Quit already

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
My fellow former UPSers,

I already know that you guys both love and hate and hear this kind of stuff, and I know that I'm gonna get flamed for this post (which I enjoy anyway) but I already resigned my preload position at my hub this morning. I know most of you are going to say "this is just how it is," but the hub is terribly understaffed and completely mismanaged. Preload sorting alone was short more than 20 people today and had a ton of volume. When I walked in the door (at the "official" start time of 3:55am, even though pay starts at 4:30am), the preload ops manager greeted me and introduced me to one of the PT sups working on Saturdays. I asked the sup where he wanted me at and he pointed me out, so I headed over to the belt. I was working two sections of the belt, two people unloading each of the two trucks, by myself. Most others were doing the same. The sup was all the way down at the other end of the belt working it himself (which is in violation of the local contract). I was waiting for him to head over so I could tell him to get someone to cover me because I didn't want to leave everyone else with packages all over the floor while I was busy quitting, so I caught him a few minutes later and told him to find someone to cover me as I was about to walk out in the next few minutes. He basically said "okay no problem" and walked away. About another half hour went by and he walked by again so I told him I gave him fair warning and I was leaving the belt on and walking out. He started freaking out and begged me not to leave. He said "I know it's a lot of volume today and someone should have told you that you were working two trucks that both have a double unload," so obviously I said, "well, actually, you are the one that should have told me that," and he got visibly mad, said he wasn't the sup "over here," (no one was apparently) and called the ops manager over. I told the ops manager (as he himself is helping me sort packages) that the hub is horribly understaffed and that he's not supposed to be having the sups working the belt. He goes "well of course I know this, we're more than 20 people short on the belt today." I said, "that's fine, I'm not 20 people." He begged me to stay and asked if I wanted to go somewhere else in the building (but then said "there's really nothing open anywhere else") and I ended up walking out anyway. As I was walking out at 5:30am a bunch of people who should have been there at 3:30am wanted to show up all of the sudden.

I do feel bad for walking out and I really didn't want to, and I think I would have enjoyed the job otherwise, but I'm not gonna deal with people running a hub like it's a daycare. No wonder UPS in general is losing contracts to :censored2:ing FedEx.
 

floridays

Well-Known Member
My fellow former UPSers,

I already know that you guys both love and hate and hear this kind of stuff, and I know that I'm gonna get flamed for this post (which I enjoy anyway) but I already resigned my preload position at my hub this morning. I know most of you are going to say "this is just how it is," but the hub is terribly understaffed and completely mismanaged. Preload sorting alone was short more than 20 people today and had a ton of volume. When I walked in the door (at the "official" start time of 3:55am, even though pay starts at 4:30am), the preload ops manager greeted me and introduced me to one of the PT sups working on Saturdays. I asked the sup where he wanted me at and he pointed me out, so I headed over to the belt. I was working two sections of the belt, two people unloading each of the two trucks, by myself. Most others were doing the same. The sup was all the way down at the other end of the belt working it himself (which is in violation of the local contract). I was waiting for him to head over so I could tell him to get someone to cover me because I didn't want to leave everyone else with packages all over the floor while I was busy quitting, so I caught him a few minutes later and told him to find someone to cover me as I was about to walk out in the next few minutes. He basically said "okay no problem" and walked away. About another half hour went by and he walked by again so I told him I gave him fair warning and I was leaving the belt on and walking out. He started freaking out and begged me not to leave. He said "I know it's a lot of volume today and someone should have told you that you were working two trucks that both have a double unload," so obviously I said, "well, actually, you are the one that should have told me that," and he got visibly mad, said he wasn't the sup "over here," (no one was apparently) and called the ops manager over. I told the ops manager (as he himself is helping me sort packages) that the hub is horribly understaffed and that he's not supposed to be having the sups working the belt. He goes "well of course I know this, we're more than 20 people short on the belt today." I said, "that's fine, I'm not 20 people." He begged me to stay and asked if I wanted to go somewhere else in the building (but then said "there's really nothing open anywhere else") and I ended up walking out anyway. As I was walking out at 5:30am a bunch of people who should have been there at 3:30am wanted to show up all of the sudden.

