UPS proposing cutting PT guarantee to 3 hours?

[OrangeBeltHero]

I'd say that I average around 4-4.5 per day at my hub.

 

[Nimnim]

I do not get it, in the year I have worked preload, I never worked less than 4.5 hours and worked a ton of shifts over 5 hours

You are a lucky person!

I'd say that I average around 4-4.5 per day at my hub.

About the same for me, 4-4.5 easily. The only people on my shift that get close to 3.5 consistently are unloaders/sorters. Mon-Fri they should be getting about 3.5 without trouble. Friday is a different beast since they always start us at least 30 minutes later, only day I have to worry about 3.5. Loaders are about in my boat but each Pd usually cuts people when we get close to the end.

 

[LongTimeComing]

My part-time employees at the air gateway are already only guaranteed 3 hours. Not sure they will have a problem with this change.

Edit: And to address what 104feeder brought up,

I'm with you on package center and hub part-timers getting a guarantee of 4. It's justified. We were doing everything we could when I was working in the hub to get the guys done at 3.5, but it usually never worked.

The air hubs and gateways are a completely different beast. This is only anecdotal, but it's hard to say that they even need 3 hours. There's really only about a good 1.5 hours of work on our PM shift, but the nature of the beast requires a whole lot of "hurry up and wait". More often than not, our folks are all finished up with 30-45 mins to spare until their guaranteed time. To give them 4 hours would be silly. The air network is so pinpoint, time sensitive....we couldn't find another hour of work if we tried.

 

[Bagels]

I'm aware there's PTers who still work 5 hours or more, but you're an exception and not the rule. While the lack of hours is an issue among PTers throughout my union local, we do have one facility in which the opposite is true -- it's a small, two unload door / one straight belt facility that cannot be expanded and thus PTers often work in excess of 6-hours or more (of course, there's only about two dozen Preloaders in total).

And yes, while many PTers eagerly volunteer to leave well before 3.5, the majority here do so because management will harass them if they don't. For example, yesterday I was asked to clock out at the 2 hour, 48 minute mark. When I requested my guarantee, my FT supervisor told me 'it's close enough and if you want to be petty, I'll be petty too.' Me and one other person wouldn't budge, and he then spent the next 42-minutes having us write out the 5/8 keys repeatedly, badgering us the whole time (an employee with a $100K total compensation package has enough time to do this? really? I see potential savings...)

I could understand if volume was suffering, but our volume is stagnant vs. last year and we're working significantly more people. Theoretically, adding employees should be expensive -- significant time is investing in hiring, recruiting, orientating, training, learning curve, etc. -- but obviously UPS is banking on the prospects that most will put forth a good few months then quit, ultimately costing less than paying incumbent senior employees. I still blame that on the past contract, which deferred benefits for new employees, making new help cheap.

But hey, I get up in the middle of the night (which allegedly shaves some time off my lifespan), drive nearly a half hour to work and put forth a valiant effort every day. I take care of UPS and I expect UPS to reasonably take care of me. I agree, the PTers need to be more vocal about issues that are important to them and vote down concessionary contracts.

 

[Drink Craft Beer]

We have a contract with the company make them follow it. They can't make changes to it just because they feel like it......

This PT'ers.....this^^^

Another thing that I've noticed (in my hub) is that new hires aren't put straight into the un-load anymore. They're started on the belt loading package cars. This way the experienced un-loaders stay there (because they choose to even though they know how to load) and they get out of the trucks faster than a new hire would. Which obviously helps the numbers on UPS' end.

If you're not lucky and have to call in every morning (middle of the night) for example "3 weeks straight" and only work 4 days out of those 15... you're not going to continue to do so and say hell with this place.

This is the era of "I need to work just about everyday as a college student or family person" etc..etc..

 

[frivolous petty small.]

Just work safer, build perfect walls, keep both sides clear of egress.

 

[Catatonic]

Another thing that I've noticed (in my hub) is that new hires aren't put straight into the un-load anymore. They're started on the belt loading package cars.

They also do that to keep the "not as sharp" people from making seniority and having an unload force that can't do anything else.

 

[Anonymous 10]

For the third consecutive week, my Preload's start times have been pushed back 30-minutes later than ever before, with plenty of new faces being added to pick up the slack (for example, in the input we've added two additional sorter/SPA/unload teams -- that's up four from last year -- as well as one additional irreg driver). I didn't put too much thought into it, assuming it was being done to train seasonal hires, but this morning our business agent showed up to address our sort during break. He said the company's attempting to lower the guarantee to 3 hours and has been arguing that most of us don't want to work 3.5, and it's becoming too much of an unnecessary costly burden to find work for those that do. He told us that if we wanted 3.5, we needed to speak up and work 3.5, otherwise this would transition toward a permanent thing.

Is this happening elsewhere? Has the company proposed this (he did NOT say propose - but rather attempted).

With all due respect this was never proposed. You have nothing to worry about. Seriously

 

[3 done 3 to go]

It's time for the collective P/T workforce to get involved.

UPS and the Teamsters know that's not going to happen.
At least 80% of the part-timers don't care that much.

That's too bad.

They also do that to keep the "not as sharp" people from making seniority and having an unload force that can't do anything else.

I have noticed in last couple years. PAS is skilless. They don't think. Just look at the numbers. Used to have loaders who loaded as I delivered it. Was almost perfect. Everyday. Now they haven't a clue. I don't understand why they cant look at the label and pas label. Just to see if they match

 

[ocnewguy]

speaking of hours..apparently there is no more double shifting from twi->preload anymore. Just my luck that it would end the 2nd week i started doing it. rumor has it they are just gonna hire a bunch of people for the preload and send anyone from twi coming in home. bummer.

 

[Bagels]

speaking of hours..apparently there is no more double shifting from twi->preload anymore. Just my luck that it would end the 2nd week i started doing it. rumor has it they are just gonna hire a bunch of people for the preload and send anyone from twi coming in home. bummer.

At least in my area, if UPS has inadequate help, management is required to double shift employees (that volunteer). For years there was always double shifting opportunities here (and sometimes we had the option of working at other facilities as well). And even though it yielded OT after 5 hours, it wasn't a popular option among the PTers.

Since the economy tanked, we don't need extra help -- heck, 25-30 people are touring our building each morning this week -- but when we do, management works now. Nobody forces the issue anymore...

 

[OrangeBeltHero]

speaking of hours..apparently there is no more double shifting from twi->preload anymore. Just my luck that it would end the 2nd week i started doing it. rumor has it they are just gonna hire a bunch of people for the preload and send anyone from twi coming in home. bummer.

Yep I was going to go Friday morning. Found out that I can't. What area are you working?