Hey everybody, I just started at UPS last week, and was offered a saturday air delivery position. However, I have 2 tattoos on my forearms, not visible now because of the temperatures, but its spring and long sleeves are quickly becoming a thing of the past. My question I guess is, would it be acceptable to cover the tattoos up with some sort of sweat band? Like a flesh covered fabric of some sort? They're not big tattoos and can be easily covered. In your experience, have you, or your supervisors found covering them up acceptable? Thanks yall!
Tattoos?
- Thread starter UPSn00b
- Start date
About 2 years ago they tried to enforce a no visible tattoos policy but the union fought them on it and UPS dropped it. You still can't have anything patently obscene but if yours falls into that category a bandage or long sleeves would be fine.
BTW I'd think a Patriot logo was obscene personally!
BTW I'd think a Patriot logo was obscene personally!
Thats good to know, at our building however, they still give my dad flack about his tattoos, but he's been there for 23 years and he just smiles and nods. I dont have anything obscene, so I'm ok there. I just want to maximize my chances of getting any type of driving job ya know?
I also agree that the patriots tattoo is perverse and obscene!
I also agree that the patriots tattoo is perverse and obscene!
A
A fellow UPSer
Guest
In the area of the country where you are wearing shorts most of the year, there is a gentleman that works on Saturdays that has a very coloful tatoo on one of his arms. He has not been told to cover it up and I first noticed it about 4 months ago. As prior posters said, as long as it's not offensive you should have no problems. They'll let us look like inmates, but we can't grow any facial hair that extends beyond the lip. Guess that might open the door to cutoff sleves if they allowed that. Way to go UPS.
UPSmeoff
Well-Known Member
I remember a story a few years ago about a girl that had a tattoo on her leg. UPS made her cover it up and it made national news. UPS cant touch this with a ten foot pole. If they have a problem with it then they have to discriminate who they hire, and the last time i checked that is illegal.
You are who you are.
You are who you are.
We had a case several years ago here in the SF Bay area where UPS went after a driver for tattoos and won. In my center I had to represent a driver after that for visible tatoos and lost because the local would not fight it because of the prior decision. The driver ended up wearing long sleeves and pulled his socks up to cover his tatoos - they would not let him use flesh colored bandages.
That said - the center just north of us has drivers with visible tattoos who are not hasseled. Could the one in my center be partly because he just couldn't do the job and garnered lots of complaints? You judge. But I have noticed that UPS as well as the union can be very capricious and arbitrary when enforcing the rules.
That said - the center just north of us has drivers with visible tattoos who are not hasseled. Could the one in my center be partly because he just couldn't do the job and garnered lots of complaints? You judge. But I have noticed that UPS as well as the union can be very capricious and arbitrary when enforcing the rules.
1080Driver
Well-Known Member
In my center, I'm gonna guess maybe 1/4 of the drivers (myself included) have tats. Most are small, some you can't miss, & I've never heard of anyone being talked to about their tats. Keep in mind though that none of these tats would you find offensive.
dannyboy
From the promised LAND
Hey Off, last time I checked, babies were not born with tattoos, you choose to get them. And just like everything else you choose to do, both to yourself and your life, it will have feedback.
So why can UPS discriminate against those that smoke a little weed? After all, you checked and it is against the law, right? But then again, using your logic, you are who you are, so there is no way they could not hire you, or keep you on the payroll.
Or then again, I know a driver that lost his job because of a drinking problem. I dont guess they could discriminate against him either?
d
S
speeddemon
Guest
but its for my glaucoma!!!!
dannyboy
From the promised LAND
You miss my point.
You choose to get a tattoo. If the company has or decides that that does not fit into the image they feel they want to present to the public, then they have that right to tell you to cover it up.
Now as a driver, if I am bald, red headed, long nose, Spockian ears, those were things I was born with. That is something I had no choice in having. And those are things that the company is prohibited from discriminating against.
