p/t supe pay and pros/cons

pkg handler

Well-Known Member
Ok so as title says after 5/6 months there my preload supe asked if I would like to be a supe for him . So I'm asking here what are the pros and cons to loading and being a supe ... and the pay ? Thanks
 

atatbl

Well-Known Member
Anybody...? Could really use some help

You need to ask your sup that question. I am willing to bet he can tell you EXACTLY what P/T sups make in your building, probably your district. You can ask HR too. That is not private information, it just varies drastically district by district, or sometimes city by city. For example, P/T sups at the San Francisco Hub make an amount that is comparable to what FT sups make at other centers in the country. Reason: cost of living is ridiculously high there and UPS has started to adjust P/T sup salary based on several elements. It is actually surprising how much care they take to figure a "reasonable" amount for PT sups compared to FT. Kind of funny actually. Anyways, PM me if there is something specific that you want to know. The answer will almost always be based on your specific district, maybe even center in some circumstances though.

EDIT: Most PT sups will readily tell you what they and their counterparts started at. Raises can make a difference, but not much at that pay scale.
 

pkg handler

Well-Known Member
You need to ask your sup that question. I am willing to bet he can tell you EXACTLY what P/T sups make in your building, probably your district. You can ask HR too. That is not private information, it just varies drastically district by district, or sometimes city by city. For example, P/T sups at the San Francisco Hub make an amount that is comparable to what FT sups make at other centers in the country. Reason: cost of living is ridiculously high there and UPS has started to adjust P/T sup salary based on several elements. It is actually surprising how much care they take to figure a "reasonable" amount for PT sups compared to FT. Kind of funny actually. Anyways, PM me if there is something specific that you want to know. The answer will almost always be based on your specific district, maybe even center in some circumstances though.

EDIT: Most PT sups will readily tell you what they and their counterparts started at. Raises can make a difference, but not much at that pay scale.

Aside from pay....what would be the pros and cons of the position if you know
 

HazMatMan

Well-Known Member
Aside from pay....what would be the pros and cons of the position if you know

Let's see, cons, stress, headaches, working almost everyday, being under enormous pressure to get done on time, getting yelled at by upper management, getting yelled at by workers.. Ok, the pros...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................lol
 

pkg handler

Well-Known Member
Let's see, cons, stress, headaches, working almost everyday, being under enormous pressure to get done on time, getting yelled at by upper management, getting yelled at by workers.. Ok, the pros...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................lol
Lol I see ...so in reality it would be best to stay at my spot now lol... damn I thought itd be a good position the sups I see on my boxline barely do any work when I'm there they're usually talkin to other supes or at meetings with the preload supe
 

bad company

semi-pro
Try searching the archives for the information you requested. I know of several threads that have already been discussed that contain a lot of the information you are requesting.

What are your goals and ambitions at UPS? Is this just a way to get some extra cash, or are you looking for a career? Are you in school, have a degree, or plan to eventually pursue a degree? If you want to make a career out of UPS, do you want to be an hourly or go into managment?

Try to get the big picture to base your decision on. Going into p/t management can open up a lot of other doors for you. On the other hand, it can also close some.
 

LKLND3380

Well-Known Member
Let's see, cons, stress, headaches, working almost everyday, being under enormous pressure to get done on time, getting yelled at by upper management, getting yelled at by workers.. Ok, the pros...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................lol

You forgot management yelling at P/T Supe for what some goof ball part timer did... Then management firing P/T Supe for what the bone head part timer did the next day.... Yeah the part timer got fired too but the union will get his job back with back pay...

Ask your co-workers who have been there for three or more years how come they are not jumping at the chance... We have a few preloaders with 10 or more years. They are happy where they are and have job security... We just had a P/T Supe quit and his replacement lasted only a couple days before quitting...:whiteflag:
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
What are your goals and ambitions at UPS? Is this just a way to get some extra cash, or are you looking for a career? Are you in school, have a degree, or plan to eventually pursue a degree? If you want to make a career out of UPS, do you want to be an hourly or go into managment?

