warning letter for misloads

[stoni24]

Received my first warning letter from my center manager yesterday for misloads. I'm 99% sure that I misloaded the packages but wanted some opinions on my situation. I'm supposed to be working in unload and I don't have a usual "home" set of cars that I load. I only load cars during summer and peak. The set of cars that I had the misloads on, i've only loaded a couple of times before and it was my first day on them in at least six months. I stress again I'm an UNLOADER and only load when we are shorthanded. I have a good reputation during my short ups career and don't want to "stress" that opinion of me, but do I have a reason to file or just suck it up???

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

To be fair I think a verbal warning would have been more appropriate in this situation.

 

[User Name]

Just ask around your building, who was the last guy in your building to get fired for misloads??????? Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[22.34life]

Just ask around your building, who was the last guy in your building to get fired for misloads??????? Don't sweat the small stuff.

you should sweat the small stuff, if the small stuff gets you documented dicipline like a warning letter.after all a warning letter is the first step towards termination ,now that would be a long time away but its a start.Now if you are an unloader one point you can make is did you have proper training on the scanners,every loader has to have a certain amount of training to use the scaners. did you have union represention when you got the warning letter if not it will never stand.you should protest this warning letter and any other you get.

 

[PT Stewie]

Have the steward or the BA protest the warning letter.If you were not warned in the presense of a union rep it should not count. Also as above you should had at the very least a verbal warning before a written one.Typical management lazy BS . If this is your first incident do not except the letter. Do not go down the road to more disipline without a fight.

 

[JonFrum]

Write up your side of the story so it will be in your file to offset the Warning Letter. Anyone looking at the Warning Letter at a future time will have to consider your explanatory letter of protest as well.

 

[stoni24]

My steward was there. We had a "meeting" in the rear door of one of my cars thurs. morning.
Mgmt. is really cracking down on misloads. I've had misloads before but no more than any of my co workers. I just feel its crappy, to get a warning letter when your "floating", working various jobs in the center while others load 3 cars and I always load 4.

 

[grgrcr88]

Received my first warning letter from my center manager yesterday for misloads. I'm 99% sure that I misloaded the packages but wanted some opinions on my situation. I'm supposed to be working in unload and I don't have a usual "home" set of cars that I load. I only load cars during summer and peak. The set of cars that I had the misloads on, i've only loaded a couple of times before and it was my first day on them in at least six months. I stress again I'm an UNLOADER and only load when we are shorthanded. I have a good reputation during my short ups career and don't want to "stress" that opinion of me, but do I have a reason to file or just suck it up???

You shoild file a grievance for every formal discipline. If you don't you accepted it. Even if nothing comes of the grievance(most of the time warning letters just go down as "Warning letter Protested") It will be in the record that you did not agree in case there is further discipline in the future. It's hard to argue that someone does not deserve a suspension if they received a warning letter and agreed to it by not grieving it. The company expects a grievance for all discipline so it will be no surprise to anyone.

 

[grgrcr88]

My steward was there. We had a "meeting" in the rear door of one of my cars thurs. morning.
Mgmt. is really cracking down on misloads. I've had misloads before but no more than any of my co workers. I just feel its crappy, to get a warning letter when your "floating", working various jobs in the center while others load 3 cars and I always load 4.

Then slow down and make 100% sure of every package on every car, You will get in alot more trouble for misloads than for speed.

 

[grgrcr88]

Just ask around your building, who was the last guy in your building to get fired for misloads??????? Don't sweat the small stuff.

Small Stuff? Putting a package on the wrong truck is far from small stuff, every one has the potential for a service failure and a refund, and 2 angry customers that could potentially switch to another carrier because of it. That is far from "Small Stuff". I fact that is a very big deal. We have not had a term yet in our building but there are several loaders on 3 day suspensions as we speak, for misloads. It is only a matter of time before it happens, why be the one to have it happen to you.

 

[Anonymous 10]

Then slow down and make 100% sure of every package on every car, You will get in alot more trouble for misloads than for speed.

Just don't mention to management that you are slowing down if you do it's a very bad word to say to them.

