PT supervisor promotion - withdrawn

ironman419

New Member
I've been working for UPS for over 3 years now, and recently was given from the hub (800 employees) I worked at to a center (150-200 employees?) here out east.

Where I worked before, I had a pretty good record. CERC, safety committee, showed up everyday on time (occasional car problem or final exam being the exception). I left there with the permission of the sort manager and a number of PT sups to list as a personal reference. And I got approved for the transfer, on grounds that I understand are extremely difficult to get approved for (part-time educational).

After a few weeks at the new center, I thought it may be a good idea to put in for a promotion. They had a number of PT sup vacancies that nobody had even applied for. Turns out they'd been firing employees left and right for an issue which seemed to be a necessary issue for fire somebody over.

So I put in my promotion packet. Came back a couple weeks later, scored high (4s and 5s) on all their criteria for an average of 4.5 (3.5 being needed).

So now onto the issues and observations.

A week before I'd put in my packet, an employee in our area was promoted to PT supervisor of that same area (former PT sup was fired... as I understand was "lax" and "complacent" and not doing a good job after a few years running the same area).

What struck me first was that there was no training for this PT sup. He was an hourly on Friday, PT sup on Monday. IIRC correctly, at the hub I came from, there was intensive classroom training for new PT sups. On top of that, he went directly from being a preloader to PT sup in charge of 10 people with only the weekend in between. At the hub, there was generally a period of a few months at minimum where new PT sups are assigned the task of training new hourlys 1-on-1 before even being considered being given the responsibility of supervising an entire area. Also, in the 7 months he worked there, he apparently took off every Wed. for 5-6 months then started showing up everyday so he could get promoted.

From the first day this new PT sup was promoted, he started riding me about every conceivable minor thing one can think of.

It generally went like this:

Don't you wanna be a supervisor?
I thought you wanted to get promoted?
Man, you're never going to get promoted if you keep doing this!
Whether or not you get promoted depends on what I tell them!

This all from a guy who's days on the job could be counted on two hands. Finally, I got sick of hearing this dozens upon dozens of times and said that no, I didn't want to be a supervisor, and that I'd be quitting for a full-time job w/benefits. He said he's going to have to tell the FT about this, says, "man, that was an ignorant-ass comment, when I go and get him, just tell him you just got frustrated." I give the FTer a BS reason why I said it, but the next day, I had it with the PTer again. Asked me three times to do something that was unsafe. Namely, loading a package car that was 95% full with a very narrow aisle while he occupied just about all of it. "Just move around me", he says. I said three times, "I don't feel that's safe." PTer asks me what's with my attitude, and I'm like OK, I'll tell him what's with my attitude. FTer just happens to be coming by, and the PTer tells me to tell him what I was just about to say. Started talking about the above stuff that's italicized. PTer says "I just wanted him to load". FTer pulls PTer aside, don't know what was said, then went back to work.

There were times such as when I slipped into my old midnight trailer loader mentality and when was told to help another preloader, I loaded his package car for him (which I guess I'm not supposed to do). I'd hear stuff like this: "let me ask you something: whose the supervisor?" I say, "sorry, I just thought I'd help him, it slipped my mind, I'll stack." "No, I just asked you, whose the supervisor?" "I said I'll stack!" "Man, I just asked you a question, whose the supervisor?. I got real short.

A couple of these situations were talked about with the FTer. Not the safety issue, which got drowned out with the others. Basically what was said is "well [PT] is our supervisor for this area, I'm going to have to trust his judgment". Well, when they called me about the MAPP on Thursday, I waited an hour before the the scheduled time and told them to talk to the FTer and let them go with that. I didn't want to even bother taking it. I don't feel that I'm going to be staying there much longer in any capacity. I left the hub (which was a very well-run place) with the sort manager as a personal reference, served as CERC, safety committee member, had great attendance and work attitude, advised the PTers on how to smoothly run the area, have a B.A. on top of that, and at this center, I'm getting ridden on a daily basis by a PTer, maybe 19 or 20, who acts like a high schooler, who seems scraped from the bottom of the barrel.
 