I do feel bad for walking out and I really didn't want to, and I think I would have enjoyed the job otherwise, but I'm not gonna deal with people running a hub like it's a daycare. No wonder UPS in general is losing contracts to *ing FedEx.
You took a victory lap like Jeter and the rest.

Whatever happened to,
"friend it, I'm outta here?"
 

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
You took a victory lap like Jeter and the rest.

Whatever happened to,
"friend it, I'm outta here?"
I could have done that like everyone else but I wasn't gonna leave there with packages all over the floor. I literally just wrote an email to the ops manager and the hiring manager and explained to them how terribly the facility is run, I mean they wonder why no one works there and everyone leaves immediately. I did NOT want to quit and I feel bad for it (I was even kind of excited to be there in the first place) but when the Union Steward over there doesn't even care about anything going on then what the hell is the point of having a Union and a unionized job then? Even without that the hub is being run like... DHL
 
I think you know that there's plenty of places to work that aren't as horribly managed as a UPS hub
You got to look at the long-term picture.
Not too many part-time jobs offer healthcare and a pension. If you wanted the opportunity to go driving later in the career we need to have a chance to make some serious money
 

floridays

Well-Known Member
I could have done that like everyone else but I wasn't gonna leave there with packages all over the floor. I literally just wrote an email to the ops manager and the hiring manager and explained to them how terribly the facility is run, I mean they wonder why no one works there and everyone leaves immediately. I did NOT want to quit and I feel bad for it (I was even kind of excited to be there in the first place) but when the Union Steward over there doesn't even care about anything going on then what the hell is the point of having a Union and a unionized job then? Even without that the hub is being run like... DHL
You showed some character.
If you want to know the point of having a union job spend some time on the fedex side of this board.
 

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
You got to look at the long-term picture.
Not too many part-time jobs offer healthcare and a pension. If you wanted the opportunity to go driving later in the career we need to have a chance to make some serious money
This is very true and also what the ops manager was telling me, but juxtaposed to how that specific hub is running (I'm not gonna say which but it's been flamed on this forum before), there's no point in being at a job like that even considering the benefits, there's plenty of other places to be.
 

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
Don't kid yourself, spend some time on the fedex side once again.
Come on don't joke with me like that ): FedEx is paying $2.50/hr more base pay than the local UPS hub though, I think it's $21.50/hr plus an increase depending on the shift time.
 

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
You showed some character.
If you want to know the point of having a union job spend some time on the fedex side of this board.
I appreciate that a lot. Also FedEx around here sucks, plus I already turned down an offer from FedEx to go over to UPS initially.
 

floridays

Well-Known Member
Come on don't joke with me like that ): FedEx is paying another $2.50/hr base pay than the local UPS hub though.
I wasn't joking. Spend some time on the fedex forum and listen to people complaining about not being at top rate even after 20 years.
I'd think about asking for a plate of humble pie and giving it a little longer if I were you.
 

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
I wasn't joking. pend some time on the fedex forum and listen to people complaining about not being at top rate even after 20 years.
I'd think about asking for a plate of humble pie and giving it a little longer if I were you.
Trust me I know FedEx is terrible -- they scheduled me for work literally on the day I submitted an application. And I'm not sure, like I said I would have probably enjoyed being over there but I don't see any point in going back now, but let's see what my ops/hiring manager says to the email I wrote :)
 

floridays

Well-Known Member
Trust me I know FedEx is terrible -- they scheduled me for work literally on the day I submitted an application. And I'm not sure, like I said I would have probably enjoyed being over there but I don't see any point in going back now, but let's see what my ops/hiring manager says to the email I wrote :)
A lot of these guys on here were kids once too, didn't like it either. They can probably beat you to death today with their billfolds, investments and retirement package. If you chose this field, suck it up, you were in the best spot. If you don't choose this field it's simple, move on. Don't expect much sympathy or an attaboy here though.
 

