Union Stweard and Operation Soupervisor collaborating in efforts to be rid of me

[BrownDooDoo]

Help.

Ok, so basically UPS has crazy expectations, everyone knows that already. This is what happened.

1. I start at ups, brown nose (lol) a little trying to do good, do good. Have even done the DA spot in my building on multiple occasions, one time for a week while the regular guy was on vacation. Haven't been there 6 months yet. Idk why they picked me either. Anyway...

2. I switch to loading. Start to hate UPS basically, but keep it mostly private, though I think some of it might inevitably vibrate from me because I really don't like it but am stuck until I can find something else....which is hard. Anyway....

3. Randomly put in the primary one day. Unloading feeder.....**ty load of course....and I was placing a package on the unloader, checking the label and all of a sudden my hand gripping the bottom corner of the package was smashed into the corner of the built. It hurt pretty bad and for fear it might be worse than it looked I went ahead and reported it.

Then all of a sudden I'm back loading, and today I go in and had 6 missloads yesterday....I have maybe had....3 before this. The place runs like **** soups working......all day........everrrrry day. EVERY day lol. Getting a warning letter for that.

Also been being observed and getting a warning letter for not being safe enough. When I asked the soup what about everyone else in the building he says yeah well I can't watch all 30 people. Youre the one getting hurt so were watching you.

Shop steward was there, and he doesn't like me for some reason, no clue why. Maybe cause I'm smart.....maybe because I'm white....I never really see this guy being nice to any of the white people....even the white bosses he HAS to respect he talks to differently than others. Anyway.....we had got in a little verbal confrontation in the primary when I was randomly back there, during which he said he didn't give a **** about me because I was a "low man on the totem pole".....

So when Op Soup asks steward if he has anything to say he goes naw im cool he said hes cool and just leaves....I feel like I should have done something more. I want to file grievances because of the supervisors working every day but cant because the guy is really just....idk hes a real jerk he just doesnt like me for some reason and it makes me feel real awkward and i dont like dealing with him.


I guess I better start looking for a new job yeah? It sucks because I'm smart I'd like to do something more in UPS....the repetitive physical labor that requires little to no thinking really is driving me insane in combination with getting up early. Just not a morning person.


Sorry to rant and complain, I'm normally never like that. Shoot, you can check my old posts and see how happy I was to get a job here. Sadly, it's true. UPS sucks ass and is a miserable place to work at.

I'm gonna start looking elsewhere, but it's hard to find a year round part time that will work with going to college in my area. Alas...the trap. The matrix.

 

[BrownDooDoo]

oh yeah.....my question is what all can I do about this, and what's your take on the situation?

 

[Ouch]

First off I would suggest dropping the whole im smart and white thing, woe is me isnt going to get you anywhere but out of a job and you blaming someone else for you being jobless. Im a steward and I dont like some people but I still represent them. First thing you need to do is go to your steward and talk to him. The trucks you load are community property and any one can walk by your truck and put a misload on it. The burden of proof is on them. There accusing you of misloading boxes make them prove it. If you dont get the results out of the steaard go to the local and request a meeting with the ba and the steward. There is always a chain of command, use it. Go back in with a whole new attitude, are you in the union, are you making it a point to file on the sups working, are you being a union employee or have you brown nosed too much. Dont get upset this is all honesty and if you want a change prove yourself.

 

[Jackburton]

By your last two paragraphs you've already made up your mind, not that I blame you.

 

[jumpman23]

Get your school on and get the hell out of Dodge lol. The only reason people stay now at this job is for the money benefits and pension. Its gone to hell real bad the last 5 or 6 years. But most of us have too much time in to quit the race now. My advice is definitely get your degree of some sort. Its a great company to work for but its not if you know what im saying. The money and stability will probably always be there which I think is safe to say. But on the flip side the job is nothing but total bs all the way around.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

talk to a different steward.

the job is what it is. you must find your creative outlets outside of it, ignore what goes on inside. that's my goal.

