Is UPS really this bad to work for, or are people exaggerating??
- Thread starter johnbirshire
- Start date
ncrtscisme
Well-Known Member
I'm sure he didn't make THAT much, but the point is that he and the board of directors make LOTS of dough. Not that it's any different than any other big company...but what really gets me angry is that after hearing our department was closing down and many technicians were forced out of jobs last year, we found an article in the Wall Street Journal that Mike E and the board of directors gave themselves raises of over 7%! Mind you, UPS employees can't get more than 3% (used to be 7% max until UPS used the "9/11" card to get it lowered to 3%, saying it was just temporary but we all knew better)
dammor
Well-Known Member
Congrats on your retirement. I assume you were not in Central States or that you retired years ago. I say this because I have almost 27 years in and am looking at 7 more before I can retire. So it would seem staying to the end will be much longer for me than it was for you. You say life is too short and I agree with that, but at the same time after 27 years it is not an option to start a new job.
Canon is correct about the situation at UPS these days. Everyday is frustrating. PAS is a curse. What's sad is that it should not be. The system is good in theory, but theory is not the world we live in. We are all used to working hard and fast, and it would seem the folks that put the system in did the same thing. They worked hard to it put it in and then left fast. Thanks PAS people.............
satellitedriver
Moderator
This an excellent website. I do not agree with all of his views, but they are well thought out and articulate.
tieguy
Banned
They sure don't . Back when I first delivered in the 80's I had a preloader who did a great job loading my car. The only problem was that preloader was frequently absent. The person/ persons who would cover him could not load my car right to save their lives. I never knew their names until now they were actually called PAS. Everyday PAS loaded my car was a challenge. Some of their mistakes were downright creative costing me lots of time on the road. During my qualifying days there were mornings when I would throw up before work thinking about trying to qualify with PAS loading my car. Eventually though I learned to expect a certain defect rate with PAS and I learned how to clean up his mistakes without being out all night. At that point PAS no longer ruined my day and I actually enjoyed delivering the cardboard.
The job is what you make it. You can be miserable every day if you want or go out and make the best of it.
The job is what you make it. You can be miserable every day if you want or go out and make the best of it.
browntruckmechanic
Well isn't that special ?????????
So basically what everyone is saying we at UPS are on big happy family
.
I guess we are putting the FUN in dysfunctional.
.I guess we are putting the FUN in dysfunctional.
You got that right. You just have to learn to tune out the negativity and do your best. I used to worry about the that old "Operations Report", I haven't looked at it in a long time. I show up on time, get the job done, and go home. Thats all there is to it.
That makes no sense, supervisors performance is based on retention. Not to mention that supervisors know how powerful the teamsters are and how difficult it is to fire someone (like the guy that only shows up 75% of the time)
they take in the big bucks because they work long hours (much longer than you and further away from family than you), they make sure the operation keeps going, and unlike a teamster member making well above industry median yet still has the guts (or is it stupiditiy?) to bitch about a 3% pay raise, they're fully accountable to their bosses, the shareholders. when they're shown the door, they don't have a union rep or a hearing.
eskew makes the big dollars because he delivers results. he pays his employess way above median, maintains pretty good union relations (they're negotiationg years before the end of this contract), and he still turns profits. work centres close, that's a reality, and i am more than certain the technicians were well taken care of. if you don't like hearing the CEO making good money, start your own company. but when you post huge profits due to your leadership, be sure to give everyone else a raise before you reward yourself.
oh, and S11 wasn't an excuse, it hit every industry (including this industry) hard. even city-bike messenger companies lost big business. while people were shown the door with weak severance, you manage to complain over a 3% pay raise.
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ncrtscisme
Well-Known Member
First of all, I wasn't union...we talked about it, but once management got a whiff of it there was no way it would happen (most of us even think the main reason they hurried through the downsizing was because of the "union threat"). So nobody to "protect" us there.
