SUPS working all day every day?

Bagels

Family Leave Fridays!!!
For those in the outbound, whose "job" is it to put up load retainers and insert/removal of rollers/extendos?

On our Twi sort have an hourly on each belt start 10 minutes early to do setup. By seniority. Ask from the top and force from the bottom.

On Preload, the three highest seniority Preloaders in the Input who wanted to set-up use to do it. Now the PT supervisors do it, and my BA doesn't have a problem with it. But he drew the line when they attempted to have PT sups scan send agains before the shift, even though they cut two of the four jobs and PT sups assist every day.
 

BrownDooDoo

Well-Known Member
On Preload, the three highest seniority Preloaders in the Input who wanted to set-up use to do it. Now the PT supervisors do it, and my BA doesn't have a problem with it. But he drew the line when they attempted to have PT sups scan send agains before the shift, even though they cut two of the four jobs and PT sups assist every day.

That's how it's done at my hub I think. There are a few hourlies there when I get there, but it's mainly my SUP doing everything. I have a good knowledge of this because I have always been at leasssst 10 minutes if not more early every day since I started. I'm sure I'll get it all figured here soon.
 

anonymous4

Well-Known Member
Okay, still somewhat unanswered. Come end of day when someone wants hours, can a supervisor boot you out before you take the rollers out? What about putting the load straps/retainers up? I imagine it is the supervisor's responsibility to check them but is that an hourly role or not. I see soups sending people home by saying it is not our job to take the rollers out of the trucks at the end of the day, and it is not our job to put up load retainers at the end of the day. This can be +10-15 minutes every day for someone if they are the last person out of an area.
 

PT Stewie

"Big Fella"
Okay, still somewhat unanswered. Come end of day when someone wants hours, can a supervisor boot you out before you take the rollers out? What about putting the load straps/retainers up? I imagine it is the supervisor's responsibility to check them but is that an hourly role or not. I see soups sending people home by saying it is not our job to take the rollers out of the trucks at the end of the day, and it is not our job to put up load retainers at the end of the day. This can be +10-15 minutes every day for someone if they are the last person out of an area.

Article 3 section 7 says it all they supervise we do the work. They hold us to the contract why shouldn't we hold them to it also.Roller lines and load straps are the same as moving packages. Teamster responsibility.
 

PiedmontSteward

RTW-4-Less
Okay, still somewhat unanswered. Come end of day when someone wants hours, can a supervisor boot you out before you take the rollers out? What about putting the load straps/retainers up? I imagine it is the supervisor's responsibility to check them but is that an hourly role or not. I see soups sending people home by saying it is not our job to take the rollers out of the trucks at the end of the day, and it is not our job to put up load retainers at the end of the day. This can be +10-15 minutes every day for someone if they are the last person out of an area.

Work is work. You should first ask to perform this work and get a steward involved if they refuse. If this doesn't fix the problem, then file. Additionally, supervisors should not be performing area setup work. This is hourly work and can typically get a setup guy an extra 15-20 minutes a day if they setup a larger outbound PD.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
What happens here is staffing is cut by seniority by work area, if you want the hours you can stay. Hardly anyone with high seniority wants the hours because of another job/kids/etc. So by the end of this shift the only people who are left are people who have only worked here a few months or less. These people do not complain or file grievances or demand what they deserve. Plus at their pay an extra 15 minutes is like 2 dollars.

Unless you are adamant about staying, it's really up to the supervisors what degree of wrap up work they do themselves, no one but you will stop this from happening. Some just don't put up straps at all. My first wall of the day is almost always a throw wall with a pile of fallen boxes behind it because the truck was tapped and moved to a different outbound door between shifts without a load strap up.
 

Bagels

Family Leave Fridays!!!
Depends on the composition of your sort. On our Preload, we have oodles of high-seniority career PTers with no other source of income who stay every single second they can. On our twilight, the high-seniority guys don't want to stay forcing the low-seniority ones to. In my building, Preload historically averaged 4.5-5 hours whereas Twilight 3-3.5, so the career PTers obviously wound up on Preload. (Today, both sorts beg for the 3.5 guarantee.)


