MrUPSguY
Red Headed Step Child
This is going to be long winded, but I would really want to get my point across and not leave out any details. I figure the more informed you are, the more you may be able to help me in my situation.
I have been a driver for around 7 years now. I work in Port Angeles, WA. I just got my own route back in November '07. It was a great feeling to finally get a route I could call my own, and have the oppurtunity that most of my peers have.
We are a small center, having only 18 routes and about 23 drivers. Since we are so far west, we don't get our frieght until 7am every morning. So this enables our center to have a driver sort that starts everyday at 7:10am.
When I first got hired as a part time employee, i learned quickly that seniority played a huge role in your career while at UPS. And I also learned that being a driver with his own route was a very lucritive position within the company. So I set my personal goals right away, and wanted to get my own route.
As I moved up the ladder, I started seeing my seniority pay off, and was given the oppurnity to partake in the driver sort in the morning. For the last 6 years I have been told that the work in the morning was concidered extra work, and if I ever refused it, I would not be given the chance to ever accept it again. So everytime it became available, I snatched it up. It was nice starting at 7:10, because I enjoyed getting off work around 5:30pm - 6:00pm and still getting a couple of hours overtime. In order to get that kind of overtime when I started at 9am, I usually had to work until 7pm or later.
Last Friday during our PCM, our manager told us that the last 4 bid routes were going to be dedicated 9am start times. This meant I would not be able to keep my route if i ever wanted the oppurtunity to work in the preload again. This also affected 3 other employees that have more seniority than I do.
Now I am being forced to bid off of my route just to protect that 7am start I was guarenteed almost everyday. My family has relied on this overtime the last 6 years greatly. And the union tells me that there is nothing they can do for any of us. Now I have people with less seniority coming into the morning sort, and given those extra hours instead of me because I refuse to bid off of my route.
My supervisor has let it be known that our shop stewerd was approached with a plan that envovled picking 4 other routes that were rural and high milage runs. He (supervisor) was told that the union would fight if they took away those start times from the upper senior drivers. And our steward told him that they should pick that routes by seniority, and the last 4 routes that were bid should be the ones that get the dedicated 9am start times.
For one, I feel betrayed by our own steward. I also feel betrayed that I was not given the same oppurtunity that my peer drivers had before me. Why did they pick my route. Since I have one the of highest amount of pickups everyday, it would make sense to pick a more rural route so I could get that volume I pick up everyday back to the building to get processed.
I have talked with several other senior drivers that are not affected by this, and they all tell me that we are getting screwed. The company is trying to break up the past practice that has been going on there for the last 20 years. Now my future of having my own route has been shattered, because every route that becomes available after some one retires, the company will bid it as a 9am start time whenever they deem necessary.
This really irritates me, and I feel violated. If anyone can give me and my fellow co-workers any advise, it would be greatly appreciated. After my shop steward tells me that my seniority doesn't count for anything, I feel like quitting.
Just for your information, HIS route was on the block to be a dedicated 9am start time.....
Jim
I have been a driver for around 7 years now. I work in Port Angeles, WA. I just got my own route back in November '07. It was a great feeling to finally get a route I could call my own, and have the oppurtunity that most of my peers have.
We are a small center, having only 18 routes and about 23 drivers. Since we are so far west, we don't get our frieght until 7am every morning. So this enables our center to have a driver sort that starts everyday at 7:10am.
When I first got hired as a part time employee, i learned quickly that seniority played a huge role in your career while at UPS. And I also learned that being a driver with his own route was a very lucritive position within the company. So I set my personal goals right away, and wanted to get my own route.
As I moved up the ladder, I started seeing my seniority pay off, and was given the oppurnity to partake in the driver sort in the morning. For the last 6 years I have been told that the work in the morning was concidered extra work, and if I ever refused it, I would not be given the chance to ever accept it again. So everytime it became available, I snatched it up. It was nice starting at 7:10, because I enjoyed getting off work around 5:30pm - 6:00pm and still getting a couple of hours overtime. In order to get that kind of overtime when I started at 9am, I usually had to work until 7pm or later.
Last Friday during our PCM, our manager told us that the last 4 bid routes were going to be dedicated 9am start times. This meant I would not be able to keep my route if i ever wanted the oppurtunity to work in the preload again. This also affected 3 other employees that have more seniority than I do.
Now I am being forced to bid off of my route just to protect that 7am start I was guarenteed almost everyday. My family has relied on this overtime the last 6 years greatly. And the union tells me that there is nothing they can do for any of us. Now I have people with less seniority coming into the morning sort, and given those extra hours instead of me because I refuse to bid off of my route.
My supervisor has let it be known that our shop stewerd was approached with a plan that envovled picking 4 other routes that were rural and high milage runs. He (supervisor) was told that the union would fight if they took away those start times from the upper senior drivers. And our steward told him that they should pick that routes by seniority, and the last 4 routes that were bid should be the ones that get the dedicated 9am start times.
For one, I feel betrayed by our own steward. I also feel betrayed that I was not given the same oppurtunity that my peer drivers had before me. Why did they pick my route. Since I have one the of highest amount of pickups everyday, it would make sense to pick a more rural route so I could get that volume I pick up everyday back to the building to get processed.
I have talked with several other senior drivers that are not affected by this, and they all tell me that we are getting screwed. The company is trying to break up the past practice that has been going on there for the last 20 years. Now my future of having my own route has been shattered, because every route that becomes available after some one retires, the company will bid it as a 9am start time whenever they deem necessary.
This really irritates me, and I feel violated. If anyone can give me and my fellow co-workers any advise, it would be greatly appreciated. After my shop steward tells me that my seniority doesn't count for anything, I feel like quitting.
Just for your information, HIS route was on the block to be a dedicated 9am start time.....
Jim
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Happens here all the time. 