 

[BEE51]

I would keep my head down for awhile, keep my mouth shut and do my job. If you want to do something different? Then start looking! It seems like everyone gets there turn of being on the wrong end of the stick with this company, right now it's your turn, probably because of the injury report. Just wait for a couple more weeks someone else will do something and they will leave you alone and move on to someone else. The most important thing for you to do is finish college. Goodluck!! If your having a problem with the steward I either talk to another steward, full time if necessary.

 

[HubBub]

First, talk to your BA and discuss the situation. Second, you don't need a steward to file a grievance. Always grieve sups working, no exceptions. Scorched earth policy. If you're at the point of quitting, it won't matter if you ruffle some feathers. Who knows, you might start liking the place more once you stop allowing yourself to be treated like a chump (no offense). Learn the contract and use it.

As far as being observed after injury, I think it may be company-wide policy. It is here anyway. Just "follow the methods" and tune out the BS. Learning to ignore management's BS is probably the most important skill you need to learn. Just nod your head and say "OK".

 

[BrownBrokeDown]

Have they documented you before on misloads? I don't believe that they can go from no documentation/write-ups directly to a warning letter on that. If they can't you could probably grieve the warning letter. Would one of the stewards that posts on here clarify this? (there are some really knowledgable stewards that post on this website)

 

[Lineandinitial]

Why ask here? A smart white guy like you should be able to figure out the next step. Try a different variety of soup.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

Have they documented you before on misloads? I don't believe that they can go from no documentation/write-ups directly to a warning letter on that. If they can't you could probably grieve the warning letter. Would one of the stewards that posts on here clarify this? (there are some really knowledgable stewards that post on this website)

Varies hub-to-hub/center-to-center, but there's typically an "acceptable" level of missorts (ie. 1 missort per 5,000 pieces or no more than 1/day or 3/week, etc.) This varies from supervisor to supervisor and typically depends on how bad service has gotten in a particular area. In my hub, outbound management typically require employees to sign a training document (single sheet of paper stating something along the lines of: "I understand that misloads are service failures and are unacceptable. I have received training on how to prevent missorts, including:") that goes in their center file, but is not considered disciplinary. An employee typically has to be receiving 2+ missorts a day for several days in order to officially be written up (via employee record) and it goes down first as "training" then as "failure to follow" with another "failure to follow" and then a warning letter being issued. The second warning letter then includes a suspension that the union will try and bargain down, ie. company asks for 3 days, we get 1 day. Company asks for 1 day, we ask for "time served" (suspension shows up on their record, but they don't miss a day of work).

The company cannot seek termination until an employee has: 1) received a warning letter, 2) has served at least one suspension or 3) committed a cardinal sin infraction; for hub workers, this would be dishonesty (stealing/flagrantly stealing time), 3 day no-call no-show (not a cardinal sin, but they can be taken off the job as they are considered to have broken seniority/voluntarily quit), drinking while on duty, possessing/using illegal drugs while on duty, recklessness resulting in serious injury, or if the company has "just cause" ie. it's not unreasonable to expect the company to fire someone on the spot for punching a supervisor in the face.

That's progressive discipline, in a nut shell.

 

[BrownBrokeDown]

Varies hub-to-hub/center-to-center, but there's typically an "acceptable" level of missorts (ie. 1 missort per 5,000 pieces or no more than 1/day or 3/week, etc.) This varies from supervisor to supervisor and typically depends on how bad service has gotten in a particular area. In my hub, outbound management typically require employees to sign a training document (single sheet of paper stating something along the lines of: "I understand that misloads are service failures and are unacceptable. I have received training on how to prevent missorts, including:") that goes in their center file, but is not considered disciplinary. An employee typically has to be receiving 2+ missorts a day for several days in order to officially be written up (via employee record) and it goes down first as "training" then as "failure to follow" with another "failure to follow" and then a warning letter being issued. The second warning letter then includes a suspension that the union will try and bargain down, ie. company asks for 3 days, we get 1 day. Company asks for 1 day, we ask for "time served" (suspension shows up on their record, but they don't miss a day of work).

