Refund of Initiation Fee?

[RANDSC]

One of the guys who stared the same day as me has left. He left before we hit 30 work days and vested. In my past experience with another union, this should mean that the initiation fee that is with-held from our checks should be refunded. I assume that is true with the Teamsters also? I cannot find anything in any of the materials that were given to us at initiation.

I'm sure everyone wants to support the union and everything, but a $250 initiation fee is a lot when you are working for $11 an hour, and are leaving, so you will never see any benefit from being part of the union.

How does he get a refund? Thanks for your help.

 

[rod]

a refund from the teamsters? Shirley you jest.

 

[RANDSC]

Well, the Steelworkers do it. But I guess all unions aren't created equal.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Call the union local and request a refund.

 

[SoCalUPS]

One of the guys who stared the same day as me has left. He left before we hit 30 work days and vested. In my past experience with another union, this should mean that the initiation fee that is with-held from our checks should be refunded. I assume that is true with the Teamsters also? I cannot find anything in any of the materials that were given to us at initiation.

I'm sure everyone wants to support the union and everything, but a $250 initiation fee is a lot when you are working for $11 an hour, and are leaving, so you will never see any benefit from being part of the union.

How does he get a refund? Thanks for your help.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[burrheadd]

One of the guys who stared the same day as me has left. He left before we hit 30 work days and vested. In my past experience with another union, this should mean that the initiation fee that is with-held from our checks should be refunded. I assume that is true with the Teamsters also? I cannot find anything in any of the materials that were given to us at initiation.

I'm sure everyone wants to support the union and everything, but a $250 initiation fee is a lot when you are working for $11 an hour, and are leaving, so you will never see any benefit from being part of the union.

How does he get a refund? Thanks for your help.

So how come YOU quit
Couldn't hack it?

 

[PT Car Washer]

$250 initiation fee to make $11/hr.? Ours are $20.

 

[RANDSC]

So how come YOU quit
Couldn't hack it?

I didn't quit. Yet.

 

[By The Book]

I didn't quit. Yet.

Look on the bright side....if you make it past day 30 you will have seniority on 1 person. Tell us why you are thinking of leaving. Look, we all have to pay those initiation fees that are charged by our locals, no way around it.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Look on the bright side....if you make it past day 30 you will have seniority on 1 person. Tell us why you are thinking of leaving. Look, we all have to pay those initiation fees that are charged by our locals, no way around it.

It's definitely a cash cow for the Union, they love part time turnover

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Look on the bright side....if you make it past day 30 you will have seniority on 1 person. Tell us why you are thinking of leaving. Look, we all have to pay those initiation fees that are charged by our locals, no way around it.

Does this mean that it's OK for the Union to keep the IF's if we don't get our 30 days?

 

[RANDSC]

Look on the bright side....if you make it past day 30 you will have seniority on 1 person. Tell us why you are thinking of leaving. Look, we all have to pay those initiation fees that are charged by our locals, no way around it.

I'm actually past 30 days now. So no refund for me regardless. I'd still like to see this guy get it. Frankly, "he benefited from the union-negotiated wages for the time he was there" is BS. UPS literally pays less than McDonald's opening shift in this area. The reason people work here is tuition or health insurance, neither of which he benefited from.

If I leave, it will be because I decided I'd rather do without the tuition benefit and make more money instead.

 

[burrheadd]

I'm actually past 30 days now. So no refund for me regardless. I'd still like to see this guy get it. Frankly, "he benefited from the union-negotiated wages for the time he was there" is BS. UPS literally pays less than McDonald's opening shift in this area. The reason people work here is tuition or health insurance, neither of which he benefited from.

If I leave, it will be because I decided I'd rather do without the tuition benefit and make more money instead.

Good plan
You'll go far

 

[PT Car Washer]

Good plan
You'll go far

Farther then working PT at UPS.

 

[By The Book]

Does this mean that it's OK for the Union to keep the IF's if we don't get our 30 days?

In my years working at UPS I've come to realize this is a job, that when you get it, is designed for that employee to move up to full time. It's not set up for people to come in and leave for another job. Could there be a way for the Union to have a prorated initiation fee system, absolutely. This may make it fair for those that leave before the real benefits kick in. It doesn't keep me up at night because someone changed their mind on working here. I will say it is an incentive to stay. There may be a correlation between the guys 10 years ago and the lower turnover rate, and the rise in minimum wage and the newer employees higher rate of turnover.

 

[By The Book]

I'm actually past 30 days now. So no refund for me regardless. I'd still like to see this guy get it. Frankly, "he benefited from the union-negotiated wages for the time he was there" is BS. UPS literally pays less than McDonald's opening shift in this area. The reason people work here is tuition or health insurance, neither of which he benefited from.

If I leave, it will be because I decided I'd rather do without the tuition benefit and make more money instead.

What a lot of new part time employees don't do is write down when they will get the healthcare and sick pay and vacation pay and weekends off and working shifts that allow them to go to school full time or another job. Those benefits cost a lot, dues/initiation fees are how those benefits are paid for. My advice for you is to be your own advocate, and stop getting your feelings hurt over something that doesn't affect you. It was that persons choice to leave. I do admire you for caring for other people, that's a good quality to have.

 

[RANDSC]

Good plan
You'll go far

It's a catch 22. I'd do better in classes without working quite such crazy hours, but it would take me another year to finish if I was paying it all myself with no tuition benefit. So which is better, finishing a year earlier with a lower GPA and having got less out of school, or spending another year?

So far I am thinking I want to get out sooner, but that is just because I don't want to spend an extra year working crap jobs. That is why I am at UPS. But I can make the argument either way. So we'll see.

 

[Bubblehead]

In my years working at UPS I've come to realize this is a job, that when you get it, is designed for that employee to move up to full time. It's not set up for people to come in and leave for another job. Could there be a way for the Union to have a prorated initiation fee system, absolutely. This may make it fair for those that leave before the real benefits kick in. It doesn't keep me up at night because someone changed their mind on working here. I will say it is an incentive to stay. There may be a correlation between the guys 10 years ago and the lower turnover rate, and the rise in minimum wage and the newer employees higher rate of turnover.

I get all of that, but one fact always rises to the top for me.
That fact is that it should be impossible to "initiate" someone who never joined in the first place.
It's for this reason that I believe an employee who fails to record 30 work days and doesn't matriculate into the union, should have any initiation fees returned.
Now,as far as the monthly dues are concerned, they should be kept as the person was working in a union shop, earning a union negotiated wage.

 

[km3]

Now,as far as the monthly dues are concerned, they should be kept as the person was working in a union shop, earning a union negotiated wage.

Employees in the "unskilled" classification are making $10.15 right now. That's the minimum wage for federal contractors, and $0.15 more than the union negotiated wage. So I can't agree on that one, since they're not earning a union-negotiated wage. For "skilled" workers though, yeah.

 

[herbigharo32]

If you are a part timer, for the love of god....don't spend your money on initiation fees, monthly dues, etc.... Here are several reasons which has always come to mind:

1. If you work air volume, you get NO BREAK!! In the DFW Hub, you get no rest break or meal periods of any kind, regardless of hours put in for that day.
2. There are no language of protection for part timers, namely how long you are required to work. You can work 6, 7, or even 9 hours... again with no break.
3. Thanks to extremely high turnover, the ability to call upon and participate in strikes are negligible at best. A few double shifters and trucking volume to another hub will do the trick. Bottomline, the union has very little collective bargaining power for part timers to begin with.

Do join the union if you are full time combo, package car driver, or work ramp. This namely applies to the hub I am at.