Peak; Part 2

[ORLY!?!]

Dont mean to start another thread about peak. My intention are to inform people we are getting more this year then in the past three.

In fact, our building got the most packages in about a week from Christmas. Today, we got more then that on Dec 02. Some HUBs are getting way way more then normal, its amazing! Our building hired a huge amount of new people and helpers. So many people I'm thinking they hired too much!

I started at 4:10 on tuesday, 4:00 wensday and 3:45 today. I start at 3:35 tomorrow, and they are claiming we will be even heaver tomorrow.

So much for a bad economy, or is a sign it will get worse?

Admins, I added this as a sperate thread to let people read first post what might be happening. Hope its alright with you guys!

Thank God its friday tomorrow, I already feel like a lame race horse.

 

[Robert91]

We started at 3:45 all last week. This week our start time was planned to be 3:45 every day with the exception of Wednesday - 3:30. To my surprise I showed up at 3:20 Wednesday and realized they made a last minute change our start time, moving it from 3:30 to 2:15. Since I made it for the original start time, I was not in any trouble. Not to mention that the shift manager didnt call me. It looked like the flow was just starting to pickup when I arrived.

It was the craziest day I've had there yet. We had some issues with the flow being too high. At one point, the p/t supervisor shutdown the belt. After a lot of yelling from the shift manager, the center manager took over. We had a lot of time appearently, because he shutdown the belt for over half an hour to allow us to clean our area and the entire belt.

As they decided yesterday, we started at 3:30 this morning. It was a pretty nice day, the flow was normal. Tomorrow we start at 3:00.

Honestly I am really enjoying work right now. The hours are great, starting to get some overtime, and doing driver help a few days a week. As soon as I get done with finals this coming week I'll be doing driver help five days a week.

To my surprise I have been told that the volume is lower than last year.

 

[ORLY!?!]

We started at 3:45 all last week. This week our start time was planned to be 3:45 every day with the exception of Wednesday - 3:30. To my surprise I showed up at 3:20 Wednesday and realized they made a last minute change our start time, moving it from 3:30 to 2:15. Since I made it for the original start time, I was not in any trouble. Not to mention that the shift manager didnt call me. It looked like the flow was just starting to pickup when I arrived.

It was the craziest day I've had there yet. We had some issues with the flow being too high. At one point, the p/t supervisor shutdown the belt. After a lot of yelling from the shift manager, the center manager took over. We had a lot of time appearently, because he shutdown the belt for over half an hour to allow us to clean our area and the entire belt.

As they decided yesterday, we started at 3:30 this morning. It was a pretty nice day, the flow was normal. Tomorrow we start at 3:00.

Honestly I am really enjoying work right now. The hours are great, starting to get some overtime, and doing driver help a few days a week. As soon as I get done with finals this coming week I'll be doing driver help five days a week.

To my surprise I have been told that the volume is lower than last year.

Sounds great!

But I've learned that you can never trust what soups say. Yet its hard now and will get worse over time ( way worse if it is said as so ). It depends where you are and so on.

You'll be told a lot of things by them. They really cant be trusted. but as building volume is a sure thing, it cant be lied because its reality.

 

[Converge]

You guys are lucky, on the local sort for us the volume has picked up but nothing has really changed. I've only been able to hit my 3 and a half every night, no extra time. But I do know that our preload is getting slammed every morning.

 

[Edman32]

Heck you guys are lucky! We've been starting at 2 every night this week and half of last week.

 

[BrownTilly]

I can't wait to go back to working at 3:30am.

In this first week of peak I've gone in at 1:45 on Mon, 12:30 on Tuesday, 12:00 Wednesday and Today, and 1:05 tomorrow.

I guess I should expect this for another 3 weeks? Until peak is over and it gets back to normal.

I usually make $200 a week. I'm hoping my paychecks during peak will be around $400 or $500 (The amount of money I feel preloaders should be paid all year round)

 

[Robert91]

Sounds great!

But I've learned that you can never trust what soups say. Yet its hard now and will get worse over time ( way worse if it is said as so ). It depends where you are and so on.

You'll be told a lot of things by them. They really cant be trusted. but as building volume is a sure thing, it cant be lied because its reality.

Yes, I've learned this much. Most of the things I take to heart are from my co-workers who have been around a while.

