Lunch Issue

[brownman15]

also totally agree that if every driver took there lunch everyday between the third and sixth hour they would have 2 put more routes in.

 

[DS]

I always took my meal from the 3rd to 5th hour regardless of the amount of stops that I had. I always called at 3:30 in the afternoon and gave my stops off and stops remaining and let the boy scouts decide what they wanted to do. I was not a supervisor, just a driver!

Wow charlie,your first post and you have the right answer.
welcome to the bc.
It really freaks me out how diverse the rules are around the continent,but how we are so the same in other ways.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

I don't know what the ranges of hours means, but I take my lunch from 1425 to 1525 daily. It's a religion that was impressed upon me by someone somewhere at some point in time. Back when they took lunch even if you didn't stop was the problem. So now I sit and eat and read my paper fro that hour. Doesn't matter if all my stops are off, just my business or even if I have business left, (aside from business savers). It's the best hour of my day. I catch a breath, shoot the bull and at the end I'm ready to go again.

 

[Bloodybrown]

I think you should honor the contract. Take your lunch as specified in the contract.

As a steward, I don't understand how you can grieve the company breaking the contract if you yourself do it.

I agree, take your lunch, I have found that drivers that skip lunch get fatigued and are more likely to get into an accident or get hurt. I am in mangement and insist that my drivers take the lunch as prescribed in the contract. It's my job to make the routes work. I have never added routes because my drivers take lunch, I have re tooled a loop or two and changed some routes around to make it work. A few drivers did not like and others did, but the bottom line is they all have the opportunity to take lunch.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I agree, take your lunch, I have found that drivers that skip lunch get fatigued and are more likely to get into an accident or get hurt. I am in mangement and insist that my drivers take the lunch as prescribed in the contract. It's my job to make the routes work. I have never added routes because my drivers take lunch, I have re tooled a loop or two and changed some routes around to make it work. A few drivers did not like and others did, but the bottom line is they all have the opportunity to take lunch.

That being said, do you T/W or discipline drivers who do take their full lunch and break but not within the prescribed times? I personally like to get my deliveries and first round of pickups done, take my lunch and break, and then complete my last 2 pickups.

How would you handle the situation as described above where drivers were coming in early, backing up their start times and then taking their lunches before delivering their first package? I can see the logic but don't think that would work for me.

 

[soberups]

When my son was younger he played soccer and some of his games would be after school at 5:00. I live on my route and would deliver to the neighborhood where his school was, so on those days I would postpone my lunch until the end of the day and take it from 5:00 to 6:00 so that I could see the game.

I think its important to follow the contract language. I think its more important to be aware of the intent of the language. In my situation, the time I chose to take my lunch had no impact on service or any other route in my loop. It had no effect on my paid day, planned day or total miles. In that situation it was not contractually relevant...I did not falsify any documents, I accurately recorded my personal time and I was paid for all hours worked. Most importantly, I was able to meet the challenge of balancing the job with the demands of family life in an honest and ethical manner.

 

[705red]

I have a problem that just has surfaced. I have had alot of drivers tell me that they have been instructed to put in some lunch time regardless of if they stop and take a lunch. So they are putting in at least 1 min and as much as the full hour in some cases.

I will be discussing this on monday with several different managers in my building, but i guess what my question is, is this dishonesty on managements part? and if so should this be a terminating offense?

 

[Bloodybrown]

That being said, do you T/W or discipline drivers who do take their full lunch and break but not within the prescribed times? I personally like to get my deliveries and first round of pickups done, take my lunch and break, and then complete my last 2 pickups.

How would you handle the situation as described above where drivers were coming in early, backing up their start times and then taking their lunches before delivering their first package? I can see the logic but don't think that would work for me.

I have not disciplined anyone to date for not taking full lunch and breaks but I have T/W them and mostly they comply. I would object more if you do not take them at all. I just feel that drivers would be operate better if they took them as prescribed in the contract.

I don't exactly know what you mean by drivers coming in early just to take lunch and breaks before they deliver a package. That seems silly. I hope management does not condone that where your from. there are always exceptions and management and the union should recognize that.
I do.

 

[Bloodybrown]

When my son was younger he played soccer and some of his games would be after school at 5:00. I live on my route and would deliver to the neighborhood where his school was, so on those days I would postpone my lunch until the end of the day and take it from 5:00 to 6:00 so that I could see the game.

I think its important to follow the contract language. I think its more important to be aware of the intent of the language. In my situation, the time I chose to take my lunch had no impact on service or any other route in my loop. It had no effect on my paid day, planned day or total miles. In that situation it was not contractually relevant...I did not falsify any documents, I accurately recorded my personal time and I was paid for all hours worked. Most importantly, I was able to meet the challenge of balancing the job with the demands of family life in an honest and ethical manner.

I think what you did to see your son's soccer game is completely acceptable!! I also think you are the type of person that does the right thing for your family and UPS.

 

[Bloodybrown]

I have a problem that just has surfaced. I have had alot of drivers tell me that they have been instructed to put in some lunch time regardless of if they stop and take a lunch. So they are putting in at least 1 min and as much as the full hour in some cases.

That's just plain wrong, they should take full lunch and breaks, not skip them.

