bashmore52
Member
You are 100% correct in that the cutting of routes is killing us drivers. This is why I have mixed feelings about the 8 hour request. If you need to get out early for an event than that's great. If you do it every other friday because you don't wan't to be over-dispatched, then I might have a problem with you.
Where do you think that work goes? Is it suddenly evaporated by the package Fairy? Obviously not. It goes to your fellow drivers. Now, we get a split from your route on Friday because you don't want to work late on Friday. The 8 hour request only screws the drivers and I think its a bad addition to the contract.
Either you want to come to work at UPS for the day or you don't. There should be no getting out early at the expense on another driver staying late. How is that fair? I'm working until 830 on Friday because you want to punch out at 530 because the contract says you can twice every month.
I don't like it. If you need to get out early then you should be forced to take the entire day.
When you put this notice in do you ever think about the other 3 drivers in your loop? Maybe they wanted to finish by 7? Now they are working until 8 because YOU are sick of working until 8 on fridays. It just seams like a selfish clause in the contract and if we are a group of teamsters meant to stick together then we shouldn't request 8 hours for the sole purpose of finishing early on a friday. It forces 3 other drivers to work late for 1 selfish driver's reason.
How is this fair?
If you are having a repetitive problem with this, remind your management team that 8 hour requests can not show a pattern. That protects the mid and lower seniority drivers so the same higher seniority drivers can't take 8 hours every, or every other friday. Of course, do it in the presence of your steward.