In this first week of peak I've gone in at 1:45 on Mon, 12:30 on Tuesday, 12:00 Wednesday and Today, and 1:05 tomorrow.

You must be at a hub? You have given me all the reason in the world to enjoy my fifteen minute commute to the center, even though I live right down the road from a hub.

 

[Nimnim]

Dont mean to start another thread about peak. My intention are to inform people we are getting more this year then in the past three.

In fact, our building got the most packages in about a week from Christmas. Today, we got more then that on Dec 02. Some HUBs are getting way way more then normal, its amazing! Our building hired a huge amount of new people and helpers. So many people I'm thinking they hired too much!

I started at 4:10 on tuesday, 4:00 wensday and 3:45 today. I start at 3:35 tomorrow, and they are claiming we will be even heaver tomorrow.

So much for a bad economy, or is a sign it will get worse?

Admins, I added this as a sperate thread to let people read first post what might be happening. Hope its alright with you guys!

Thank God its friday tomorrow, I already feel like a lame race horse.

Hah, so I left after you started except for today. You guys can't push too much earlier, our midnight sort won't give you guys the room to work if you try. Let's see if we can have another fail night and get kicked out by preload again.

 

[ImMadasHEll]

3:30 AM start times all week.

Clocked in 5 and half hours while loading 4 cars. The jogging between cars gets really tiring though. My hub doesn't have any official break times so it can be pretty brutal if you are short on endurance. The flow hasn't been too bad, spread out enough where people aren't getting slammed that hard but heavy enough that all cars are filled to the back.

 

[ORLY!?!]

Hah, so I left after you started except for today. You guys can't push too much earlier, our midnight sort won't give you guys the room to work if you try. Let's see if we can have another fail night and get kicked out by preload again.

Its building up thats for sure. Monday they are telling us 3:00am. It could be firm all week long. All spots on the west and east sides are filled with workers, PDs etc etc.

 

[ORLY!?!]

3:30 AM start times all week.

Clocked in 5 and half hours while loading 4 cars. The jogging between cars gets really tiring though. My hub doesn't have any official break times so it can be pretty brutal if you are short on endurance. The flow hasn't been too bad, spread out enough where people aren't getting slammed that hard but heavy enough that all cars are filled to the back.

To me peak is the easiest time of the year (opinion only). Why would it be? Well they give you not so much more then normal and you get a lot more time to do it in. Sure its brutal on the body, the past three years I've felt like my ass was gonna fall off, but it ended up quite easy as the loading part.

They should be giving you guys at least 15 mintues of break. Where all people break, not a few selected before or after. You may need to talk to your shop about it.

 

[ORLY!?!]

I can't wait to go back to working at 3:30am.

In this first week of peak I've gone in at 1:45 on Mon, 12:30 on Tuesday, 12:00 Wednesday and Today, and 1:05 tomorrow.

I guess I should expect this for another 3 weeks? Until peak is over and it gets back to normal.

I usually make $200 a week. I'm hoping my paychecks during peak will be around $400 or $500 (The amount of money I feel preloaders should be paid all year round)

Yes, I feel preload should get a lot more hours thus earnings during each week. They say " oooh well, they get an extra dollar an hour so they do get something". Yet, it doesnt make the job that more desirable which people see and often quit about. UPS, they way you need to keep and award preload is to make it into a position everyone wants to do. But a few things must happen first.

One, they can handle decent amounts every night. Two, they dont missload. Three, they know how to pack a package car correctly. Fourth, they understand that PASS is more of a suggestion then pure law, thus packing by amounts and addresses.

While some of us get a lot of work, we still do alot or all those things. While the guy getting not even half and still screwing up still gets paid that extra dollar an hour plus our benefits. In fact the worse they do, the better chances they get even something easier.

Now, those getting less will be the ones staying around and gaining seniority, thus they become UPS future. They will be future drivers, thus that 60% productive level is looking real good now. I believe most people dont see this coming. Sure you can see each day, day by day, but you also have to see 5, 10 and 20 years down the line too.

Edit: They also give you and I 200 (235-250 for me) a week because they see them giving you benefits on top of it all. I wish there was a selection program where people can opt out of the benefits program and choose a better pay. I dont use them, I used them once awhile ago and plan on not using them again for this reason alone. The problem with this is once you do opt out of them you just might need to use them right afterwords, then where do you go?.. Thus having to pay your own way into medical bills. Which will be a whole new world of hurt.