Try to get the big picture to base your decision on. Going into p/t management can open up a lot of other doors for you. On the other hand, it can also close some.

Bad Company made of lot of good points, he started out as a PT Sup and is now a FT Package Driver. It depends on where you want to end up with this company. If its more money and more challenges, then go into management. The bad things about that decision is you will catch a lot of blame when things go wrong. And if you want the security of a full-time union protected driving job, then you will have to wait longer.
 

HazMatMan

Well-Known Member
You forgot management yelling at P/T Supe for what some goof ball part timer did... Then management firing P/T Supe for what the bone head part timer did the next day.... Yeah the part timer got fired too but the union will get his job back with back pay...

Ask your co-workers who have been there for three or more years how come they are not jumping at the chance... We have a few preloaders with 10 or more years. They are happy where they are and have job security... We just had a P/T Supe quit and his replacement lasted only a couple days before quitting...:whiteflag:
Oh yeah, I forgot to add that in, thanks..
 

HazMatMan

Well-Known Member
Try searching the archives for the information you requested. I know of several threads that have already been discussed that contain a lot of the information you are requesting.

What are your goals and ambitions at UPS? Is this just a way to get some extra cash, or are you looking for a career? Are you in school, have a degree, or plan to eventually pursue a degree? If you want to make a career out of UPS, do you want to be an hourly or go into managment?

Try to get the big picture to base your decision on. Going into p/t management can open up a lot of other doors for you. On the other hand, it can also close some.

Bad Company is right, part-time sups can still go full-time package driving, but if you go full-time management then that's it your stuck there, unless you move up to Manager or higher..So think long and hard before deciding....so you don't see the wrong doors closing behind you...
 

pkg handler

Well-Known Member
Wow I didn't realize it was so rough...at least at my place it looks inviting .... the friend/t supes are more relaxed and the p.t supes look to do little work or hassle as I'm there to they leave as well and it doesn't look as rough as you guys are making it out to be . Another thing it seems that as a p.t supe it seems like you lose union help ? The pay increase would help also but don't know if its for or worth the trouble
 

IDoLessWorkThanMost

Well-Known Member
Wow I didn't realize it was so rough...at least at my place it looks inviting .... the friend/t supes are more relaxed and the p.t supes look to do little work or hassle as I'm there to they leave as well and it doesn't look as rough as you guys are making it out to be . Another thing it seems that as a p.t supe it seems like you lose union help ? The pay increase would help also but don't know if its for or worth the trouble


you will end up working 25-30 hours a week for $1500 (for example) a month as a PT sup.
Or you can work 17-22 hours a week for $800-1000 ( again for example).

They don't make THAT much more than package handlers in reality compared to hours put in.

Unless you want to continue your education and move up from a P/T sup ( and you're certain you're commited to increasing your education), then maybe it's a good idea to consider management.

Conversely, if you want to P/T sup for the rest of your career, you're probably not going to last and it's a better idea to try to go full-time after you put in your time and your seniority increases over time.
 

pkg handler

Well-Known Member
Well I work in a metro area pop. >1,000,000 so 1500 does look to rewarding seeing as I work 25 hrs a week and get roughly 800 a month ( college stud. .. Well starting this fall ) so that would be almost double and from what I see the boxline I'd be supervising because the current one is moving up is full with exp. Loaders ( only 4 its a short end boxline )
 

IDoLessWorkThanMost

Well-Known Member
Well I work in a metro area pop. >1,000,000 so 1500 does look to rewarding seeing as I work 25 hrs a week and get roughly 800 a month ( college stud. .. Well starting this fall ) so that would be almost double and from what I see the boxline I'd be supervising because the current one is moving up is full with exp. Loaders ( only 4 its a short end boxline )

52 weeks 10$/hr 25 hrs a week =

250$x 52 = 13,000 / 12

That's over $1000 /month.

