We talk a lot about what fair compensation is for couriers. Let's look at what was expected years ago. When I started we drove 700's or Econolines. Today it's primarily Sprinters. Some drove motorhome sized 900's too, there was that much freight. Score for the past courier.
We did a lot more writing back then. Wrote down pickups, filled out paper delivery manifests, filled out airbills, wrote down numbers at the end of the day. Score for the past courier.
We had to go to our trucks to check for on calls on DADS, use payphones to call customers and station, much more difficult to stay in touch. Score another for the past courier.
We had to carry a SRG book, be familiar with International and Dangerous Goods(more so than today). Again, tougher job for the past courier.
Filling out airbills, using MPS labels, no meter pkgs, etc much more time spent than today, required more couriers to get work done. One more for the past courier.
We handled much more box freight on average. Ground handles a large % of that today. Much harder on past couriers.
Fact is the job is no longer as demanding. A new courier today doesn't need to know his and surrounding rts on the sort. Just looks at a number. So do today's new couriers need UPS wages? Not really, but there was a time when you could make a strong case for much better pay based on what was required of us. Times change, technology improves. Read today that many retail companies are looking to get rid of cashiers and go to a mobile scanning device to get people quickly through lines. The bottom line is poor humans are becoming obsolete. I can accept, Dano, that it's a different world, I just don't accept the cutthroat way faithful employees are lied to, taken advantage of, and discarded. Absolutely nothing to be proud of.
We did a lot more writing back then. Wrote down pickups, filled out paper delivery manifests, filled out airbills, wrote down numbers at the end of the day. Score for the past courier.
We had to go to our trucks to check for on calls on DADS, use payphones to call customers and station, much more difficult to stay in touch. Score another for the past courier.
We had to carry a SRG book, be familiar with International and Dangerous Goods(more so than today). Again, tougher job for the past courier.
Filling out airbills, using MPS labels, no meter pkgs, etc much more time spent than today, required more couriers to get work done. One more for the past courier.
We handled much more box freight on average. Ground handles a large % of that today. Much harder on past couriers.
Fact is the job is no longer as demanding. A new courier today doesn't need to know his and surrounding rts on the sort. Just looks at a number. So do today's new couriers need UPS wages? Not really, but there was a time when you could make a strong case for much better pay based on what was required of us. Times change, technology improves. Read today that many retail companies are looking to get rid of cashiers and go to a mobile scanning device to get people quickly through lines. The bottom line is poor humans are becoming obsolete. I can accept, Dano, that it's a different world, I just don't accept the cutthroat way faithful employees are lied to, taken advantage of, and discarded. Absolutely nothing to be proud of.