Living on Part-time work.... and loving it!

Nitelite

Well-Known Member
To those who say part time work is not meant to be enough to live off of...

I started working at UPS in 1995 at the ripe old age of 18. I worked on the night sort because I was a night person. Four years later I met my girlfriend who worked the shift before me and extended onto my shift every night. Soon I moved out of my parents place and into hers. I switched to the Twi sort and got serious about school and enrolled fulltime to obtain my bachelors degree in CS and Mathematics graduating with a 3.92 GPA. That was in 2004. Since then, people have asked when I am going to do something with it, and I reply, "Why?"

I make $20.57 an hour. My girlfriend makes over $17 (she got screwed and started 2 months after 97 strike). We have a child together now so she works during the day (12:30-5:15) and I go in for the Twi shift and usually work 2 hours overtime a day. Maybe it is my hub, but overtime has never been an issue, and if there isn't OT work (never happens), I have the option of extending onto the Night Sort (I hate the hour break, so never bother). So pretty much I make what a combo worker makes in 7 hours instead of 9.

I love the fact that neither of us work full time. It allows us to raise our child ourselves instead of a daycare and leaves time for all my various hobbies. If I don't feel like working 7 hours, no problem, I go home after 5.

I am not sure why so many of you criticize one job part-timers. In my case, it is more than viable and makes working full time nonsensical.

Ryan / Nitelite
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
We all know people who live off part time UPS. This is the exception, not the rule. My building has plenty of 10+ year part timers making good money.

If I had started long enough ago and was making near 20$ an hour as part time (and did air driving) I'd have no problem living off part time either.

However, if you start part time today you'll never see the pay you are getting. Try living off 200$ a week.

BTW, I am a full time driver.
 

trickpony1

Well-Known Member
Nitelite-
You might try looking 5, 10, 15 years down the road instead of between now and the next baby.
At your current age, life has two requirements:
1) it must be fun and;
2) it must feel good.
As you get older society will change these requirements for you. You either adapt or you fail.
If you truly did graduate with a 3.92 in CS and math there should be numerous full-time, gainful employment opportunities (our company included) for you to better prepare for your future and the future of your family rather than manual labor.
Make wise decisions.
Good Luck
 

huskervi

Active Member
They dont let us get overtime here in omaha, if they did I would like my job much better. X-mass is the only time they have no problem with overtime
 

Big Babooba

Well-Known Member
They dont let us get overtime here in omaha, if they did I would like my job much better. X-mass is the only time they have no problem with overtime
It used to be that overtime for the bottom seniority people was mandatory. Back in the early 80's, I was grossing $27,000 - $28,000 a year as a part time carwasher. I'd work my 4 hrs as a carwasher and go to lunch at 10:30. I'd return at 11:30 for the preload and sometimes work until 8:30 in the morning.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Nitelite-
You might try looking 5, 10, 15 years down the road instead of between now and the next baby.
At your current age, life has two requirements:
1) it must be fun and;
2) it must feel good.
As you get older society will change these requirements for you. You either adapt or you fail.
If you truly did graduate with a 3.92 in CS and math there should be numerous full-time, gainful employment opportunities (our company included) for you to better prepare for your future and the future of your family rather than manual labor.
Make wise decisions.
Good Luck

Trickpony makes a lot of great points. I got married in '83 as a PTer, but I knew that I would soon be going FT into Package. You have to think "long term", not "short term".
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
The discussion has been involving UPS's current state in regards to preload and local sort. Not what past senior Part-Timers can live on.

Kudo's to you for being able to do it.
 

Nitelite

Well-Known Member
Nitelite-
You might try looking 5, 10, 15 years down the road instead of between now and the next baby.
At your current age, life has two requirements:
1) it must be fun and;
2) it must feel good.
As you get older society will change these requirements for you. You either adapt or you fail.
If you truly did graduate with a 3.92 in CS and math there should be numerous full-time, gainful employment opportunities (our company included) for you to better prepare for your future and the future of your family rather than manual labor.

Greetings,

I am sure there are numerous full-time opportunities available, but like I said before, "Why?"

After graduation I interviewed at a few places for a programming position and while the starting pay averaged 40-50k a year, I'd also be putting in more than 40 hours a week. Maybe my priorities differ from the majority of people, but I work to live, not the other way around. I don't think there is anything wrong with doing manual labor for a living, especially when you are well compensated for it.

A couple years ago my hub eliminated the morning shift (125's worked normal 8-5 shifts), so 105 or so 125s got moved to back half of the day and twi shift (12:30pm-whenever... usually 10:30pm). Unless they are taking tons of half-days or VLOs, all of them will be pulling 60k, with most up around 70k. Not bad for unloading, loading and sorting.

5 years down the road, I expect to be making over $25, girlfriend over $22. Lets say they eliminate my overtime and stop extensions onto other shifts. At $25 an hour and my seniority at that point, any combo opening is almost guaranteed mine. Thats 50k with no overtime.

My point is the following: On a part time job, I should make about 37k this year. Girlfriend right around 20k. I don't pretend that this is "great" money, but it is more than livable and we are each building on our pension and contributing to a 401k while maintaining a lifestyle that we are both satisfied with. I don't have the uncertainties of going into a job market that is famous for outsourcing and personnel change and trying to find a place that can match all the benefits UPS gives (3 weeks vacation, 4 if I turn in sick days, pension that I am able to contribute 10months of full time service a year to, medical insurance etc).

Ryan / Nitelite
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
Hey, nitelite. You are one of the lucky few. You got in at the right time and stuck with it. I, personally, would rather work part time at UPS forever too (and make what you make).

just remember those chumps starting PT now or in the last couple years will never have it anywhere near as good as you.
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
"any combo opening is almost guaranteed mine. Thats 50k with no overtime. "


The great part of all of this.....say you take the Combo. Now you have ZERO real world seniority. Come rebids you are considered a full-timer and say all your combo's are filled and your left hanging as a FT Driver.

Going to quit?
 

Lobofan5

Well-Known Member
Hey, nitelite. You are one of the lucky few. You got in at the right time and stuck with it. I, personally, would rather work part time at UPS forever too (and make what you make).

just remember those chumps starting PT now or in the last couple years will never have it anywhere near as good as you.



I am one of those "chumps".:sad:
 
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