Missed call: Supervisor called personal phone while driver helping.

toombi

Member
Hi. I'm wondering whether I can grieve this. I was sent out on car with a regular union driver for seasonal driver help. While receiving packages to deliver from my driver, my phone had an incoming call. I didn't answer because I was busy with packages. I also didn't recognize the number and didn't check my voicemail until I had an official break. Turns out it was a driver supervisor calling to offer supervisor help, and said i had one minute to respond or he's moving on to the next guy. But by then it was 3 hours later and missed out massively. As I understand it, use of my personal phone while driver helping is not allowed though not highly enforced. And I would have answered if I was on my own time. My question is, is this grievable and shouldn't they be contacting my driver via, say, his diad to bring such an opportunity to my attention? Thanks in advance.
 

542thruNthru

Well-Known Member
Turns out it was a driver supervisor calling to offer supervisor help, and said i had one minute to respond or he's moving on to the next guy. But by then it was 3 hours later and missed out massively. As I understand it, use of my personal phone while driver helping is not allowed though not highly enforced. And I would have answered if I was on my own time. My question is, is this grievable and shouldn't they be contacting my driver via, say, his diad to bring such an opportunity to my attention? Thanks in advance.
Um what is supervisor help?
 

toombi

Member
Um what is supervisor help?
It's where a driver supervisor goes delivering a route, but to avoid taking available work from union workers, a helper (from preload, based on seniority) tags along for that work. It pays top driver rate, meaning ~$40/h regular and ~$60/h ot pay, where that rate applies to all hours worked that day. Seeing as how the start time for preload was 1am, this was huge.
 
It's where a driver supervisor goes delivering a route, but to avoid taking available work from union workers, a helper (from preload, based on seniority) tags along for that work. It pays top driver rate, meaning ~40 regular and ~60 ot pay. Seeing as how the start time for preload was 1am, this was huge.
Sounds like you had already made a commitment to be a driver helper that day. I did this a lot. Driver helper at top driver rate. $41.49/hr
 

burrheadd

KING Of GIFS
Hi. I'm wondering whether I can grieve this. I was sent out on car with a regular union driver for seasonal driver help. While receiving packages to deliver from my driver, my phone had an incoming call. I didn't answer because I was busy with packages. I also didn't recognize the number and didn't check my voicemail until I had an official break. Turns out it was a driver supervisor calling to offer supervisor help, and said i had one minute to respond or he's moving on to the next guy. But by then it was 3 hours later and missed out massively. As I understand it, use of my personal phone while driver helping is not allowed though not highly enforced. And I would have answered if I was on my own time. My question is, is this grievable and shouldn't they be contacting my driver via, say, his diad to bring such an opportunity to my attention? Thanks in advance.

Boo Yah
 

Covemastah

Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
So a part timer who's making 15 to 20 an hr will get bumped up to 42 an hr if drivers on car helper ?? What !
 

Sweeper

Where’s the broom?
Hi. I'm wondering whether I can grieve this. I was sent out on car with a regular union driver for seasonal driver help. While receiving packages to deliver from my driver, my phone had an incoming call. I didn't answer because I was busy with packages. I also didn't recognize the number and didn't check my voicemail until I had an official break. Turns out it was a driver supervisor calling to offer supervisor help, and said i had one minute to respond or he's moving on to the next guy. But by then it was 3 hours later and missed out massively. As I understand it, use of my personal phone while driver helping is not allowed though not highly enforced. And I would have answered if I was on my own time. My question is, is this grievable and shouldn't they be contacting my driver via, say, his diad to bring such an opportunity to my attention? Thanks in advance.
Talk to a steward, if your local excepts a part timer making full rate for going with a supervisor and essentially being a full rate helper for the day due to the company being short handed then you may have a legitimate grievance. My argument would be the supervisor should have sent a message to the diad of the driver that you were helping at the time. I’d say they violated your part time seniority by not using the companies Diad to attempt to contact you through the driver you were helping.

My local ended this practice about twenty years ago. What was eventually realized was that the company was purposely understaffing and using supervisors to deliver routes along with a part timer paid full rate way too much. The company should be creating additional full time jobs. As I recall, what ended up happening was the stewards started grieving the supervisors working in addition to the part timer making full driver rate.

If you can pass a physical and get a DOT card I’d say request for the company to provide you a DOT physical and get a card. Start training to drive based on your contract. If you don’t want to drive the company should be training a different person to be a new driver. Part timers making full rate for a day is a stop gap measure that the company uses and abuses on a regular basis. They especially will do this if it gets them out of creating an additional permanent biddable full time job.
 
Last edited:

UPSER1987

Well-Known Member
Talk to a steward, if your local excepts a part timer making full rate for going with a supervisor and essentially being a full rate helper for the day due to the company being short handed then you may have a legitimate grievance. My argument would be the supervisor should have sent a message to the diad of the driver that you were helping at the time. I’d say they violated your part time seniority by not using the companies Diad to attempt to contact you through the driver you were helping.

My local ended this practice about twenty years ago. What was eventually realized was that the company was purposely understaffing and using supervisors to deliver routes along with a part timer paid full rate way too much. The company should be creating additional full time jobs. As I recall, what ended up happening was the stewards started grieving the supervisors working in addition to the part timer making full driver rate.

If you can pass a physical and get a DOT card I’d say request for the company to provide you a DOT physical and get a card. Start training to drive based on your contract. If you don’t want to drive the company should be training a different person to be a new driver. Part timers making full rate for a day is a stop gap measure that the company uses and abuses on a regular basis. They especially will do this if it gets them out of creating an additional permanent biddable full time job.
So what about the driver op already committed to helping? That person gets left out to dry? Op already committed to the extra work and was getting it.
Center called, (probably off a seniority list) no answer, moved along. First come, first served. Not a valid grievance.
 

Sweeper

Where’s the broom?
So what about the driver op already committed to helping? That person gets left out to dry? Op already committed to the extra work and was getting it.
Center called, (probably off a seniority list) no answer, moved along. First come, first served. Not a valid grievance.
If you guys have a route hanging, you probably knew it before you assigned a part time employee to help another driver. Not knowing specifics or the supplement, I’d talk to a full time steward and discuss the situation. The steward probably wouldn’t know about the potential violation of seniority unless it was brought to their attention. If the steward determines that it is a valid grievance then file.
 

Wally

BrownCafe Innovator & King of Puns
Who doesn't stop working in order to take that important "your car warranty is about to expire" call?
 

DELACROIX

In the Spirit of Honore' Daumier
Hi. I'm wondering whether I can grieve this. I was sent out on car with a regular union driver for seasonal driver help. While receiving packages to deliver from my driver, my phone had an incoming call. I didn't answer because I was busy with packages. I also didn't recognize the number and didn't check my voicemail until I had an official break. Turns out it was a driver supervisor calling to offer supervisor help, and said i had one minute to respond or he's moving on to the next guy. But by then it was 3 hours later and missed out massively. As I understand it, use of my personal phone while driver helping is not allowed though not highly enforced. And I would have answered if I was on my own time. My question is, is this grievable and shouldn't they be contacting my driver via, say, his diad to bring such an opportunity to my attention? Thanks in advance.

I believe you still have to be in the Union in order to file a grievance...🤔
 

Wally

BrownCafe Innovator & King of Puns
Thinking of some form of revenge every time I get one of those...:taz:!
I steer the conversation way off the rails. Start asking questions. Keep asking. Auto engine codes is good as is appliance issues. Once, I went into a time share sales pitch. Lol
 
Top