What happens here is staffing is cut by seniority by work area, if you want the hours you can stay. Hardly anyone with high seniority wants the hours because of another job/kids/etc. So by the end of this shift the only people who are left are people who have only worked here a few months or less. These people do not complain or file grievances or demand what they deserve. Plus at their pay an extra 15 minutes is like 2 dollars.

Unless you are adamant about staying, it's really up to the supervisors what degree of wrap up work they do themselves, no one but you will stop this from happening. Some just don't put up straps at all. My first wall of the day is almost always a throw wall with a pile of fallen boxes behind it because the truck was tapped and moved to a different outbound door between shifts without a load strap up.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
Depends on the composition of your sort. On our Preload, we have oodles of high-seniority career PTers with no other source of income who stay every single second they can. On our twilight, the high-seniority guys don't want to stay forcing the low-seniority ones to. In my building, Preload historically averaged 4.5-5 hours whereas Twilight 3-3.5, so the career PTers obviously wound up on Preload. (Today, both sorts beg for the 3.5 guarantee.)


Wow @ the barely 3.5 hours. I'd love to work only 3.5 hours and pull in these benefits, I'm over 5 hours two or three times a week (over 6 everyday during peak season). I've been hearing we are understaffed for over a year now, no one seems to do a damn thing about it; overtime is a year round thing here for those who want it.
 

Bagels

Family Leave Fridays!!!
Wow @ the barely 3.5 hours. I'd love to work only 3.5 hours and pull in these benefits, I'm over 5 hours two or three times a week (over 6 everyday during peak season). I've been hearing we are understaffed for over a year now, no one seems to do a damn thing about it; overtime is a year round thing here for those who want it.

Are you in a smaller building? In our district, we have a smaller, single belt building in which PTers work 6+ hours everyday since the only option UPS has is to start early. It's a popular place for career PTers to transfer to, but also nearly 45 miles from my home (no freeway option, either, so it's nearly a 90-minute drive without traffic). My building is very large with ample room for expansion. When the economy tanked, and IBT agreed to defer benefits for 12/18 months for new hires, UPS heavily increased our staffing. Heck, they'd add more if they could but the law of diminishing returns is prevailing.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
Are you in a smaller building? In our district, we have a smaller, single belt building in which PTers work 6+ hours everyday since the only option UPS has is to start early. It's a popular place for career PTers to transfer to, but also nearly 45 miles from my home (no freeway option, either, so it's nearly a 90-minute drive without traffic). My building is very large with ample room for expansion. When the economy tanked, and IBT agreed to defer benefits for 12/18 months for new hires, UPS heavily increased our staffing. Heck, they'd add more if they could but the law of diminishing returns is prevailing.

I feel like its a large hub but I don't really know how it compares. I've heard the building is at maximum capacity throughout peak season; there is supposedly an expansion planned but I don't know the details.
 

cynic

Well-Known Member
File, or ask yourself why are you paying union dues.

And the more the sup's work and you don't complain, IMO, you're setting yourself up to be a push-over for them ignoring other articles of the contract.

Once you start filing, make sure you're never late to work, sign out of your scanner if you're moved to another area to "help", watch your back, and keep filing. Remember that you can ask for representation (stewart) if any discussion takes a turn for what you feel (or fear) can lead to disciplinary action. If they don't get a stewart, they need to shut up or you can file a grievance for not providing representation. PT sup's work by intimidation that is passed down from above, most have NO idea how to manage a lemonade stand. Push back, always be polite, never use profanity, and you will likely stress them to the point they leave you alone. (Works for me...)
 

Bizzob232

2nd generation UPSer
I tell all the new kids the same thing in my building. Supervisors should never be touching cardboard, ever. Usually just flat telling the supervisor nicely with respect, "that's union work, ill do it" or "can I help you find a union employee to do that work you're not supposed to be doing". I've even expanded on that by saying "if you can do my work, ill gladly do your job and find another employee to direct to the work". It really doesn't matter if the sup is cool or just trying to support his family, he's cutting into you being able to support yourself. I went to school with two of my old p/t sups, they know the rules and wouldn't dare even try. Then again our steward pushes hard for p/t employees to not be trampled on.

Long story short, they can not CAN NOT fire you if you are working safely and as directed (and showing up to work on time). Even easier if you aren't a loader because of misloads. Do your job, file the grievance, and watch things get better.
 
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