Vacation selection (Summer weeks)

[cosmictrucker]

I realize the tone of the original post has changed somewhat, but this is an interesting change in subject line...


It's not uncommon for many of us to have unused sick or personal days remaining at the end of the year. I would be willing to donate a day or two to a pool to be used those in need. When we are paid off for unused days, the taxes sure take a hit on the net. The day off is worth more than the few extra dollars and if those donated days could help someone in need, then I'm for it.

 

[outta hours]

Like a top hand told me back when I started, "seniority sucks... unless you have it".

 

[22.34life]

I think the way it is now works just fine, i dont get all the weeks i want all the time ,at 11 yrs i dont always get the pick of the litter.thats the way it is though, i get weeks that other people cant get.Now if somebody im cool with wants a week i got and have a good reason to need to that week and i really dont have any real plans i will let them have the week,but not just anybody, its gotta be someone that i like or else it aint happening.you gotta be carefull what you ask for cause no telling how ups would twist some new policy on vacations to benifit them.

 

[browniehound]

View attachment 4379
Bryce Canyon National Park

Ok I stole this from another thread, but here goes. I am almost at 22 yrs driving, one of my pet peaves is that some drivers will select all of their weeks in the middle of summer or always take spring break or the week after Christmas. Now I know that there are few things seniority gets you but here is my idea.

When selecting vacation there should be high weeks and low weeks. High weeks being spring break, June 1st thru August 31st, the week after Christmas(or the week after peak for you politically correct folks). So when you are selecting you get to pick 3 of the high weeks and then are free to pick any other of the low weeks.

I have six weeks to pick, this year I used only 2 high weeks. I have never picked more than 3 . I seems only fair to get the younger drivers a shot as yearly as possible to summer vacation. It took me 14 yrs to make it to a summer week. If we are truely a brotherhood seems to me this would be the way to go. Let me know why I am wrong.

WOW, Brownboxman, you read my mind! I willing to go as far as leaving 1 high week on the table. I understand seniority is all we have and its the senior driver's right to pick 6 summer weeks, so I'm not here to complain even though I'm here to complain.

Seriously, I just need 1 week in July. My relationship and reputation with her family depends on it. I was there as a cover driver tens of times to take your route when you wanted to go home! Can you leave me a week in July sometime? Sorry to sound like a baby here, but I guess I am.

I like 'Brownboxman's' philosophy on "High" weeks. He suggested senior driver get 3 "high" weeks. I'm willing to go as far as 5 "high" weeks because I don't want to diminish your senoirity rights any more than I have to to get 1 measly week.

I'm going to cry one last time here and then I'm done and I apologize in advance.

Can't you guys take a week in the spring or fall? The weather is still beautiful then. I really hate writing this because I am a believer of 'senoirity rules' and I'm only writing this because I need a week. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't care. I would take vacation at any time and enjoy EVERY second of it even if it was Febuary 23!

However, its been seven(7), yes 7, that I have not been able to go to the mountains on NH with my girlfriend and they ask EVERY year where Browniehound is. What's worse is that thet don't believe that I have to work.

So maybe in retospect you are doing me a favor! Seriously, we all need a summer week. Why do you have to choose 6 or 7? Can you help a less senoir brother out by only choosing 4?

If not, its fine and I love you too. Just don't ask me to cover your route someday because I will not.

 

[over9five]

BH, Why don't you bang in on a Monday and get at least a few days up in the mountains with her and her family? The company will survive a few days without you, and once in a while your family (or hers) has to come first.

 

[NHDRVR]

An idea that someone had a few years back has stuck with me. In our region we are able to use a either 5 sick days or 3 sick and 2 optional to get another scheduled week off during our vacation picks. I don't know if this is done throughout the rest of the country. Any ways, the idea was that the picks would run as normal with the exception being your additional week, using the sick days, would be after everyone had picked their normal weeks. It would simply give junior drivers an opportunity to get a summer week.

I always felt that since seniority really doesn't get us anything, vacation picks were our way of getting something for our time here. I am on week 2 of 4 in a row and I take 2 more after peak. Part of me wanted to be able to get a vacation in the summer when I started but a bigger part knew that my time would come when I put my time in. I still feel that's the case here...

As someone said, do your time and earn your stripes...

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

How are you getting two weeks after Peak when the second week would be the first week of January and you have yet to earn that vacation week?

 

[NHDRVR]

WOW, Brownboxman, you read my mind! I willing to go as far as leaving 1 high week on the table. I understand seniority is all we have and its the senior driver's right to pick 6 summer weeks, so I'm not here to complain even though I'm here to complain.

Seriously, I just need 1 week in July. My relationship and reputation with her family depends on it. I was there as a cover driver tens of times to take your route when you wanted to go home! Can you leave me a week in July sometime? Sorry to sound like a baby here, but I guess I am.

I like 'Brownboxman's' philosophy on "High" weeks. He suggested senior driver get 3 "high" weeks. I'm willing to go as far as 5 "high" weeks because I don't want to diminish your senoirity rights any more than I have to to get 1 measly week.

I'm going to cry one last time here and then I'm done and I apologize in advance.

Can't you guys take a week in the spring or fall? The weather is still beautiful then. I really hate writing this because I am a believer of 'senoirity rules' and I'm only writing this because I need a week. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't care. I would take vacation at any time and enjoy EVERY second of it even if it was Febuary 23!