The company cannot seek termination until an employee has: 1) received a warning letter, 2) has served at least one suspension or 3) committed a cardinal sin infraction; for hub workers, this would be dishonesty (stealing/flagrantly stealing time), 3 day no-call no-show (not a cardinal sin, but they can be taken off the job as they are considered to have broken seniority/voluntarily quit), drinking while on duty, possessing/using illegal drugs while on duty, recklessness resulting in serious injury, or if the company has "just cause" ie. it's not unreasonable to expect the company to fire someone on the spot for punching a supervisor in the face.

That's progressive discipline, in a nut shell.

So non-cardinal infraction, if there is no previous documentation and a warning letter is issued, he would be able to grieve it, correct? Since they did not follow the progression of discipline?

 

[PiedmontSteward]

So non-cardinal infraction, if there is no previous documentation and a warning letter is issued, he would be able to grieve it, correct? Since they did not follow the progression of discipline?

More than likely, yes. The steward or BA could also pull up the discipline related to missorts for other employees and see if the OP is receiving disparate treatment as a result of being injured. Typically, locals automatically grieve warning letters within the 10-day window on behalf of the member (both the union and the member receive copies of the warning letter via certified mail and the union responds with a form letter and form grievance objecting to the discipline and it's later hashed out at a center/local level meeting) but smaller locals might not.

 

[BrownBrokeDown]

Typically, locals automatically grieve warning letters within the 10-day window on behalf of the member (both the union and the member receive copies of the warning letter via certified mail and the union responds with a form letter and form grievance objecting to the discipline and it's later hashed out at a center/local level meeting) but smaller locals might not.

Key point, OP. Call your BA, inform them of the situation immediately. Don't procrastinate.

 

[TheFigurehead]

Help.

the repetitive physical labor that requires little to no thinking really is driving me insane

Welcome to UPS. Repetitive physical labor that requires no thinking is what we do. Outside of being a sup (and it takes a special kind of lazy bastard to stand around doing nothing, complaining about production, while a bunch of other guys bust their humps), that's all there is. UPS isn't paying anyone to think (even sups)... in fact UPS is paying you not to think. Show up, move boxes, go home. That's all there is. It doesn't matter if you load, unload, sort, or deliver... You are only as valuable as your ability to move boxes as quickly as possible.

...and no offense, but if you were as smart as you think you are, you would have figured that out before you ever applied.

 

[Lineandinitial]

Welcome to UPS. Repetitive physical labor that requires no thinking is what we do. Outside of being a sup (and it takes a special kind of lazy bastard to stand around doing nothing, complaining about production, while a bunch of other guys bust their humps), that's all there is. UPS isn't paying anyone to think (even sups)... in fact UPS is paying you not to think. Show up, move boxes, go home. That's all there is. It doesn't matter if you load, unload, sort, or deliver... You are only as valuable as your ability to move boxes as quickly as possible.

...and no offense, but if you were as smart as you think you are, you would have figured that out before you ever applied.

and no offense to you, FNG, but Plato's Allegory of the Cave describes your view of the Supervisor's role to a tee. You'll never accept it, but there is much more to a Sup's job than being a "lazy bastard". In fact, these kind of comments say more about you than you probably realize. Come out of the cave!

 

[East coast navy]

First off I would suggest dropping the whole im smart and white thing, woe is me isnt going to get you anywhere but out of a job and you blaming someone else for you being jobless. Im a steward and I dont like some people but I still represent them. First thing you need to do is go to your steward and talk to him. The trucks you load are community property and any one can walk by your truck and put a misload on it. The burden of proof is on them. There accusing you of misloading boxes make them prove it. If you dont get the results out of the steaard go to the local and request a meeting with the ba and the steward. There is always a chain of command, use it. Go back in with a whole new attitude, are you in the union, are you making it a point to file on the sups working, are you being a union employee or have you brown nosed too much. Dont get upset this is all honesty and if you want a change prove yourself.

Ouch is right. You shouldn't say anything about white or black talk. If you can't prove it. It's a waste of time. So start by talking to your stew. See if you can get on his level. If that Doesn't work out. Then find another stew. If that doesn't work. Then talk to a BA. Now for each person you talk to. Maybe try to get to know these guys or gals. It goes along way sometimes. If it Doesn't work out then start working up the ladder. But I would do it as a last resort.

