My SWM review was TOO GOOD.

[ups before dawn]

My p/t sup came to me yesterday and told me that the SWM observation that they had done on me was too good and that, "No one is perfect." So they were told to do it again... and find more things wrong.

Now, I personally don't consider myself "perfect", but I am very conscious of how I move and how I treat packages. I follow proper lifting and lowering methods, not because I was told to by UPS -- but because I care about my body and want it to continue to function until I am done using it... I make sure to look where I am walking, I don't block my egress, etc... not to save the company money on comp, but because I care ABOUT ME. I am on the CHSP committee and am a first responder... I have even had a UPS safety auditor from outside our building tell me, "You have excellent body mechanics..."

My p/t sup thought it was ridiculous, and so did I. They ended up marking a couple of things negative that had to do with testing package weight, testing for shifting contents and placing packages securely.

I don't really know why I posted this... I don't really feel harassed, I'm not planning on filing a grievance, my job isn't in jeopardy... I guess I just came to vent.

Thanks for listening.

 

[over9five]

I've heard this many times. They are TOLD that they MUST find something wrong. If you do nothing wrong, then they have to make up something.

They are basicly falsifying your SWM record. This should be a firable offense same as falsifying a DIAD entry.

What's good for the gander....? Apparently doesn't apply at UPS.

 

[Catatonic]

What's good for the gander....? Apparently doesn't apply at UPS.

OK come here 095 and I'll goose you.

 

[over9five]

OK come here 095 and I'll goose you.

Woohoooo! Just don't ban me. Has anyone noticed?

 

[ups before dawn]

The only reason I can see for doing this is: If in the future I somehow hurt myself on the job, they can go back to my SWM observations and say, "Well, look here -- he did X wrong here, and X wrong here. He has a history of unsafe work methods and has been repeatedly instructed to fix these issues." Etc.... etc... and deny me comp, or fire me...I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but I kind of wanted to say, "Well, look at that! I'm perfect! Where's my bonus?"

 

[trplnkl]

The only reason I can see for doing this is: If in the future I somehow hurt myself on the job, they can go back to my SWM observations and say, "Well, look here -- he did X wrong here, and X wrong here. He has a history of unsafe work methods and has been repeatedly instructed to fix these issues." Etc.... etc... and deny me comp, or fire me...I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but I kind of wanted to say, "Well, look at that! I'm perfect! Where's my bonus?"

Well, that is not a total out of whack theory, but I don't think you have anyting to worry about. My evidence is that haven't fired me (yet) nor have I been denied comp (yet). 20 years of SWM rides, they have plenty of Xs on me.

 

[gandydancer]

... I am on the CHSP committee ...

Then you ought to know that an injury prevention program is required by law, and UPS pays Liberty Mutual dba Keter to gen up a ton of paperwork to make it seem like it's functioning properly. And the SWM paperwork looks more genuine if all the checkmarks aren't in the same column. Nothing to do with you. In fact the SWM forms don't have a name for the observed, only the observer, at least the ones I filled out last.

 

[UPSNewbie]

Then you ought to know that an injury prevention program is required by law, and UPS pays Liberty Mutual dba Keter to gen up a ton of paperwork to make it seem like it's functioning properly. And the SWM paperwork looks more genuine if all the checkmarks aren't in the same column. Nothing to do with you. In fact the SWM forms don't have a name for the observed, only the observer, at least the ones I filled out last.

When I was on TAW, I had the nice job of inputting those number onto the LM website. There was one observer who just wrote the best number (I don't remember the order). No comments or anything.

*For everyone he observed.

 

[gandydancer]

When I was on TAW, I had the nice job of inputting those number onto the LM website. There was one observer who just wrote the best number (I don't remember the order). No comments or anything.

*For everyone he observed.

They offered me that job starting the fourth day I was out through my scheduled surgery at the end of this month. But it didn't make financial or medical sense for me to accept. On my second half I maybe could have raised hell in my position as Union Co-Chair of the Safety Committee about the defective corporate-wide Conveyor Securing training that resulted in my injury, the corporate-wide OSHA violation that is the lack of a protocol or hydraulic equipment for dealing with TOFC roller assemblies that come off their ramps, the safety hazard that has been my experience of the Workers Comp process (I was returned to work 3 times with -- wink and a nod -- "no restrictions" including AFTER my MRI revealed that my "strain" was three torn rotator cuff muscles including one tendon completely torn through and retracted, and I was urged by UPS' doc-in-a-box to begin physical therapy BEFORE the MRI reults came in) and probable violations of OSHA form 300 and 300A requirements... but I just couldn't see putting in nine-hour nights, at least half on Keter garbage, for a few peanuts difference after taxes and possible additional wear and tear on my shoulder.

