Preload meal period.

[unloady]

Part timer here of 4 years. Southern California, Local 63. Since last November our preload has been calling "lunch" every single day since. I didn't think much of it because it was peak season, long days were to be expected. However, it's April 2019 and less than 2 hours in, a 45 minute break is called. 4 months past December. It's our 15 minute paid break combined with a 30 minute meal period which shows on my time card. EVERYONE in the building goes on lunch. I work full time at another job during the day so I'm not concerned about hours but I'm still on the property for 3-4 hours a day with 30 minutes deducted for a meal period. The only people inside the building that work close to full time hours would be hazmat responders and the porter/shifter. High seniority preloaders maybe get 5 hours a day if that with 30 minutes deducted. Does it make sense for "part time" employees to be taking forced lunches? Maybe wacky California law? Weak local? Automated building with 10 unload doors and 4 boxlines for those who were wondering. We still use the handheld imprinters.

 

[MarvelousMunata]

This is so weird. How many buildings across the U.S. are doing this hour break for part timers??

We get 10 minutes paid break in iur preload. Anything longer than that the company wont pay you for the duration of that break.

Talk to your union and maybe hr even.

 

[eats packages]

Part timer here of 4 years. Southern California, Local 63. Since last November our preload has been calling "lunch" every single day since. I didn't think much of it because it was peak season, long days were to be expected. However, it's April 2019 and less than 2 hours in, a 45 minute break is called. 4 months past December. It's our 15 minute paid break combined with a 30 minute meal period which shows on my time card. EVERYONE in the building goes on lunch. I work full time at another job during the day so I'm not concerned about hours but I'm still on the property for 3-4 hours a day with 30 minutes deducted for a meal period. The only people inside the building that work close to full time hours would be hazmat responders and the porter/shifter. High seniority preloaders maybe get 5 hours a day if that with 30 minutes deducted. Does it make sense for "part time" employees to be taking forced lunches? Maybe wacky California law? Weak local? Automated building with 10 unload doors and 4 boxlines for those who were wondering. We still use the handheld imprinters.

Your local needs to cut that crap out. Lunch is to be taken strictly between the 4th and 6th hour. Lunch will not be forced if the job is worked less than 6 hours. I would print out a grievance and have the entire building sign it.

This is very important. If mgmt is allowed to dictate taking a lunch. They can control hours worked without paying out any pesky garuntees or OT for a changed start time.

 

[Wally]

Must be OK to do if the elected representatives of Teamsters local 63 are allowing this to take place. There is zero chance they are not aware of this.

 

[Box Ox]

EVERYONE in the building goes on lunch. I work full time at another job during the day so I'm not concerned about hours but I'm still on the property for 3-4 hours a day with 30 minutes deducted for a meal period. The only people inside the building that work close to full time hours would be hazmat responders and the porter/shifter. High seniority preloaders maybe get 5 hours a day if that with 30 minutes deducted.

That’s like the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

 

[Wally]

That’s like the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

The union is ok with it, if true.

 

[unloady]

Yea it makes no sense. Called lunch at 5:45 am today. I noticed alot of other threads here about time card shavings and problems with lunches/meal periods. Nationwide perhaps? Btw, our start times are still ridiculous. Started at 4:37am on the dot.

 

[1989]

Your local needs to cut that crap out. Lunch is to be taken strictly between the 4th and 6th hour. Lunch will not be forced if the job is worked less than 6 hours. I would print out a grievance and have the entire building sign it.

This is very important. If mgmt is allowed to dictate taking a lunch. They can control hours worked without paying out any pesky garuntees or OT for a changed start time.

If more than 5 hours are worked in a shift:

• Workers must be allowed at least a 30-minute meal period.
• Workers must be at least 2 hours into the shift before the meal period can start.
• The meal period cannot start more than 5 hours after the beginning of the shift.

State law.

 

[Indecisi0n]

 

[trickpony1]

I'm not gonna ask...

 

[TearsInRain]

taking a lunch on a PT preload is beyond retarded

 

[Johney]

taking a lunch on a PT preload is beyond retarded

I'd be wondering why? Our preload barely gets wrapped as it is with only the 10 min paid break there is no way our preload manager would shut down for more time than that. Are the loads arriving late? Everyday?

 

[Brownslave688]

If more than 5 hours are worked in a shift:

• Workers must be allowed at least a 30-minute meal period.
• Workers must be at least 2 hours into the shift before the meal period can start.
• The meal period cannot start more than 5 hours after the beginning of the shift.

State law.

This was my guess. State law.