If I were on the board of directors, I would have no problem limiting my own raise to the same as the employees...hell, 3% of $400,000 isn't bad! I would even be willing to go as far as not taking a raise at all if I pulled in that much. Just imagine what a great message that would send to your employees if you as a CEO or board member did that. And compared to other big companies, their pay isn't too high (well of course it's a ridiculous amount of money, but still less than other CEOs).
I am aware that 9/11 caused many problems in many industries and at the time it seemed just fine to lower the max raise percentage. BUT, as a few years went by and UPS was making bigger profits than ever before, don't you think it could have taken a little pinch for the team and brought the percentages back up to what they were before? I mean, UPS's employees are its greatest asset, right? Suuuure they are.
truckinnaked
Member
It is a business.
satellitedriver
Moderator
Scratch, you are dead on. Do your job to the best of your ability and go home. Most things in life are as bad as you make them.You got that right. You just have to learn to tune out the negativity and do your best. I used to worry about the that old "Operations Report", I haven't looked at it in a long time. I show up on time, get the job done, and go home. Thats all there is to it.
swing-driver
Member
Someone once told me; "You only feel how you let yourself feel"
DS
Fenderbender
SO true.Easy days are extremley rare as a ups driver.More often than not they are incredibly hectic to say the least.Its these days when every 3rd stop offers up some problem that takes more time than you actually have,that you gotta relax
and take each stop one at a time.Eventually,you
will get home,so why give yourself a coronary.
As far as the "operations report" goes,I look at it every morning,the first column,PAID DAY...to make sure I get paid what I worked.
TIE ...I guess that means I agree with you...quote...you
can be miserable every day or make the best of it
canon
Well-Known Member
So there is a glimmer of hope. Que sera, sera! Whatever will be, will be. I like it so much, we should petition UPS to adopt it as a business slogan.
I can see Tieguy now, hugging and laughing with his drivers even tho they sucked on paper and corporate just had his butt for breakfast. "Forget the numbers! Live life and be happy!... Numbers Shmumbers! To heck with corporate! HAhahahahahah<breathe>ahhahahahah!"
Oh, wait a minute... this is one of those one way streets where hourly workers are supposed to make the best of a bad situation, but managment only deals with bad situations via discipline. Is that about right?
I don't think anyone is out there crying in their package car everyday. I remain respectful with my boss, I don't let my frustrations be visible to the customer, I try to do the best with what is given me and have been for almost two years concerning PAS. But at some point... IT'S FAIR TO ASK WHY CAN'T THEY FIX IT? Isn't it? If not now, what is the acceptable length of time? Three years, four? This isn't some new guy that just doesn't know how to load the truck, it's a system that suffers from not doing the follow up detailing which management originally acknowleged needed to happen post-implementation.
UPS is constantly trying to find ways to make or save money, no secret there. But if I ask to get something fixed which is obviously costing money at my center, I'm being negative? If anything, my persistance to fix PAS so that I can take more stops, lower my mileage, get off the clock sooner, and finally be able to achieve the numbers my supervisors demand should be viewed as a positive to the company. We're not talking about some pkgs not being on the right shelf or a loose load due to a new preloader... this is about drivers having to crisscross into each others areas for no apparent reason other than to run the miles up. And one or two stops out of whack on my route could easily cost me 40 minutes:
If *I* were doing something that was deliberately causing myself to stay out later than I needed to be, increasing my mileage, and messing the numbers up, how long do you think it would take management to fix that? It seems that when you need something fixed that could make your day better, you get the empty promise... but let it be time to levy discipline and management becomes Johnny-on-the-spot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for finding the silver lining to every cloud. But in a thread asking about the working conditions at UPS, the rose colored glasses need to come off... or both sides need to be wearing them.
I did have a good day today.
canon
Well-Known Member
In all seriousness, point out where I said I'm experiencing a miserable life. I'm trying to point out some areas which will help all of us. Anything you quote from that will be of me trying to improve efficiency. You know it, stop being childish. Everyone can read it, show me where i'm saying i'm miserable. I'm having a good life, but that doesn't mean we just ignore what's broke.
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