Voting out Bonus

Ruralbrownman

Well-Known Member
Our center is having a vote to eliminate bonus . Has any other center down it and what has been the result. Management has down everything to coerce driver to vote to keep it in with shallow promises that will not last and it will probably work.
 

bumped

Well-Known Member
In a previous center I was in bonus was voted out. Nothing really changes as far as dispatch. The runners will always run.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
In a previous center I was in bonus was voted out. Nothing really changes as far as dispatch. The runners will always run.

Except the runners are making less overall and effectively less per hour worked.

In theory, Bonus is a means of paying smarter, harder working people a higher wage per hour.
 

JonFrum

Member
I was amazed when I first learned way back when that there was a bonus system elsewhere. Not that I'm against incentives; just that only some buildings have it.

The way I interpret Article 6 Section 1, the bonus system is an "Extra Contract Agreement" and should therefore be illegal, as it encourages drivers to violate the Contract and Company Policy.

If it is to be implimented, it should be carefully negotiated and in place for everyone nationwide. It's not fair to compare drivers in one building that have it, to drivers in another building that don't.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Jon brings up a good point. I would be curious to see the accident/injury/concerns rate for bonus and non-bonus centers to see if the data supports his claim that bonus encourages drivers to violate the contract and company policy.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
Except the runners are making less overall and effectively less per hour worked.

In theory, Bonus is a means of paying smarter, harder working people a higher wage per hour.
In reality, it means giving people an incentive to take shortcuts and run up their miles.
 

kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
I covered a trip last week that I hate to cover. Averages about 95-115 stops, 350ish packages...mostly on 3 main streets mostly businesses......several square miles on area. 60 miles total . Last pick up is at 17:30. I run the trip so I can get as much ground off with the air's. Usually get done all deliveries and all but the last pick up by 15:30. Nothing to do till 17:30. Pretty much make scratch give or take 25 clicks. So, I took work off another driver to help and get a little bonus if I am going to sit for 2 hours.....
 

Old International

Now driving a Sterling
I liked bonus. If everything clicked, I could be getting payed for sitting at home. It taught me to work smarter, as area knowledge is where you make up your time. Since I ran a rural route, I would DR to cars in town, farm supplies houses( hey Bob, can you take this for Mr Sanders on Pine Tree Rd? He knows it's here.).
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
In theory, Bonus is a means of paying smarter, harder working people a higher wage per hour.

When implemented, "bonus" was nothing more than a cash bribe that was paid for falsifying your timecard and indicating that you took a lunch when you did not.

This allowed the company to pay straight time for hours that should have been compensated at the overtime rate. It also allowed the company to avoid making pension and health&welfare contributions for those hours.

It also gave the company the ability to dispatch fewer vehicles, wheich meant fewer drivers, which meant fewer benefit plans to fund.

Even people who didnt want to be "bonus" drivers were effectivelty coerced into working off of the clock because if they were filling in on a "bonus" route for someone who routinely skipped lunch, the only way they could possibly maintain the same level of production was to skip their lunch too.

"Bonus" is and always has been a scam and if you have an opportunity to get out from under it then by all means do so.
 

kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
When implemented, "bonus" was nothing more than a cash bribe that was paid for falsifying your timecard and indicating that you took a lunch when you did not.

This allowed the company to pay straight time for hours that should have been compensated at the overtime rate. It also allowed the company to avoid making pension and health&welfare contributions for those hours.

It also gave the company the ability to dispatch fewer vehicles, wheich meant fewer drivers, which meant fewer benefit plans to fund.

Even people who didnt want to be "bonus" drivers were effectivelty coerced into working off of the clock because if they were filling in on a "bonus" route for someone who routinely skipped lunch, the only way they could possibly maintain the same level of production was to skip their lunch too.

"Bonus" is and always has been a scam and if you have an opportunity to get out from under it then by all means do so.

Blanket statement.

I like bonus, plus I get paid for all time worked. Do I take my lunch later in the day, yes.
 

pretzel_man

Well-Known Member
When implemented, "bonus" was nothing more than a cash bribe that was paid for falsifying your timecard and indicating that you took a lunch when you did not.