Plus consider you only pay the 49$/mo for union dues which covers full medical and dental. I'm not sure the other side's benefits but I do know they aren't cheap monthly, so you can whack part of that 1500$..
 
W

westsideworma

Guest
I've been a supe for about 7 months now. Here are my observations. Your managers will nitpick EVERY LITTLE THING you do or don't do. You WILL get blamed for things beyond your control. You will NOT be recognized for anything you do well (ok maybe rarely, if the right people see it). You WILL kill lots of trees (from the mounds of mostly meaningless paperwork you will receive and do weekly/monthly). You WILL be expected to hold your people accountable for fictitious load rates (contract specifies no load rate, you cant be a slug, but 235pph isn't anywhere in the contract either). You WILL be thrown under the bus at your managers earliest convenience if it means an easy way out of a discussion/browbeating by a center/hub/division manager. Also, I didn't believe this at first (sarcasm ahead) but believe it or not hourlies don't like being bounced all over the building just because you can't stand seeing them catch their breath for 10 seconds (no not me, that'd be one of my managers) or because they have 2 empty cages that you just happened to see (with the rest of them being full). Loaders don't bust their asses just to be sent off to unload the air or sort on the slide. They do it to get ahead and have a litte break/easier 2nd half of the day. However take this with a grain of salt. Not all centers are the same and mine was not always like this.

My center has gone from pretty laid back to way past annoying in about 2 months. Mostly due to their "focus" on (LOADING) methods. I invite any one of our managers to do the job strictly by the loading methods and see how long it takes them to complete a pick. Which include but aren't limited to No stacking (ever), pulling every single PAL (#$%king stickers!!), pull 5+ packages from every cage, loading packages in 100% sequential order, no misloads etc. Guarantee they won't finish any of the pulls on my line under 3.5 hrs (which is what they're seemingly looking for). They'd like to start us at 5am, and I'd like them to do all those methods in addition to starting at 5 as well if only to see what a colossal failure it'd be. I'm not knocking methods, Some of the loading methods work extremely well. Some work under ideal conditions and some just don't. Methods don't take into account late loads, missing people, total lack of package flow from running 7 setups in the unload when 5 is normal (except for peak, 7 is normal then), people taking time to tape up the numerous damages that running 7 setups creates (slides back up and crush packages when too much work is sent to them too quickly? get out of here!) As one of my coworkers (also a supe) put it once, its impossible and when you ask your people (ask? haha you mean demand) to do the impossible everyday, eventually they are going to lay down on you.

However when things actually go well you do feel somewhat of a sense of pride. I don't regret being a supe, sure I just told you the challenges of a normal day in my center, but a decent amount of the people I work with are good people. You just have to rise above the BS and let the remarks just slide down your back. It takes tough skin to work at UPS and even tougher skin to be in management. My preloaders work hard (despite what the OR may say on some days). Its a challenge to keep your workers motivated when they're worked like dogs everyday, but reward them, be fair to them and most important of all REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM! No one in upper management seems to do this. It is your job to filter the demands (including the ones that seem to lack all logical thought) from above to form a plan that your people will be willing to get behind.

As far as the pay, in my area it ranges $1600s-1800s to start. Benefit costs are similar to union dues in our area (I pay approx. $45 monthly for benefits, I paid 37 for dues at the time).