 

[TheFigurehead]

and no offense to you, FNG, but Plato's Allegory of the Cave describes your view of the Supervisor's role to a tee. You'll never accept it, but there is much more to a Sup's job than being a "lazy bastard". In fact, these kind of comments say more about you than you probably realize. Come out of the cave!

I am well aware of what the sup's role is... and I am, indeed, guilty of minimizing their responsibility in my post to try and make a point. I don't have any animosity towards my supervisor at all, in fact, he is quite busy most of the time... it's just a different sort of work. Personally, I find it difficult to do that sort of work while a hundred other guys bust their asses doing manual labor. Some guys can. I would feel different about it if one, as a sup, was able to chip in and toss some boxes, but they are not allowed to. That doesn't appeal to me. If I'm sending a bunch of guys into battle, I'm going to be right there in the trenches with them.

This isn't that.

You're right, though, it's not really the fault of the supervisor, beyond choosing to become one.

 

[Plunder]

I worked pre-load 6 years and NO ONE has ever gotten fired for misloads. I've even heard a soup say that and hes been there 10 years plus. Actually I loaded a spot for 2 years, I would get 5-6 sometimes like 12 misloads on this one truck everyday. Finally I got pulled in the office and my boss said, " I like you *blank*, but we have to find another place for you cause my boss is coming down on me. We think the driver is doing something funny but we cant prove or catch him so we are just going to move you. What would you like to do here?"

 

[BrownDooDoo]

Thanks for the replies everyone, sorry I haven't been back on here.

Since the incident, I never really got a warning letter. I guess that was just smoke to try and scare me. It still sucks I just try to ignore everything and do as best I can. I had some misloads since then but nothing serious. I signed one little paper or two about it and thats it.

Today there was a "misload" on one of my trucks but a sup found it before it ever left. She then tried to get me to sign this thing that said I had a misload and I said I'm not signing it, that truck never left the building so it wasnt a misload. I could have found that package before it left and stopped it. And she said something along the lines of "Oh so you're not gonna sign this? We can suspend you for that you know" and I told her I wanted to talk about it with a steward before I signed anything. She said "This isnt anything serious it's just to bring the misload to your attention is all" so I said well it's to my attention now I dont need to sign a paper for that.

Operation Sup came over and said "he wont sign it? fine write refusal to sign i dont care dont you let another misload leave this building how about that"


So I went back about working, got behind kicked because of some mess up somewhere, belt jammed me and splitter have to split, I'm loading 2 trucks and a trailer with 2 trucks in it, and the splitter has no trucks. So Im stacked out the ass, gary infront of rick rick infront of zzzz zzzz infront of gary bla bla. I load everything up, belt clears out a little and I have some "time". Im making sure I had no misloads and the operation supervisor comes "What the hell are you doing I pay you to get it in the truck right the first time" bla bla bla. One of the other supervisors started to stick up for me and i Just finished my work and left.

It sucks but whatever. I'm stuck here for now. Just temporary until I finish school. I don't know the contact perfectly but I know they cant really do * to me if I'm in the union and trying hard to do my job well. I try and it's not like I misload on purpose, ** just gets crazy sometimes. Maybe theyll let me double check the trucks after I clock out or something if theres time. I wish they would let me go back to primary. He's dumb. Why have someone who's good at the sort belt loading trucks all the time if they misload? Other people have more misloads than me and a more regular basis so I don't get why he singles me out but whatever.

I was thinking about going into management to get away from the union work, but I'm too scared he'd treat me unfairly and he'd 100% be able to get rid of me easier. He seemed excited when I asked to take the MAPP today, but then the way he was treating me all day looking at me dripping sweat with hella * stacked out bitching like I wasn't trying hard enough made me change my mind. So I guess I'll just stick around until I finish school.

Pic attached is just one of my trucks after idk what happened and I got SLAMMMMMED



Oh yeah--Also heard a rumor that the operation supervisor gives payouts from his bonuses to the shop steward and such to stop him from filing grievances or helping others file grievances. Dk how true that is. One guy thats been there for a while just said yeah he gives kick backs from his bonus to gary and them so they let certain things slide