UPSers, I hate to wear this term out. National Epidemic. That is what we have here. Just like the drivers working thru their lunch hour so be it with the sups doing hourly work. In my opinion I believe the top Brass is very well aware of it. A sups ignorance is no excuse. You choose to go into mgt. You know what is to be expected. The top brass is gambling that it will play the heart strings of the stewards and hourlies(were all stewarts in a sense) to over look this questionable practice. All it is, is a cost saving measure to keep from hiring new drivers. Remember that in my area - Virgin(I)a on top of what we(ft) make UPS has to pay an additional $273.60 a week for our pension and $222.10 a week for our health ins to the Teamsters. As you can see that is alot of money. Keep that in mind as I proceed.
What happens next is that the Top Brass tells the center manager he can only run a certian number of runs per day. At times the volume will go up. Like it is doing now. There becomes I believe a disconnect. Between upper and lower mgt. Brass is unsympathic to the CMs plea to hire or put more drivers on. Perphaps, poor planning. How long has UPS been in business? A 100 years. Vacations, Ph's, and sick have always been taken into account, but it seems there's been a more relaxed sense at the switch. In my 22 years at least at my center I have never seen such an abuse of sups working. So, back to the Brass being unsympathetic to the center manager plight. Packages wont get delivered when the number of runs can't be added to fully handle the volume, thus pkgs will get missed. Yes, you can justify the sups working as I have done before - Example Joe "poop bird", no call, no show, but I believe it has gone beyond that. Give them a inch and they take a mile.
The top Brass is unfortunately making the center manager and sups the sacraficial lamb. A gamble, so to speak. This is sad. They( upper mgt) will have you(center manager and sups) make a decision. Ethics. Will you go against what was agreed upon in the contract or will you do what upper mgt tells you to do. The pressure is on and they are very well aware of it. Don't do what they subliminally want you to do and you will be out the door. Do you see why many of us don't go into mgt. The top Brass puts you in a position where your in between a rock and a hard place. Again, this practice of sups working is being extremely abused. It has to stop. Will pkgs be missed? Possible. Stock Price? Is that what its all about? I predict record profits in the 4 quarter. Our center as of now is at Christmas volume for last year and its only september. Thats good news. So lets hire some drivers to get the Job done.
In closing, the center manager and sups will end up doing the hourly work when forced into that position. Grievances must be filed. Abused contract article. Questonable practices. Jobs are at stake. Nationally could be hundreds. Perphaps thousands. Depending how far back you go. I wonder if they kept hourly stats on sups doing hourly work what would the number be? It could be staggering. Do I have sympathy for the sups. Yes and no. Again, Ignorance is no excuse. They knew to a degree what they were getting into. Remember sups your a dime a dozen and UPS has 2 dollars change in their pocket. Why would anyone go into supervision with this type of hostile climate is beyond me. I believe our great founder Jim Casey would be taking some of the Royal heartless upper Br/ass to the Great porcelian wood shed. Folks take a good look at Jim's pic. The jaw on that guy. LOL I believe or I know he could kick some ass.