This allowed the company to pay straight time for hours that should have been compensated at the overtime rate. It also allowed the company to avoid making pension and health&welfare contributions for those hours.

It also gave the company the ability to dispatch fewer vehicles, wheich meant fewer drivers, which meant fewer benefit plans to fund.

Even people who didnt want to be "bonus" drivers were effectivelty coerced into working off of the clock because if they were filling in on a "bonus" route for someone who routinely skipped lunch, the only way they could possibly maintain the same level of production was to skip their lunch too.

"Bonus" is and always has been a scam and if you have an opportunity to get out from under it then by all means do so.

Falsifying a timecard to make bonus is stealing, and yes with bonus there is an incentive to do so.

Not taking lunch used to be called buying the employees lunch and was an accepted practice. Laws now require an employee to take lunch and they need to do so and properly record it.

In essence everything else you say is accurate... Bonus is good for the company, good for the individual employee making bonus, bad for the Teamsters.

P-Man
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Falsifying a timecard to make bonus is stealing, and yes with bonus there is an incentive to do so.

Not taking lunch used to be called buying the employees lunch and was an accepted practice. Laws now require an employee to take lunch and they need to do so and properly record it.

In essence everything else you say is accurate... Bonus is good for the company, good for the individual employee making bonus, bad for the Teamsters.

P-Man

A fair bonus system would be transparent and verifiable.

The system currently in place is neither.

The allowances by which "bonus" is paid are entirely under the control of the company, and can be altered at the sole discretion of the company.

As a driver you cannot verify them, you cannot dispute them, and you cannot adjust them. They are arbitrary and they are chiseled in stone.

A fair bonus system would have some sort of mechanism in place for correcting poor time allowances. It would have safeguards in place to prevent work from being done off of the clock. Eligibility would be contingent upon maintaining a safe work and driving record. And the terms and conditions of bonus would be negotiated into the labor agreement.

I would be 100% in favor of such a system. But we all know that it will never happen.
 

pretzel_man

Well-Known Member
A fair bonus system would be transparent and verifiable.

The system currently in place is neither.

The allowances by which "bonus" is paid are entirely under the control of the company, and can be altered at the sole discretion of the company.

As a driver you cannot verify them, you cannot dispute them, and you cannot adjust them. They are arbitrary and they are chiseled in stone.

A fair bonus system would have some sort of mechanism in place for correcting poor time allowances. It would have safeguards in place to prevent work from being done off of the clock. Eligibility would be contingent upon maintaining a safe work and driving record. And the terms and conditions of bonus would be negotiated into the labor agreement.

I would be 100% in favor of such a system. But we all know that it will never happen.

I purposely kept away from work measurement on my last post. I responded to what you wrote....

You said that a bonus system would reduce the number of drivers, reduce H&W payments, incent drivers to skip lunch, reduce UPS' cost.

With any bonus system that would be true.....

P-Man
 

brownmonster

Man of Great Wisdom
The biggest problem with bonus in a union environment is the union wants as many people doing as little as possible. As a worker, if I can work faster while still maintaining quality and make more money, I'm all for it. Piece work is all over the factories around here and you get the same arguments. Poor allowances and corner cutting. Go to your local grocery store. Some people can scan or bag your groceries in slow motion and others are like a well oiled machine. Bottom line. Some are just better workers than others.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
A fair bonus system would be transparent and verifiable.

The system currently in place is neither.

The allowances by which "bonus" is paid are entirely under the control of the company, and can be altered at the sole discretion of the company.

As a driver you cannot verify them, you cannot dispute them, and you cannot adjust them. They are arbitrary and they are chiseled in stone.

A fair bonus system would have some sort of mechanism in place for correcting poor time allowances. It would have safeguards in place to prevent work from being done off of the clock. Eligibility would be contingent upon maintaining a safe work and driving record. And the terms and conditions of bonus would be negotiated into the labor agreement.

I would be 100% in favor of such a system. But we all know that it will never happen.

I wish I lived in a perfect world too!
 
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