I will be discussing this on monday with several different managers in my building, but i guess what my question is, is this dishonesty on managements part? and if so should this be a terminating offense?

I can't answer that, it depends on the entire discussion. You know things are not always what they seem. I have had drivers put no lunch or breaks in, and have knowledge that they did take some personal time. One warning for them. I think it could work both ways in this case.

 

[705red]

I can't answer that, it depends on the entire discussion. You know things are not always what they seem. I have had drivers put no lunch or breaks in, and have knowledge that they did take some personal time. One warning for them. I think it could work both ways in this case.

I agree that a warning is called for. But at the same time i have an employee out right now for a dishonest act and they are fighing it all the way to panel. What the employee did was stupid he admits it, did not benefit from it and should be back to work with a nice smack on the hand.

But it is hard to cut a break to the same management team that wont do the same in return.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I don't exactly know what you mean by drivers coming in early just to take lunch and breaks before they deliver a package. That seems silly. I hope management does not condone that where your from. there are always exceptions and management and the union should recognize that. I do.

Please refer to Post #12 by Fullhouse.

 

[Bloodybrown]

I agree that a warning is called for. But at the same time i have an employee out right now for a dishonest act and they are fighing it all the way to panel. What the employee did was stupid he admits it, did not benefit from it and should be back to work with a nice smack on the hand.

But it is hard to cut a break to the same management team that wont do the same in return.

Your not giving me enough info to comment on this, and you know it, you probably can't or should not!!

 

[Bloodybrown]

Please refer to Post #12 by Fullhouse.

I don't agree with it unless the local union and company have an agreement or understanding with it.

 

[Bubblehead]

I have a problem that just has surfaced. I have had alot of drivers tell me that they have been instructed to put in some lunch time regardless of if they stop and take a lunch. So they are putting in at least 1 min and as much as the full hour in some cases.

I will be discussing this on monday with several different managers in my building, but i guess what my question is, is this dishonesty on managements part? and if so should this be a terminating offense?

This whole issue surfaced due to the class action lawsuit filed by the drivers in California. They are afforded an hour lunch break contractually. The company was taking an hour out of their pay whether they took it or not and they were burned for 87 million dollars when they lost the suit. How this equates with the 1 minute mandate is a mystery to me. This was the flavor of the week in my center also. I urge your members and all others to use the DIAD as a tool to represent your days work. If you took a lunch, and you should, then record it as such. If not, then don't. It is much easier to prove a case of dishonesty when you are being dishonest. Being directed to be dishonest is not going to be a good defense at the state panel. Let your conscience be your guide.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

This whole issue surfaced due to the class action lawsuit filed by the drivers in California. They are afforded an hour lunch break contractually. The company was taking an hour out of their pay whether they took it or not and they were burned for 87 million dollars when they lost the suit. How this equates with the 1 minute mandate is a mystery to me. This was the flavor of the week in my center also. I urge your members and all others to use the DIAD as a tool to represent your days work. If you took a lunch, and you should, then record it as such. If not, then don't. It is much easier to prove a case of dishonesty when you are being dishonest. Being directed to be dishonest is not going to be a good defense at the state panel. Let your conscience be your guide.

After this lawsuit, mgmt in my building here in south Florida, (yes it's warm all year round), told us we needed to put the exact amount of time we took for lunch/break in our boards. There was no more taking lunch out if you didn't put one in the board. Then they changed it to, you must put and take one full hour of lunch or be written up. That's where the issue stands to this date, and I follow it religiously, almost to the point of wearing my priestly robe as I sit to eat my food. (Monks chanting in the background, too!!!)

 

[rod]

For many years I would take a half hour breakfast break in the morning at the local coffee shop before I drove the 30 miles to the town that was my delivery area. After delivering the whole route I would take the last half hour before I returned to the center. I tried to take it between the 3rd and 6th a few times but was constantly interupted by customers that "hated to bother me but really needed their package". Being an old softy I would interupt my lunch to dig for their pkg. That being said I would imagine after the big class action law suit in Ca. that things have become more "by the book".

 

[Billy]

In my center ( Fairfax...Dullas Hub ) we a forced to put a hour in the board. We have had several drivers get a warning letter over not doing so. We can not put 59min in the board either. They want a hour. We were told some time ago that if we needed to skip lunch all we had to do was let a sup- know for authorization. They NEVER give it though. I feel that drivers should stop, and I encourage everyone to do so. I meet up with the guys surrounding me everyday at 1:30 (We always have mis-loads for one another anyway.) I don't think that UPS should force a driver to take a full hour if they only want 30. There are a lot of business routes that would be imposable to stop and take lunch at the contracted time. You'll miss pickups, or they'll close before you can get there. These routes should be changed to accommodate the lunch. Oh speaking of lunch...We can't enter any package as closed or not in if it's a business between 12 and 1. They consider that a missed piece. Even if the business is normally open, or it's a holiday during that time.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

CLO-H between noon and 1 will not count as missed.

 

[over9five]

CLO-H between noon and 1 will not count as missed.

...anf if it's not a holiday, you have just falsified a DIAD entry. I'm surprised to hear that from you, Upstate.