Supposedly would have meant more than peanuts for the company. My shift manager said my accepting TAW for the month would save the company 20 grand. But I suspect that's just a charge to his profit center to fund UPS' self insurance rather than a real savings. And the district Labor guy said I wasn't a candidate for forced TAW since I wouldn't be healed in 10 days.

Anyway, I'm sure all the things I want to raise hell about (I had a list of about 30 issues that management wouldn't let me put on the concern log, including at least two that resulted in injuries AFTER they were raised in the Night Safetry Committee and went unaddressed) will still be unaddressed when I get back, though that may take six months.

 

[UPSNewbie]

They offered me that job starting the fourth day I was out through my scheduled surgery at the end of this month. But it didn't make financial or medical sense for me to accept. On my second half I maybe could have raised hell in my position as Union Co-Chair of the Safety Committee about the defective corporate-wide Conveyor Securing training that resulted in my injury, the corporate-wide OSHA violation that is the lack of a protocol or hydraulic equipment for dealing with TOFC roller assemblies that come off their ramps, the safety hazard that has been my experience of the Workers Comp process (I was returned to work 3 times with -- wink and a nod -- "no restrictions" including AFTER my MRI revealed that my "strain" was three torn rotator cuff muscles including one tendon completely torn through and retracted, and I was urged by UPS' doc-in-a-box to begin physical therapy BEFORE the MRI reults came in) and probable violations of OSHA form 300 and 300A requirements... but I just couldn't see putting in nine-hour nights, at least half on Keter garbage, for a few peanuts difference after taxes and possible additional wear and tear on my shoulder.

Supposedly would have meant more than peanuts for the company. My shift manager said my accepting TAW for the month would save the company 20 grand. But I suspect that's just a charge to his profit center to fund UPS' self insurance rather than a real savings. And the district Labor guy said I wasn't a candidate for forced TAW since I wouldn't be healed in 10 days.

Anyway, I'm sure all the things I want to raise hell about (I had a list of about 30 issues that management wouldn't let me put on the concern log, including at least two that resulted in injuries AFTER they were raised in the Night Safetry Committee and went unaddressed) will still be unaddressed when I get back, though that may take six months.

I had a gnarly ankle sprain, and I was an unloader before making seniority (I had no idea of the contract, and listened to the sups trying to rush me, which ended in a sprain), so I was at the bottom. I can definitely see why you didn't take it.

Apparently the Management Co-chair wasn't too hot with a keyboard. She asked how I got all of those audits in the computer within 2 hours. (Could have been 30 minutes had I not been on a Commodore-64-era computer..) She started calling me incompetent because I missed a whole bunch, which I didn't. I showed her everyone in the computer, which matched up with her 3-inch binder... That's when I asked the center manager if there were other options instead of being in the same office with her. That's when I got his threat of "I see no reason to keep you here with the company."

After a little bit of the steward laughing, I was put under the belts to fold the piles of smalls bags to ship back to CACH. That's when a supe said that I wasn't folding fast enough...

Anyways. Sorry for the hijack.

I have seen "too good SWMs." Though it wasn't the observee's being perfect. It was the case of a supe who sat at a desk and did the Superman read through 20 papers and check "5" or whatever it was on all of them.

It shows they care.

 

[gandydancer]

...I was at the bottom. I can definitely see why you didn't take it.

The primary reason it didn't make financial sense was that I would have gotten nothing for the three days I took off before TAW was offered. With workers' comp you don't get paid for the first three days unless you go over 14 (calendar or work, I'm not sure). I'm not sure how 2/3 untaxed compares with TAW taxed, but I didn't think I was going to much better than make up for those three days before I'm cut.

...I was put under the belts to fold the piles of smalls bags to ship back to CACH. That's when a supe said that I wasn't folding fast enough...

In the smalls sort? On the Facility Audit standards it says that all equipment and supplies must have a storage location and not be left scattered about. That was two of the items I wasn't allowed to put on my Concerns Log (they weren't "approved concerns"). Not only were there no wall hooks in one of the buildings to stow shepherd's hooks and brooms (the latter a result of my making an issue of the contract violation that first line trailers were not being swept by Carwash) but there was this huge pile of loose bags under the small sort as well as small loose piles in the load areas, supposedly to bag smalls (which wasn't happening -- all the smalls that came down after the small sort was shut off were just thrown in the loads). Now, the standards for the once-yearly Facility Audit say all the Safety Committees MUST be involved, and given a one month notice so that that involvement can be scheduled. But I'd just found out they'd gone ahead and performed it involving only the safety pets from the other shifts and centers when I got injured...

