Merry Christmas!

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
So what? How many people misuse comp to get out of peak? I'd bet THOSE numbers are staggering compared to FMLA.
That's true. I knew 10 year+ PTer who tried to miss peak a few yrs ago by going out on comp right after thanksgiving claimed he hurt his back. They found out he was still working his FT job (also physically demanding). I don't know all the details, but he hasn't worked here since.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
FMLA isn't a perk. Its a Federal act.
This is from the DOL website:

Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth.

While the OP would technically be correct in that he can indeed take up to 12 weeks of FMLA at any point within 12 months of his child being born, it is clearly not the intent of the law for him to schedule this unpaid leave simply so he can play Daddy during our busiest time of the year.
 

kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
He is allowed.

It is managements job to be sure that they have adequate staffing, so his absence should not be the target of blame if other drivers get screwed.

No one knows the details of his child and the mother. I can name several reasons why someone would NEED to wait to take FMLA.

Perhaps before we judge, we should know all the facts. Of course we have the usual know it all's.
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
The OP is not abusing or misusing anything...the time is his to take. And thank god it's a federal act, if it was a ups policy, you'd be back at work 3 min after the cord was cut. Good for you, man....enjoy your daughter's first christmas. Then put a pic of yourself on the fridge so she'll remember what you look like for the next 10 years lol.
 

Bizzob232

2nd generation UPSer
Lots of jealous drivers that don't want to work peak on this thread. I was lucky enough my wife had our daughter on the hottest week of june, so I got a nice week off in the a/c to play daddy. Am I abusing leave because its hot too?
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
The OP is not abusing or misusing anything...the time is his to take. And thank god it's a federal act, if it was a ups policy, you'd be back at work 3 min after the cord was cut. Good for you, man....enjoy your daughter's first christmas. Then put a pic of yourself on the fridge so she'll remember what you look like for the next 10 years lol.

So you would have no problem busting your ass at Peak knowing that the OP is sitting on his ass at home watching Barney with his almost year old kid solely because "it is my right to take this time"? We are not talking about coming back to work 3 minutes after the cord is cut----we are talking about nearly a year having gone by and then taking time off to be with his "newborn" child. I will tell you that the majority of my co-workers would have a HUGE problem with that.

You want to stay home with the Mom and newborn baby after the birth? By all means go ahead and take the time off. Truth is you will probably drive your wife nuts and she will beg you to go back to work. I know mine did---I was in the military at the time and had planned to take some time off but after a week or so she begged me to go back to work; hell, she was back to work within a month. Besides, her parents had come down and her mother was much more help than I ever could have been. But to "schedule" your FMLA to get out of Peak? Why Peak? Why wouldn't you take the time off at any other time of the year? The kid's going to be 11 months old----do you really think they have any clue what Christmas is? You are basically screwing your co-workers by taking an unpaid leave of absence when the truth is there is no real medical reason for you to take the leave at that time other than you feel that you are entitled to it.

God forbid you ever have to take care of one of your parents or a sibling when they are no longer able to take care of themselves and you really need to use FMLA.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Lots of jealous drivers that don't want to work peak on this thread. I was lucky enough my wife had our daughter on the hottest week of june, so I got a nice week off in the a/c to play daddy. Am I abusing leave because its hot too?

This has nothing to do with jealous drivers---it has to do with what is right and what is wrong.

Congratulations on becoming a father. As the father of an adult daughter I will tell you that you will have a lot of sleepless nights in your future.

Your wife had the baby in June and you took leave shortly thereafter. That was the intent of the law.

Would you have for a moment thought of not taking leave then and delaying it until December "just to get out of working Peak"?
 

bottomups

Bad Moon Risen'
I enjoyed two peak seasons off under FMLA for the birth of each of my children and somehow UPS survived. My daughter was born in December 93 and I took leave Dec through Feb. My son was born in Oct 96 and I broke up the leave after his birth. Took Oct off and returned to work until Thanksgiving and then took leave again through the first week of January. Used the balance of the leave in summer of 97 when chilcare issues arose.
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
So you would have no problem busting your ass at Peak knowing that the OP is sitting on his ass at home watching Barney with his almost year old kid solely because "it is my right to take this time"? We are not talking about coming back to work 3 minutes after the cord is cut----we are talking about nearly a year having gone by and then taking time off to be with his "newborn" child. I will tell you that the majority of my co-workers would have a HUGE problem with that.

You want to stay home with the Mom and newborn baby after the birth? By all means go ahead and take the time off. Truth is you will probably drive your wife nuts and she will beg you to go back to work. I know mine did---I was in the military at the time and had planned to take some time off but after a week or so she begged me to go back to work; hell, she was back to work within a month. Besides, her parents had come down and her mother was much more help than I ever could have been. But to "schedule" your FMLA to get out of Peak? Why Peak? Why wouldn't you take the time off at any other time of the year? The kid's going to be 11 months old----do you really think they have any clue what Christmas is? You are basically screwing your co-workers by taking an unpaid leave of absence when the truth is there is no real medical reason for you to take the leave at that time other than you feel that you are entitled to it.

