Me love management...

Wubzzy

Member
Hi all i am new to this forum and have a bit of frustration with (take a wild guess)...management. Before i begin my tale; let me give some background to myself:
I've been a UPS employee now for over two years and am a full time college student. Started off in preload than changed my shift a couple of months ago to midnight unload so that i could get more accomplished during the day (preload seemed to drain the life outta me; could barely stay awake during classes). I just found this website today by chance as i was trying to find some sort of specific job description for a UPS unloader; i.e. job duties. My dilemma is this: where can i find some type of document telling me what my job duties as an unloader are (midnight shift)? the reason i need to know is because so far i do what my supervisor tells me what i need to do (i.e. what trailer to unload, what boxes need to be taped up, etc.), pretty common tasks. But as of lately, he's been telling me to go UNDER THE GRATINGS where the belts and the unloading docks are to pick up packages. Mind you that down where he sends me it is complete filth and people spit and shoot snot rockets and all sorts of nasty things under the gratings. This is not what i pictured an unloader doing. Any help would be appreciated.
 

drewed

Shankman
how are the packages getting under the grating? the grating in my building is about a 6"x1" grid so packages cant really fall through it and its a bit of a stretch to get them to go underneath. could be a plant engineering problem that he needs to get written up to get fixed....

But no he shouldnt be asking you to do technically unsafe work since im guessing the clearance iof the grating is wat 18 in? umm ask your steward see what he says and try to use brooms and shephards hooks to get the packages next time
 

Wubzzy

Member
for example...the chute for the small sort belt is kinda built into the grating, and when people are overwhelmed by the amount of smalls on the main unload belt that must be put into the smalls chute, they just start tossing the smalls into the chutes; and when this happens, some of the letter size packages and even small boxes fall in between the space between the chute and the grading, and that's where the I.D ten T (me) comes in.:biting:
 

bellesotico

BOXstar
Uh yeah..that is nasty..lol..

As to your dilemma..
I'm not sure where to find that job description other than to request one from HR. But I can tell you this..your sup can't touch those pkgs..so that means somebody else has to.
The job description I go by as a preloader is simply this: Work Safely and Work as Directed.
 

drewed

Shankman
id say thats a plant engineering issue, they grating should be flush against the chute so packages dont fall to the ground, and atleast in my building the ground is always wet so it would cause damages.... remember a UPS exec once said Every package is a honored guest. they should arive to the destination in the same conditon they were sent in (except of course faulty packaging)
 

IDoLessWorkThanMost

Well-Known Member
id say thats a plant engineering issue, they grating should be flush against the chute so packages dont fall to the ground, and atleast in my building the ground is always wet so it would cause damages.... remember a UPS exec once said Every package is a honored guest. they should arive to the destination in the same conditon they were sent in (except of course faulty packaging)

Yeah....remember that honest guest theory when you're watching UPS cram 80 packages down a belt wide and long enough to fit 60. Then think about the driver who has to deal with this crushed package and the public thinks it's becasuse he had a bad day. =)
 

drewed

Shankman
Yeah....remember that honest guest theory when you're watching UPS cram 80 packages down a belt wide and long enough to fit 60. Then think about the driver who has to deal with this crushed package and the public thinks it's becasuse he had a bad day. =)
I know, you choose to be a driver the public face of the company, just as i choose to be a supervisor, both jobs most people wouldnt choose to do....we move what 12 million packages a day, along hundreds of flights and feeder movements, tens of thousands of routes dispatched; stuff does happen we make service on time 95% of the time, we do that through weather natural disaster. stuff does happen things do get damaged things are packed improperly, and you as the face of the company have to deal with that...yes someone along the line should have restacked it or packed it better or whatever but it is what it is
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
But as of lately, he's been telling me to go UNDER THE GRATINGS where the belts and the unloading docks are to pick up packages. Mind you that down where he sends me it is complete filth and people spit and shoot snot rockets and all sorts of nasty things under the gratings..
You have to work as instructed, as long as it is safe to do so. Tell your sup you are willing to do it, but because of the spit, snot and other infectious and hazardous substances you come into contact with, you require an apron, goggles, rubber boots and rubber gloves in order to perform these duties. The amount of time it will take you to obtain all of this gear, put it on, take it off, and put it all way will accomplish two things; it will increase your paycheck, and it will motivate your supervisor to assign this job to someone else.
 