One of the load shifts avoidable injuries was on the smalls bags. Seems they don't repair ones when the pulls fall off, and one bagger ended up nearly tearing off a fingernail closing one with no pull. The other was a loader who strained his back lifting the rear end of a TOFC carrier/roller assembly to get a misadjusted grating hook to engage. I'd raised that at the safety committee, in emails to PE, and put it on DECRs all to no avail months before the injury.

 

[UPSNewbie]

The primary reason it didn't make financial sense was that I would have gotten nothing for the three days I took off before TAW was offered. With workers' comp you don't get paid for the first three days unless you go over 14 (calendar or work, I'm not sure). I'm not sure how 2/3 untaxed compares with TAW taxed, but I didn't think I was going to much better than make up for those three days before I'm cut.



In the smalls sort? On the Facility Audit standards it says that all equipment and supplies must have a storage location and not be left scattered about. That was two of the items I wasn't allowed to put on my Concerns Log (they weren't "approved concerns"). Not only were there no wall hooks in one of the buildings to stow shepherd's hooks and brooms (the latter a result of my making an issue of the contract violation that first line trailers were not being swept by Carwash) but there was this huge pile of loose bags under the small sort as well as small loose piles in the load areas, supposedly to bag smalls (which wasn't happening -- all the smalls that came down after the small sort was shut off were just thrown in the loads). Now, the standards for the once-yearly Facility Audit say all the Safety Committees MUST be involved, and given a one month notice so that that involvement can be scheduled. But I'd just found out they'd gone ahead and performed it involving only the safety pets from the other shifts and centers when I got injured...

One of the load shifts avoidable injuries was on the smalls bags. Seems they don't repair ones when the pulls fall off, and one bagger ended up nearly tearing off a fingernail closing one with no pull. The other was a loader who strained his back lifting the rear end of a TOFC carrier/roller assembly to get a misadjusted grating hook to engage. I'd raised that at the safety committee, in emails to PE, and put it on DECRs all to no avail months before the injury.

Ha. It was a "storage location" alright. It was right under the unload/sort belts. There would be a 10' bay (between columns), with 12 "bays" that had 3 foot high stacks in each one.

There would be hamper carts underneath chutes from the sort that they would throw the empty bags into. The also had the hampers by the smalls sort. Then a lady (didn't really know her classification) dumped the hampers onto the pile.

That's basically what they used. It was a never ending cycle, folding those.

It was an "organized" storage location, but not a very practical one.

 

[gandydancer]

Sounds like you unbag in the unload oir on the sort line. In my building all the bags are sent on a belt to a small sort and emptied into funnel slides by dumpers to be sorted into an array of bins by the small sorters, the bins emptied into other bags by baggers on the other side of the bin array.

Where'd you get the photo? The pet peeve of one of my committee members is the bags of bags falling two stories through a roofing chute to land in the erstwhile rewrap area just outside her HazMat cage. Wants a covered bin to cut down on the resultant airborne debris. Dunno if the one you picture is big enough, but if it can be got through OASIS or Grainger that'll remove the obstacle of my management guy who refuses to learn how to order anything not available through those two sources. How big do they get?

 

[westsideworma]

I've heard this many times. They are TOLD that they MUST find something wrong. If you do nothing wrong, then they have to make up something.

They are basicly falsifying your SWM record. This should be a firable offense same as falsifying a DIAD entry.

What's good for the gander....? Apparently doesn't apply at UPS.

yup this is true down here too. Apparently we're to invent things wrong if we don't see them? Stupid. I was given a SWM to do at 8:00 once and they questioned all the Y's (had too many) and Not Observed. Well guys when you give it to me when the guy is wrapping up and about to go home not much action is going on. Common sense here.

I was told this was because they review the SWMs when there is an injury and if the person got all Ys then they should never EVER be injured (more brilliance). Accidents happen, theres no way UPS can ever get rid of them, period. All the methods training in the world is not going to combat human error entirely.

Anyway, Its 3 5 minute observations I believe....well for those 3 five minute spans its ENTIRELY possible that the person is doing nothing wrong, its 5 minutes. A new person ok definitely not, a person coming back from injury? its possible ,but a veteran who's been there for years, never been injured etc? I'd say its entirely possible that I may observe this person on their yearly review and not find anything. Maybe not every year, but 15 min isn't exactly a big window of opportunity.

 

[westsideworma]

The only reason I can see for doing this is: If in the future I somehow hurt myself on the job, they can go back to my SWM observations and say, "Well, look here -- he did X wrong here, and X wrong here. He has a history of unsafe work methods and has been repeatedly instructed to fix these issues." Etc.... etc... and deny me comp, or fire me...I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but I kind of wanted to say, "Well, look at that! I'm perfect! Where's my bonus?"

that is EXACTLY it...I heard those exact words when justifying it to us.