Getting a tattoo is like wearing a home depot cap on road. It is a choice you can make ...... or not. But if you do, then be prepared to take the results of your actions. If there are none, fine. If there are, deal with it. You made the choice all on your own.
d BTW, I didnt say the driver that lost his job was driving and drinking, did I. What I did say was that he had a drinking problem and that "disease" cost him his job. Again, a choice made, price paid. Life is that simple.
You choose to get a tattoo. If the company has or decides that that does not fit into the image they feel they want to present to the public, then they have that right to tell you to cover it up.
Now as a driver, if I am bald, red headed, long nose, Spockian ears, those were things I was born with. That is something I had no choice in having. And those are things that the company is prohibited from discriminating against.
Getting a tattoo is like wearing a home depot cap on road. It is a choice you can make ...... or not. But if you do, then be prepared to take the results of your actions. If there are none, fine. If there are, deal with it. You made the choice all on your own.
d BTW, I didnt say the driver that lost his job was driving and drinking, did I. What I did say was that he had a drinking problem and that "disease" cost him his job. Again, a choice made, price paid. Life is that simple.
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UPSmeoff
Well-Known Member
danny i wasnt talking about getting a tat whilst employed by UPS. I was talking about prior to hire. And how do you get smoking pot is associated with tattoos. They dont discriminate weed they just dont drug test. If they did then they would have to fire half of their employees.
DOnt judge a book by its cover.
DOnt judge a book by its cover.
trickpony1
Well-Known Member
Of course, the drinking and pot smoking didn't have anything at all to do with job related stress and an attempt to relax.
I don't think not hiring someone because they have tattoos is illegal. It falls under the same thing as facial hair. I believe some have argued successfully that they must have a beard due to their religous beliefs but I haven't heard that about tattoos. And in the two west coast cases I cited the employees were given the option to wear long sleeves and long pants and/or pull their socks way up. In both cases the tattoos were pre-existing.
The bottom line, as Danny said, is that tattoos are something you choose to do and as such are not protected by discrimination laws. If you look at the EEOC posting at you center you will not see tattoos listed as a protected item.
The bottom line, as Danny said, is that tattoos are something you choose to do and as such are not protected by discrimination laws. If you look at the EEOC posting at you center you will not see tattoos listed as a protected item.
dannyboy
From the promised LAND
Send again, the problem is shades of black and white. Where is the line of offensive and not offensive. I'm sure there is a line somewhere. The problem is that when a line is drawn, there will be those that will stick a toe over that line to see what happens.
Then there will be others that will intentionally cross the line just to try and make a statement.
Spent a lot of time in the office with both personality types.
Both types ruin good things for the rest of us. Things that are issues today were not issues several years ago, because people kept pushing and pushing.
I am reminded of a calendar that was on the inside bulkhead of a package car put out by a large public company. Had a keter audit one day, and the escort for the keter guy was from Atlanta. She claimed, and had the authority to state that the calendar was sexually offensive and must be removed. Mind you, no part of the girls were unclothed that would have made it offensive.
As long as it is not overboard, UPS will not take offense at tattoos. But "overboard" differs from one area to the next. And I would expect eventually there will be someone that pushes the point to where everybody will be made to cover them up.
I figure there are more important things in life to push hard over. Body art just ain't one of them.
d
Then there will be others that will intentionally cross the line just to try and make a statement.
Spent a lot of time in the office with both personality types.
Both types ruin good things for the rest of us. Things that are issues today were not issues several years ago, because people kept pushing and pushing.
I am reminded of a calendar that was on the inside bulkhead of a package car put out by a large public company. Had a keter audit one day, and the escort for the keter guy was from Atlanta. She claimed, and had the authority to state that the calendar was sexually offensive and must be removed. Mind you, no part of the girls were unclothed that would have made it offensive.
As long as it is not overboard, UPS will not take offense at tattoos. But "overboard" differs from one area to the next. And I would expect eventually there will be someone that pushes the point to where everybody will be made to cover them up.
I figure there are more important things in life to push hard over. Body art just ain't one of them.
d
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