmer, so they don't get sick and call off... No Turkey's and No Heat this year... Did I mention I am getting my raise though...
 

Nitelite

Well-Known Member
At the Worcester HUB in MA, more of the same. Heat has been on every year except this one. They are keeping it at 45 degrees, but it isn't anywhere close in the sort aisle with all the bay doors.

Union says to file an injury report if we get sick. This should end well...
 

mva1985

Well-Known Member
Our labor manager said the same thing... 45 degrees this year.

If you get too cold you may need to go to an office and warm yourself. If you get sick this would be covered as a job related injury... call it in - management will love that.

Also, file a grievance and call your local hall.
 

blue efficacy

Well-Known Member
UPS tried pulling this garbage in my building. OSHA was notified by the union steward, said they had to keep building at 55. They complied for a week or so. Then, they tried freezing us again. UPS claims they're keeping it at 45 degrees....

I was seeing my breath in the building all night. And not just a few places here and there. Wherever I went, except by the few heat ducts that were turned on. And even then, I had to be RIGHT there.

At least again they went back to having it a decent temperature, but for how long?

My fingers should not get numb after a couple hours of handling packages, with gloves no less. I can deal with extreme heat in the summer, water/gatorade etc can help keep you cool. But in extreme cold, the options for warming up are very limited. I don't want to fight the resultant battle that would ensue if I were to hang out in the bathroom/locker room long enough for my feet to not be cold anymore (with two pairs of socks and boots) and hot chocolate/coffee is an option, if I want to get dehydrated...

I wouldn't complain about 45 degrees, if the building was actually 45 degrees. Correct me if I am wrong, but you can't see your breath at 45 degrees, can you??

Prisoners get better treatment. I am grateful for my job, don't get me wrong, but when working conditions are that awful, I start becoming disillusioned with the company. I know it is very expensive to heat a large hub. But the workers deserve better than this, especially during peak. I found myself not feeling well after a couple of nights working at those low temperatures, and that is just not right. Driver helper should be more miserable in theory, but it wasn't.
 

konsole

Well-Known Member
Ya the Worcester hub is the building that I heard was being kept at way too low of a temperature. I actually just earlier today started a thread talking about this and how our replacement hot water heater that services our sinks is way too small and only provides enough hot water for the first half of the people leaving after the shift. The 50 gallon tank had broken down and they installed a 6 gallon tank in place of it...

The ambient temperature of the majority of our Norwood building has seemed ok so far. Lets just hope they dont get a wiff of the cutback bbq the next time around.

Here is the thread I started:
http://www.browncafe.com/community/threads/hot-water-and-building-heat.292272/
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
Heat is a contractual issue with buildings having some minimum number of employees. File, file, file.

I love the idea of calling in an injury report if you get the sniffles!!!!!
 

QKRSTKR

Well-Known Member
I have mixed emotions on this one. I can work outside in below 0 temps, but you can't load trucks in freezing temps? Some people work in freezers for longer than 4 hours. Meat cutters work in 40degree temps for 8 hr shifts. Are we still all children who don't know how to dress for the weather? Layer up, get hot, take some off. Don't wear T-shirts under sweat shirts, defeats the purpose. Wool socks on the feet. You certainly move enough to stay warm. Last week it was 18degrees outside with 35-50mph winds. Think that was fun? I'm still alive.
 

brownmonster

Man of Great Wisdom
My loader puts a small electric heater in on of the pkg cars. I think they turn our heat off completely at night. After the big snow last week it looked like Antarctica we had so many chunks of snow on the floor the next morning.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Q, I am a driver as well and drivers know that the weather is simply part of the job; however, the weather is not part of the job for insiders and I agree with those who have said that UPS needs to provide a safe work environment, which includes providing heat when needed and hot water for the restrooms. We are not talking heat to the point where you are working in shorts and a T-shirt but workers in the hub should not be able to see their breath while they are working.
 

djkre8r

Well-Known Member
Re: Is the heat on?? Freak out the sensor!

45 degrees here, too. Wanna freak the system a bit? We have found that if you place a zip lock bag of ice over the SENSOR (locate it! It will run from the thermostat somewhere else in the center) that you can trick it into coming on. This may take 15 minutes or so but it WILL work!
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
Re: Is the heat on?? Freak out the sensor!

45 degrees here, too. Wanna freak the system a bit? We have found that if you place a zip lock bag of ice over the SENSOR (locate it! It will run from the thermostat somewhere else in the center) that you can trick it into coming on. This may take 15 minutes or so but it WILL work!

I would guess doing this would be "stealing", a cardinal sin. Better to grieve the low temp as a safety issue.
 

djkre8r

Well-Known Member
over9five - you are true but it funny to see management walking around looking up at the heaters wondering HOW they came on.
 

Jigawatts

Well-Known Member
No heat, no turkeys...

I heard next year we're having rolling blackouts to save on the electric bill.

Also, they will be charging a service fee for printing our checks a la Ticket Master.

Maybe they should also have drivers chip in for gas and insurance costs.
 
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