If nothing else, management at UPS looks really good on your resume and supes get more tuition assistance, so if its not something you end up wanting to do, you still have an out.
 

pkg handler

Well-Known Member
I've been a supe for about 7 months now. Here are my observations. Your managers will nitpick EVERY LITTLE THING you do or don't do. You WILL get blamed for things beyond your control. You will NOT be recognized for anything you do well (ok maybe rarely, if the right people see it). You WILL kill lots of trees (from the mounds of mostly meaningless paperwork you will receive and do weekly/monthly). You WILL be expected to hold your people accountable for fictitious load rates (contract specifies no load rate, you cant be a slug, but 235pph isn't anywhere in the contract either). You WILL be thrown under the bus at your managers earliest convenience if it means an easy way out of a discussion/browbeating by a center/hub/division manager. Also, I didn't believe this at first (sarcasm ahead) but believe it or not hourlies don't like being bounced all over the building just because you can't stand seeing them catch their breath for 10 seconds (no not me, that'd be one of my managers) or because they have 2 empty cages that you just happened to see (with the rest of them being full). Loaders don't bust their asses just to be sent off to unload the air or sort on the slide. They do it to get ahead and have a litte break/easier 2nd half of the day. However take this with a grain of salt. Not all centers are the same and mine was not always like this.

My center has gone from pretty laid back to way past annoying in about 2 months. Mostly due to their "focus" on (LOADING) methods. I invite any one of our managers to do the job strictly by the loading methods and see how long it takes them to complete a pick. Which include but aren't limited to No stacking (ever), pulling every single PAL (#$%king stickers!!), pull 5+ packages from every cage, loading packages in 100% sequential order, no misloads etc. Guarantee they won't finish any of the pulls on my line under 3.5 hrs (which is what they're seemingly looking for). They'd like to start us at 5am, and I'd like them to do all those methods in addition to starting at 5 as well if only to see what a colossal failure it'd be. I'm not knocking methods, Some of the loading methods work extremely well. Some work under ideal conditions and some just don't. Methods don't take into account late loads, missing people, total lack of package flow from running 7 setups in the unload when 5 is normal (except for peak, 7 is normal then), people taking time to tape up the numerous damages that running 7 setups creates (slides back up and crush packages when too much work is sent to them too quickly? get out of here!) As one of my coworkers (also a supe) put it once, its impossible and when you ask your people (ask? haha you mean demand) to do the impossible everyday, eventually they are going to lay down on you.

However when things actually go well you do feel somewhat of a sense of pride. I don't regret being a supe, sure I just told you the challenges of a normal day in my center, but a decent amount of the people I work with are good people. You just have to rise above the BS and let the remarks just slide down your back. It takes tough skin to work at UPS and even tougher skin to be in management. My preloaders work hard (despite what the OR may say on some days). Its a challenge to keep your workers motivated when they're worked like dogs everyday, but reward them, be fair to them and most important of all REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM! No one in upper management seems to do this. It is your job to filter the demands (including the ones that seem to lack all logical thought) from above to form a plan that your people will be willing to get behind.

As far as the pay, in my area it ranges $1600s-1800s to start. Benefit costs are similar to union dues in our area (I pay approx. $45 monthly for benefits, I paid 37 for dues at the time).

If nothing else, management at UPS looks really good on your resume and supes get more tuition assistance, so if its not something you end up wanting to do, you still have an out.

Thanks man what a great post ... very informative ...told me a lot about the position only thing I have in my favor is the preload supe really likes me and wanted to make me a supe a month ago but forgot all about it lol... so I'd have to report directly to him and every supe I talked to said he's really fair ir you just work hard and are on your game... thanks again I hear ya on the loader part as well ..I'm loadin now and have this happen to me all the time where I have to help fellow loaders because my bins are clean ...it sucks lol
 

thebrownbox

Well-Known Member
52 weeks 10$/hr 25 hrs a week =

250 52 = 13,000 / 12

That's over $1000 /month.

Plus consider you only pay the 49$/mo for union dues which covers full medical and dental. I'm not sure the other side's benefits but I do know they aren't cheap monthly, so you can whack part of that 1500$..

Hmmm.. My union dues are $57 a month..
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
. And if you want the security of a full-time union protected driving job, then you will have to wait longer.

Most pt sups in my building get there within 6-12 months. Driving jobs take many years of waiting to obtain. PT sups come and go. Can't be that great of a job.
 
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