UnconTROLLed

perfection
PT sup = demotion. Just imo. Believe me, been there done that. The best move I made w/ the company was after putting my letter in and when the MAPP scores came back... much like drugs, just saying NO!
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
I left the hub (which was a very well-run place) with the sort manager as a personal reference, served as CERC, safety committee member, had great attendance and work attitude, advised the PTers on how to smoothly run the area, have a B.A. on top of that, and at this center, I'm getting ridden on a daily basis by a PTer, maybe 19 or 20, who acts like a high schooler, who seems scraped from the bottom of the barrel.


Sounds like business as usual. UPS is a last resort for people uncapable of doing better with their lives.
 

RockyRogue

Agent of Change
Sounds like business as usual. UPS is a last resort for people uncapable of doing better with their lives.

True now. Just ten years ago, that wasn't so. The first time I worked for UPS, the last of the 'old guard' were on their way out. I would have made UPS a career if it was with the 'old guard.' If it had been the 'old guard,' I probably would never have left the second time, which was due to poor treatment. Sad, really. I used to field questions about my UPS experience during every job interview as it was something employers respected. Not anymore. Its been two or three years since an employer asked about it. -Rocky
 
If you apply for supervisor position and they say your still in the union but have you doing supervisor things is it to late to back out of supervisor position and stay as an unloader?
 

NAHimGOOD

Nothing to see here.... Move along.
tenor.gif
 

DELACROIX

In the Spirit of Honore' Daumier
I can only assume that the veteran employees on this board have heard this line of thinking from a noob many times over. I left UPS 10 years ago as a full-time sup in a major midwestern hub which literally shoved 160-180k on a twighlight sort. My first peak we we all so proud of the fact that we hit upwards of 240k on a twilight sort. Needless to say the re-wrap area worked until 6am the next morning because our sort manager wanted to make it to division manager and his road to success was to force packages through a facility that could not handle it. But I degress.
Mr. "voice of reason", you have made my day for I have not had such a good laugh yet today and I have found it here in you posts. As a former employee, I am insulted in your username. If I were an employee today such as the veterans on here I would be appalled, but I guess they have more patience or get an even bigger laugh from your wide-eyed view of the UPS world.
I would dub you the "voice of naivete" because you are fresh out of college where theory in books does not by any means relate to real world experiences. As a college graduate myself, I am glad I was punishing myself every morning to wake up at 3 am to make it to the preload where I saw real world people and experiences. Then off to my classes where the daddy-is-paying-my-way-to-college a**-wipes were worrying about where the next party was.
Good for you that you have that degree, it will certainly help when your UPS worshipping evaporates in a few years and you want to get out of there. I would bet more than 50% of your drivers have degrees also, so don't ever try to use that as something special. You did your stint as a driver but again, don't think you are now "the man". There are drivers who go into areas day in and day out where police don't even respond to. That is respectable, that is courageous. The chances of them being dead is real from a gangbanger wanting to cap his hommie for the hell of it. Or a stupid white trash redneck making a meth lab in his garage which could blow up when the UPS man is delivering his new deer stand.
Point is, good for you that you finished college, worked your way into a higher position than loader/unloader at UPS. UPS loves guys like you, gung ho, maybe a brown tatoo is an inconspicuous place on your body which shows your loyalty to big brown. But reality really sucks having been there myself. As strong of a disposition you may have, it is the day to day realities of never being given an "atta boy" from anyone ever that wears on you. As hardened as you may want to appear, the dreams of post-college paths of nirvana in life evaporate. Get married, have a kid, boy is that a reality check. Then the job you love now becomes just a means to put bread on the table and you resent it.
I am glad you feel so strongly to share your voice with us, but know that there are about 10,000 of you who are in your same position. And the reality is every one of those people will realize that numbers don't work when trying to move up the corporate ladder--it is a**-kissing, boot-licking, head rolling, career-ending for the average driver so you can look good, number fudging (don't get caught), back stabbing. That is what gets you moved up. If, morally, you can live with it, go fer it. Until then, just have a voice, not one of reason, because you really don't know * yet.

I found another gem from the past (2006)...thinking about your promotion..read and weep...:people_crybaby:
 
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