nkm

Optimistically pessimistic
A lot of these guys on here were kids once too, didn't like it either. They can probably beat you to death today with their billfolds, investments and retirement package. If you chose this field, suck it up, you were in the best spot. If you don't choose this field it's simple, move on. Don't expect much sympathy or an attaboy here though.
I don't remember asking for any sympathy old timer, my intention here is to share my experience with others who might come across it. And if you appreciate working for a company that everyone (including many people here) describes as consistently mistreating union employees, being horribly mismanaged on every level, and has a pencil pusher CEO who is worried about the company's stock price vs. actually doing anything to improve the company and its workforce, then the majority of the local unions must not be so great. Your contract is on paper, it's up to you seniors and the Stewards to make sure it is enforced for yourself and also your coworkers -- otherwise people like myself pick up on the laissez attitude and are going to move on to somewhere else. This has been said on this forum before and I noticed it even in the few days at the hub; the benefits and retirement package mean little to newer employees when they have no sense of obtaining those yet and they are being discouraged by fellow seniors (not saying you) for whatever number of reasons, plus are surrounded by such an environment with a bunch of people with little sense of teamwork or collectiveness (you know against the entire point of having a Union).

I'd rather work at a place with less pay if I knew that the seniors and Stewards (or just normal coworkers) were gonna make sure that they supported new employees properly (and ran the place correctly anyways) vs. having non-optimal work conditions and :censored2:ty, bad-attitude union coworkers that, sure, work for 30 years for great benefits but do very little to actually improve SOMETHING for the new guys that they are leading in. The company itself is a dinosaur not in terms of infrastructure but in terms of insight. From what I know, UPS was a great place to start out at 20 years ago but it's definitely going downhill when there's an absolute ton of improvement potential both on the hub and executive level.

UPS wonders why there's such a high turnover, it's not for no reason.
 

RetiredIE

Retirement is VASTLY underrated
My fellow former UPSers,

I already know that you guys both love and hate and hear this kind of stuff, and I know that I'm gonna get flamed for this post (which I enjoy anyway) but I already resigned my preload position at my hub this morning. I know most of you are going to say "this is just how it is," but the hub is terribly understaffed and completely mismanaged. Preload sorting alone was short more than 20 people today and had a ton of volume. When I walked in the door (at the "official" start time of 3:55am, even though pay starts at 4:30am), the preload ops manager greeted me and introduced me to one of the PT sups working on Saturdays. I asked the sup where he wanted me at and he pointed me out, so I headed over to the belt. I was working two sections of the belt, two people unloading each of the two trucks, by myself. Most others were doing the same. The sup was all the way down at the other end of the belt working it himself (which is in violation of the local contract). I was waiting for him to head over so I could tell him to get someone to cover me because I didn't want to leave everyone else with packages all over the floor while I was busy quitting, so I caught him a few minutes later and told him to find someone to cover me as I was about to walk out in the next few minutes. He basically said "okay no problem" and walked away. About another half hour went by and he walked by again so I told him I gave him fair warning and I was leaving the belt on and walking out. He started freaking out and begged me not to leave. He said "I know it's a lot of volume today and someone should have told you that you were working two trucks that both have a double unload," so obviously I said, "well, actually, you are the one that should have told me that," and he got visibly mad, said he wasn't the sup "over here," (no one was apparently) and called the ops manager over. I told the ops manager (as he himself is helping me sort packages) that the hub is horribly understaffed and that he's not supposed to be having the sups working the belt. He goes "well of course I know this, we're more than 20 people short on the belt today." I said, "that's fine, I'm not 20 people." He begged me to stay and asked if I wanted to go somewhere else in the building (but then said "there's really nothing open anywhere else") and I ended up walking out anyway. As I was walking out at 5:30am a bunch of people who should have been there at 3:30am wanted to show up all of the sudden.

I do feel bad for walking out and I really didn't want to, and I think I would have enjoyed the job otherwise, but I'm not gonna deal with people running a hub like it's a daycare. No wonder UPS in general is losing contracts to *ing FedEx.
I am a firm believer that failing fast is healthy. UPS is not a good fit for you, and you are not a good fit for UPS. Better to learn this after a week than to suffer through a miserable 30 year career. Good luck!
 
I am a firm believer that failing fast is healthy. UPS is not a good fit for you, and you are not a good fit for UPS. Better to learn this after a week than to suffer through a miserable 30 year career. Good luck!
You got to at least got to give it a little bit of a chance. People go through all the efforts of getting hired and then quit after a few days.
 
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