However, its been seven(7), yes 7, that I have not been able to go to the mountains on NH with my girlfriend and they ask EVERY year where Browniehound is. What's worse is that thet don't believe that I have to work.

So maybe in retospect you are doing me a favor! Seriously, we all need a summer week. Why do you have to choose 6 or 7? Can you help a less senoir brother out by only choosing 4?

If not, its fine and I love you too. Just don't ask me to cover your route someday because I will not.

We are able to switch vacations if someone is willing up here. I did it a few times when I 1st started to get a trip with the family or the like. The guys with 7+ weeks were more apt to do this since their kids were out of the house and, in my experience, they were being nice guys. And, yes, I would do the same if I was able.

To each his own...

 

[NHDRVR]

How are you getting two weeks after Peak when the second week would be the first week of January and you have yet to earn that vacation week?

I specifically have the 1st of Jan to the 16th (I think)...I say it's right after peak since I only work a day or two the week after X-mas since everything slows down..

Also, to answer your question, our vaction picks are from May1st to April 30th. Everything is wide open. Do you go from Jan. to Dec.?

 

[over9five]

We are able to switch vacations if someone is willing up here. I did it a few times when I 1st started to get a trip with the family or the like. The guys with 7+ weeks were more apt to do this since their kids were out of the house and, in my experience, they were being nice guys. And, yes, I would do the same if I was able.

To each his own...

How does switching work if someone in seniority between you and the switchee wanted that week? I think I would have to grieve that practice if it happened here.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I specifically have the 1st of Jan to the 16th (I think)...I say it's right after peak since I only work a day or two the week after X-mas since everything slows down..

Also, to answer your question, our vaction picks are from May1st to April 30th. Everything is wide open. Do you go from Jan. to Dec.?

Yes and that's why I was confused by your post.

We can pick Jan-Mar vacations during Peak as there is usually not too much demand for them and our center manager wants to make sure they get in the system.

 

[NHDRVR]

How does switching work if someone in seniority between you and the switchee wanted that week? I think I would have to grieve that practice if it happened here.

After the weeks are posted (completed vacation picks) the 2 parties involved go to our center manager, this is common knowledge of the steward and BA mind you, and they are switched on the vacation sheet. It happens probably 4-5 times after the vacations are picked and no one has had a problem with it since, at some point, every driver has switched a week that they absolutely had to have for a trip or something.

 

[NHDRVR]

I specifically have the 1st of Jan to the 16th (I think)...I say it's right after peak since I only work a day or two the week after X-mas since everything slows down..

Also, to answer your question, our vaction picks are from May1st to April 30th. Everything is wide open. Do you go from Jan. to Dec.?

Yes and that's why I was confused by your post.


We can pick Jan-Mar vacations during Peak as there is usually not too much demand for them and our center manager wants to make sure they get in the system.

I would rather go Jan. to Dec. myself because, in my experience, my family books vacations in the fall for the following year and it just makes more sense. But that's UPS for you...

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Jan to Dec just seems to make more sense (to me).

 

[Highwayman]

I know how I felt when I was a low seniority driver. It's all about RESPECT! If you want respect you must give it. High seniority guys should respect the lower guys or you just continue the hard feelings.

 

[soberups]

How does switching work if someone in seniority between you and the switchee wanted that week? I think I would have to grieve that practice if it happened here.

The only way to make that work would be to get the approval of everybody who selected between the time that the week in question was closed out and when the person who needs to switch was able to select. Those people are the first ones who are entitled to the week because it wasnt available to them when they picked. If they are OK with it then there is nothing really wrong with allowing 2 drivers to trade a week. That has happened once or twice here but its a major hassle and our management is usually quite reluctant to get involved. And I cant say that I blame them.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The only way to make that work would be to first go to everybody who selected between the time that the week in question was closed out and when the person who needs to switch was able to select. Those people are entitled to the week because it wanst available to them when they picked. If they are OK with it then there is nothing really wrong with allowing 2 drivers to trade a week. That has happened once or twice here but its a major hassle and our management is usually quite reluctant to get involved. And I cant say that I blame them.

This has happened here as well and, as Sober said, it is a pain in the butt for all involved. This usually happens when a lower seniority driver has made vacation plans and paid a non-refundable deposit based upon the hope that the week that he wants will still be there when it is his turn to bid. When it turns out that this week has been closed out, he will then go through the vacation calendar, see who has chosen that week, and then will ask if they would be willing to switch. If that person says yes then that week still has to be offered to everyone else with seniority between the higher and lower drivers in question. If no one wants it the trade can be made (there may be a financial incentive offered to sweeten the pot).

 

[tracker2762]

There might be another reason senior drivers pick the summer months for vacation, is the heat. With routes being dispatched with peak numbers, it becomes very exhausting to the body. I don't blame anyone for thinking of themselves in this way. they've come to far and have earned this one advantage of picking their vacations first.

 

[robot]

transfer to my center if you want a week in august off. by the time i got to bid (150ish out of 180) the only month open still was august. yay!

 

[cachsux]

I know how I felt when I was a low seniority driver. It's all about RESPECT! If you want respect you must give it. High seniority guys should respect the lower guys or you just continue the hard feelings.

Respect,high or low,is something that is earned. If it`s handed out like a toy in a happy meal it has no value.