God forbid you ever have to take care of one of your parents or a sibling when they are no longer able to take care of themselves and you really need to use FMLA.
First of all, I'm gonna bust my ass at peak regardless of what the OP, or a coworker does. He's not extorting funds, or taking any money out of my pocket, why would I care? And if he can afford to take unpaid leave, I say good for him...I wish I could. And he IS entitled to it, according to the law. Just because you don't agree to the time of year he's taking it doesn't negate that fact. How large is your building, Dave? What MAJORITY are we talking about? 30 people? 40? Just because you worry about screwing over a coworker by taking time off, that's you. It doesn't mean everyone feels that way. I used to care, but undisciplined, rampant attendance problems and endless work have changed that. If i'm taking a day, I'm taking a day, my coworkers can kiss my ass. P.S. Last peak, I needed to request 3 days off the 2nd week of dec...my center manager approved it...and UPS somehow survived. Oh, and the reason for the time off was to take care of my girlfriend's terminally ill mother because she had to go out of town. Been there, done that. But then again, what you don't know about me could fill the grand canyon.
 
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UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
We have 24-28 drivers on road non-Peak, 32-36 during Peak so, yeah, every body is needed.

This discussion is all for naught---I get the impression that the OP lives paycheck to paycheck and there is no way he can afford to do what he would like to do.
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
We have 24-28 drivers on road non-Peak, 32-36 during Peak so, yeah, every body is needed.

This discussion is all for naught---I get the impression that the OP lives paycheck to paycheck and there is no way he can afford to do what he would like to do.
Not to go off topic, but your center only brings in 4 to 8 extra drivers for peak?
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
We should all be like the great Upstate- go in early, sort for free, take lunch at end of day, pretend you are the best driver in the world, when you are off the clock you are on the Brown Cafe. Lol?
Let's not start getting personal...my point, or one of them, was the acknowledgement that things work a little differently in small vs large buildings. With 30 routes a day...and no peak coverage, you need everyone to show up everyday. In a larger building with 300 routes, temp and cover drivers, there's a little more breathing room.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Let's not start getting personal...my point, or one of them, was the acknowledgement that things work a little differently in small vs large buildings. With 30 routes a day...and no peak coverage, you need everyone to show up everyday. In a larger building with 300 routes, temp and cover drivers, there's a little more breathing room.

This has been my point all along. In a smaller center we need each and every one to show up each and every day during Peak. The last thing we need is for someone to wants to stay home with their 11 month old for no reason other than they feel that they are entitled to that time.

My father (not my Dad) passed away a few years ago shortly before Peak began. My brother and I had taken over his financial affairs about a year before he passed and one of the first things we did was make final arrangements. We knew that he was going to be cremated with a service at the convenience of the family. When he died my brother called me and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him that since it was basically going to be just us and a few family members and that there was no immediacy that I would like to wait until the week after Christmas. He agreed and that its what we did. My on-car and center manager both appreciated that and gave me the whole week after Christmas off as paid time.
 

Indecisi0n

Well-Known Member
This has been my point all along. In a smaller center we need each and every one to show up each and every day during Peak. The last thing we need is for someone to wants to stay home with their 11 month old for no reason other than they feel that they are entitled to that time.

My father (not my Dad) passed away a few years ago shortly before Peak began. My brother and I had taken over his financial affairs about a year before he passed and one of the first things we did was make final arrangements. We knew that he was going to be cremated with a service at the convenience of the family. When he died my brother called me and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him that since it was basically going to be just us and a few family members and that there was no immediacy that I would like to wait until the week after Christmas. He agreed and that its what we did. My on-car and center manager both appreciated that and gave me the whole week after Christmas off as paid time.

Upstate I hate to say it but again we don't live your bubble of goodness. A co-workers baby was so sick he was called by the sitter and told "I think you need to take XXX to the hospital something is wrong." When he called the center he was asked by the center manager manager "Can't the baby sitter take him and you just meet him after work?" This is the mentality of our managers at my center. If you ask me they are all low life scum.
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
This has been my point all along. In a smaller center we need each and every one to show up each and every day during Peak. The last thing we need is for someone to wants to stay home with their 11 month old for no reason other than they feel that they are entitled to that time.

My father (not my Dad) passed away a few years ago shortly before Peak began. My brother and I had taken over his financial affairs about a year before he passed and one of the first things we did was make final arrangements. We knew that he was going to be cremated with a service at the convenience of the family. When he died my brother called me and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him that since it was basically going to be just us and a few family members and that there was no immediacy that I would like to wait until the week after Christmas. He agreed and that its what we did. My on-car and center manager both appreciated that and gave me the whole week after Christmas off as paid time.
I understand. And while my center manager was nice enough to let me use 3 ophs during peak, when my gf's mother died two months later, I got a verbal attendance warning for taking two days off for the wake and funeral. Management can be scum.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Upstate I hate to say it but again we don't live your bubble of goodness. A co-workers baby was so sick he was called by the sitter and told "I think you need to take XXX to the hospital something is wrong." When he called the center he was asked by the center manager manager "Can't the baby sitter take him and you just meet him after work?" This is the mentality of our managers at my center. If you ask me they are all low life scum.

...and I would agree; however, did you ever stop to think that they may have become this way because of people such as the OP?
 
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