Over 70 Handling

[Ptrunner]

The BM at my local must have made some kind of deal with the higher up supes at my building. The BM is allowing mgmt to lift over 70s with employees. Even though there is an article in the contract dealing with this issue directly. Its pretty cut and dry, its contract violation.

The reasons the company gave its because its a courtesy to help with over 70s so 1. we dont get injured. and 2 we dont get fired. Although myself, I do not lift over 70s but for other people that do they wont get written up for it now.

Its so obvious this is a way of means to get production higher because what happens, over 70s in the areas around me sit on the ground until the sort is almost done and then we wrap up when theres people down on the ground available to handle over 70s with hourlies.

Is this happening any where else?

Should I file and go around the BM?

 

[UnconTROLLed]

The BM at my local must have made some kind of deal with the higher up supes at my building. The BM is allowing mgmt to lift over 70s with employees. Even though there is an article in the contract dealing with this issue directly. Its pretty cut and dry, its contract violation.

The reasons the company gave its because its a courtesy to help with over 70s so 1. we dont get injured. and 2 we dont get fired. Although myself, I do not lift over 70s but for other people that do they wont get written up for it now.

Its so obvious this is a way of means to get production higher because what happens, over 70s in the areas around me sit on the ground until the sort is almost done and then we wrap up when theres people down on the ground available to handle over 70s with hourlies.

Is this happening any where else?

Should I file and go around the BM?

The stewards allow mgmt to do union work here, in exchange for side deals. I say file on it and make easy $$. However expect worse treatment from mgmt for violating the cease fire?

 

[looper804]

The stewards allow mgmt to do union work here, in exchange for side deals. I say file on it and make easy $$. However expect worse treatment from mgmt for violating the cease fire?

Years ago when the over 70 issue 1st came around past president of local 804 Howie Redmond was the BA for Foster Ave and he called a 1 day wild cat strike regarding the over 70 issue.

 

[over9five]

The BM at my local must have made some kind of deal with the higher up supes at my building. The BM is allowing mgmt to lift over 70s with employees.

I'm not sure I understand. You say the "BM at my local". Generally, the BM is the Business Manager (aka Center Manager) for UPS. Do you mean the BA (Business Agent)?
Are you REALLY an alternate steward, as your name here would imply? Wouldn't an alternate steward just give the BA a call?

Either way, you are guaranteed TEAMSTER HELP with any over 70. The sups that are helping are doing bargaining unit work.

 

[Ptrunner]

I'm not sure I understand. You say the "BM at my local". Generally, the BM is the Business Manager (aka Center Manager) for UPS. Do you mean the BA (Business Agent)?
Are you REALLY an alternate steward, as your name here would imply? Wouldn't an alternate steward just give the BA a call?

Either way, you are guaranteed TEAMSTER HELP with any over 70. The sups that are helping are doing bargaining unit work.

Yeah I meant BA. I was just typing really fast. I think just talking about it gets me heated up because the issue is so cut and dry. There should be no way around for UPS to win any argument about this. And yes i do plan on calling my BA tomorrow about it all. Its just, Im not sure what do expect when i do talk to him or how to approach him about it, if there really is a side deal done on this.

 

[grgrcr88]

First thing you better have is the contract language, Where is it and what does it say?

 

[22.34life]

I believe there is language in the contract that covers this,i cant quote it word for word but its something like this,when a over 70 is handled two bargaining unit employees will handle it but the hourly can only ask for help if he resonable believes he needs it.i think it also talks about in the event no hourly is available,cant remember what it says about that though.to me, people make to big of a deal about the whole over 70 thing in the first place,if you really cant lift something than by all means ask for help but some guys ask for help with a 71 lb package,gimma break.you see a guy who is 50 yrs old and not in the best shape it is reasonable to believe he would need help to lift a 100 lb package but you see a 21 yr old guy who looks like arnold and he asks for help thats a different story.SO your upset because a sup is helping an hourly who cant lift the irreg on his own,if the same sup refused to help an hourly and he got hurt because nobody else was around then you would be starting a thread about how much of an a**hole that sup was.if you dont want sups lifting over 70s than stop bitching about lifting them yourself.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Article 44 deals with Over 70s. The discussion here is inside handling of Over 70s, which is covered in Section 3. The appropriate paragraph is:

Where over 70 pound packages are moved by belt, boxline, or slide system, such packages will be handled by two (2) bargaining unit employees and/or the use of appropriate lifting/handling devices when requested in good faith by the employee.

No where in article 44 does it state that management personnel can assist in the movement of Over 70 pound packages.

I would have to assume that this is being done to keep the operation moving.

 

[bigblu 2 you]

we get union help when requested in building and on route,but early on when it was first implemented we had to fight and stand our ground to get management to cooperate .at one time we had "over 70 grievance forms"especially for that violation.i dont think we have ever used one though,just laying them around seemed to let everyone know we were ready.

 

[Ptrunner]

SO your upset because a sup is helping an hourly who cant lift the irreg on his own,if the same sup refused to help an hourly and he got hurt because nobody else was around then you would be starting a thread about how much of an a**hole that sup was.if you dont want sups lifting over 70s than stop bitching about lifting them yourself.

Im upset because this is just another ploy for mgmt to steal time from hourlies so there production numbers can go up. Heres the deal, i for one dont lift an over 70 without help from another union employee as per says the contract. They say they write people up if they lift over 70s by themselves, but I have yet to hear about it from anyone. Supposedly the BA made a deal with our mgmt so they could help lift over 70s and bypass what the contract says.

In no where am i complaining about lifting over 70s. Im just stating it should be done by 2 bargaining unit members and during a 3.0 hour sort, theres plenty of help during that span. The last 5-10mins of closing, I could see where a supervisor would help with an over 70 because theres no one around. And i wouldnt have a problem with that. Its during the sort where theres plenty of help around, there is no excuse for supervisors to be working.

 

[Ptrunner]

thanks for this information about the "over 70 grievance forms" hopefully my BA will remember this and know how big of an article this was to have in the contract and why it was added.

 

[JonFrum]

Just a note of caution:

Many clauses in the Contract are less impressive when you actually read them closely. The penalty for a Supervisor working is ridiculously weak, despite everyone focusing on the double-time penalty.

If a Supervisor works less than two hours, the penalty is twice the hourly worker's pay for the actual time worked. So if the hourly worker makes, say, $12.00 an hour, he makes twenty cents a minute. Double that and you have a penalty check in the amount of forty cents if the Supervisor helped with lifting one overweight package for one minute.

Even if the Supervisor worked for a more extended period, the financial penalty to UPS is trivial. And the pay to the grievant is as well.

By all means file ON PRINCIPLE. But don't expect there to be any financial incentive. The
negotiators have seen to that.
- - -
I wonder if younger employees realize that once the maximum weight of a package was 70 pounds.

And before that, the maximum weight was 50 pounds.

Now we are expected to lift a 150 pound package with another person, which means a 75 pound maximum per person (not 70), plus the added weight as the package tilts from one person to another.

Management often says, "You knew what the job entailed when you signed on." But in this case, no we didn't. Management has changed the rules during the game.