Wubzzy

Member
You have a valid point Soberups, i should look at things on the brightside instead of having it be somewhat of a nuasance; and as for what bellesotico said, i'll look into h.r. to see if they have any job specific documents pertaining to my position (or just talk to the steward). Don't get me wrong, i think that my supervisor is a pretty cool person; i just think that he's approaching the situation all wrong.
 

tieguy

Banned
You have a valid point Soberups, i should look at things on the brightside instead of having it be somewhat of a nuasance; and as for what bellesotico said, i'll look into h.r. to see if they have any job specific documents pertaining to my position (or just talk to the steward). Don't get me wrong, i think that my supervisor is a pretty cool person; i just think that he's approaching the situation all wrong.

Congratulations soberups your advice has now sent another positive employee on the path to be difficult to work with.

Wuzzy if you really want to think about it you can become paranoid about those packages you handle everyday. You don't know who has done what to them prior to your handling them. Wear some gloves , use the broom handle or shepardshook like someone else suggested and stop trying to turn this into a soap opera.

Thats the problem with todays kids most of them were over coddled when raised and never recieved the much needed kick in the rear.
 

feeder53

ADKtrails
In todays world, there are mant things that we touch that have been exposed to a lot of people, therefor they have the ability to carry germs etc. The dirtiest thing we handle every day is money......
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Congratulations soberups your advice has now sent another positive employee on the path to be difficult to work with.

.
Actually, I advised him to work as instructed. Reread his original post. He's not talking about handling packages, hes talking about crawling in filth under a walkway where people spit and blow snot. It is entirely reasonable and appropriate to expect gloves and protective gear for that type of work.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
In todays world, there are mant things that we touch that have been exposed to a lot of people, therefor they have the ability to carry germs etc. The dirtiest thing we handle every day is money......
I deliver to a hospital/medical center. Hospitals are known breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. I am always very careful to wash my hands thoroughly after my last delivery there.
 
H

hseofpayne

Guest
Hi all i am new to this forum and have a bit of frustration with (take a wild guess)...management. Before i begin my tale; let me give some background to myself:
I've been a UPS employee now for over two years and am a full time college student. Started off in preload than changed my shift a couple of months ago to midnight unload so that i could get more accomplished during the day (preload seemed to drain the life outta me; could barely stay awake during classes). I just found this website today by chance as i was trying to find some sort of specific job description for a UPS unloader; i.e. job duties. My dilemma is this: where can i find some type of document telling me what my job duties as an unloader are (midnight shift)? the reason i need to know is because so far i do what my supervisor tells me what i need to do (i.e. what trailer to unload, what boxes need to be taped up, etc.), pretty common tasks. But as of lately, he's been telling me to go UNDER THE GRATINGS where the belts and the unloading docks are to pick up packages. Mind you that down where he sends me it is complete filth and people spit and shoot snot rockets and all sorts of nasty things under the gratings. This is not what i pictured an unloader doing. Any help would be appreciated.

If y'all have a carwash like ours, they have these long aluminum poles with brushes on the end. Take one of those and use it to drag or sweep pkgs from under the belt. Use some of that fancy edumication you done did got! I have used them brushes before, if you don't have them, look for something similar!
 

Mike Hawk

Well-Known Member
You'll be allright unless he stands above you and shouts "It puts the lotion on its skin!!" then you might start to worry.

I have worked the local sort at my center a few times, when they wash cars one guy has the hose and 3 guys wash the car. Sometimes the supe will come over and do a Buffalo Bill impression with the hose, "It washes the truck or it gets the hose!" It’s pretty funny to watch. It's all in good fun, the supe used to be a local sorter and he is more of a peer than a boss.
 

Wubzzy

Member
well....after i told my supervisor that it was a major safety issue and that if i didn't have the proper equipment to go into the gratings to get the packages that i wasn't gonna crawl under; he looked at me like as if it was game over or something. makes me happy to know that i won't be doing that anymore (so i hope). :wink2: Now, about that union rule book......
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
well....after i told my supervisor that it was a major safety issue and that if i didn't have the proper equipment to go into the gratings to get the packages that i wasn't gonna crawl under; he looked at me like as if it was game over or something. makes me happy to know that i won't be doing that anymore (so i hope). :wink2: Now, about that union rule book......
Perhaps this will inspire your management to make some beneficial changes, such as redesigning the chute so that packages dont fall through. They also might consider going under there with a pressure washer and cleaning up the filth. The best way to get your management to solve a problem is to make it impossible for them to continue ignoring it.
 
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