 

[MarvelousMunata]

I'd be wondering why? Our preload barely gets wrapped as it is with only the 10 min paid break there is no way our preload manager would shut down for more time than that. Are the loads arriving late? Everyday?

Exactly. Even during peak they never gave us more than 10 to 15 minutes at break.

 

[542thruNthru]

If more than 5 hours are worked in a shift:

• Workers must be allowed at least a 30-minute meal period.
• Workers must be at least 2 hours into the shift before the meal period can start.
• The meal period cannot start more than 5 hours after the beginning of the shift.

State law.

Actually it's not as simple as that for us. California loves to put exemptions into laws and being a labor friendly state a CBA is usually one of them.

The blue highlight mentions waiving your meal before 6 hours. This is now a standard paper that UPS has new hires sign. I remember signing it a long time ago myself when the company was sued.

Also being we are a CBA we are "in a way" exempt from the CA break/meal law. Here is a some what recent case about it if you'd like to read it.

California Court of Appeal Upholds Meal Period Waiver in Collective Bargaining Agreement | Wage and Hour Defense Blog


@unloady you need to contact your local(909) 877-2452 and bring this to your BAs attention and ask for clarification. Also the yellow highlighted portion is for you. The company can not combine both break and meal together. I didn't see this in any exemptions so I would bring this up as well with your BA.

Go get them brother!

 

[eats packages]

Hope this gets resolved. I would go on a psycho rampage if I had to take any amount of lunch on a 4 hour shift. Thankfully our local settled it the way I wanted it to be: no lunch until the work is done or the shift is expected to go over 6 hours.

 

[Poop Head]

Enjoy it.

 

[unloady]

Actually it's not as simple as that for us. California loves to put exemptions into laws and being a labor friendly state a CBA is usually one of them.

View attachment 244789

The blue highlight mentions waiving your meal before 6 hours. This is now a standard paper that UPS has new hires sign. I remember signing it a long time ago myself when the company was sued.

Also being we are a CBA we are "in a way" exempt from the CA break/meal law. Here is a some what recent case about it if you'd like to read it.

California Court of Appeal Upholds Meal Period Waiver in Collective Bargaining Agreement | Wage and Hour Defense Blog


@unloady you need to contact your local(909) 877-2452 and bring this to your BAs attention and ask for clarification. Also the yellow highlighted portion is for you. The company can not combine both break and meal together. I didn't see this in any exemptions so I would bring this up as well with your BA.

Go get them brother!

Wow, great reply and information. Just got off work and saw this. The combined 45 minute meal period clearly violates what you pointed out. Like the other people said it makes absolutely no sense to take a lunch for a part time preload. I work the unload and all the trucks are done after 3 hours. You can get an maybe an extra 30 minutes by staying and doing all the tape ups or helping out with irregs but then you took a lunch so that's 30 minutes gone. I know preloaders get more hours but management wants everyone out by 9. This isn't hurting me financially but for others who only have this job or need the money I could see how infuriating it would be. I'm surprised no one in my building has actually said anything but no one files grievances ever here and the package handlers here don't care about the job or drop like flies and quit in less than a year. Another thing I would like to point out is that our part timer shop steward recently went driving so we don"t have one in building during preload operations at the moment. Anyways, hope yall are having a good evening thank you for the replies.

 

[542thruNthru]

Wow, great reply and information. Just got off work and saw this. The combined 45 minute meal period clearly violates what you pointed out. Like the other people said it makes absolutely no sense to take a lunch for a part time preload. I work the unload and all the trucks are done after 3 hours. You can get an maybe an extra 30 minutes by staying and doing all the tape ups or helping out with irregs but then you took a lunch so that's 30 minutes gone. I know preloaders get more hours but management wants everyone out by 9. This isn't hurting me financially but for others who only have this job or need the money I could see how infuriating it would be. I'm surprised no one in my building has actually said anything but no one files grievances ever here and the package handlers here don't care about the job or drop like flies and quit in less than a year. Another thing I would like to point out is that our part timer shop steward recently went driving so we don"t have one in building during preload operations at the moment. Anyways, hope yall are having a good evening thank you for the replies.

You're welcome. Does this mean you will contact your local or just let this keep going?

 

[burrheadd]

View attachment 244742 Yea it makes no sense. Called lunch at 5:45 am today. I noticed alot of other threads here about time card shavings and problems with lunches/meal periods. Nationwide perhaps? Btw, our start times are still ridiculous. Started at 4:37am on the dot.

What’s wrong with starting at 4:37am on the dot