 

[grgrcr88]

Just don't mention to management that you are slowing down if you do it's a very bad word to say to them.

True, I didn't mean to dog it, just saying make sure of every package. Accuracy is far more important than speed.

 

[User Name]

Yeah, we are loosing more customers because of misloads!!!!!!!!! I call mine in and deliver them or they come and get them. I bet we loose more customes because we cut to many routs and miss pick ups not because of misloads. Remember you get paid by the hour and deliver them. I can count on one hand how many misloads that were not attempted, all others have been delivered. So don't sweat the small stuff and give your best effort.

Also, I will restate it, I have not seen anybody terminated for misloads. (10yrs with the company)

Driver accidents, yes, theft, yes, dui's, yes, management falsification of numbers, yes, lying about injuries, yes, unreproted accidents, yes, and I can go on and on.

 

[22.34life]

Yeah, we are loosing more customers because of misloads!!!!!!!!! I call mine in and deliver them or they come and get them. I bet we loose more customes because we cut to many routs and miss pick ups not because of misloads. Remember you get paid by the hour and deliver them. I can count on one hand how many misloads that were not attempted, all others have been delivered. So don't sweat the small stuff and give your best effort.

Also, I will restate it, I have not seen anybody terminated for misloads. (10yrs with the company)

Driver accidents, yes, theft, yes, dui's, yes, management falsification of numbers, yes, lying about injuries, yes, unreproted accidents, yes, and I can go on and on.

In the last year i have seen people get fired for missloads,maybe not in your building but where i am it has been happening.now i think some get their jobs back but a few do stick.Management has gotten way more consistant with the discipline process than they used to be,once you get a warning letter they are watching you like a hawk,as soon as you do it again they hit you with a suspension.the days of three verbal warnings are over.

 

[trickpony1]

Can someone explain some things to me?
1) how can a preloader be held responsible for something that could have happened after he left? Most add/cuts are made just prior to drivers leaving.
2) In another thread, a chicago area union member said management has to actually watch a preloader misload a pkg. No one can be punished for info gained electronically (from diad). OOPS!....I forgot.......Locals 705 and 710 have a REAL union.
3) When I was a preloader (before some of you were born) I refused to sign misload cards because I can't be responsible for what happens when I'm not here.

 

[gostillerz]

Don't sweat it. But in the future, never sign anything, or at least write RTS or under protest if you get into hot water again.

 

[705red]

Received my first warning letter from my center manager yesterday for misloads. I'm 99% sure that I misloaded the packages but wanted some opinions on my situation. I'm supposed to be working in unload and I don't have a usual "home" set of cars that I load. I only load cars during summer and peak. The set of cars that I had the misloads on, i've only loaded a couple of times before and it was my first day on them in at least six months. I stress again I'm an UNLOADER and only load when we are shorthanded. I have a good reputation during my short ups career and don't want to "stress" that opinion of me, but do I have a reason to file or just suck it up???

You should file a grievance/rebuttal for any documented discipline you receive for anything including missorts. Also get to know your contract as they vary from locations. Some areas a letter must be sent to your house within a certain time period, if that time period elapses the discipline is void. Always have a steward with you when you are talked to about anything that can lead to your discipline, its your right.

A steward especially a good steward can attempt to fix a problem like this if giving a chance so it does not lead to trouble for you and possibly correct the problem so we dont have missorts down the road. It could be a little problem you have that could be corrected with some advice from a senior employee who knows how to do the job.

If you have a boss that pushes pieces per hour like many buildings do, this sometimes creates missorts, and he/she will have to decide what is more important?

Nowhere in the contract does it say that you have to maintain a piece per hour quota!
Nowhere in the contract does it say that you can be discipline for missorts!

UPS has never meet with the union to negotiate working condidtiond like missorts. How can discpline be equal? Whos to say whats fair? You can have a loader that loads all bulk stops who loads 300 pieces a day and has 1 missort a day, yet another loader could load 900 pieces and have 1 a week.

Missorts suck, period!!!!! But threatening someones job over it sucks more. Why would anyone ever want to load? The loader is typically the last one to make the mistake, but several mistakes happened for it to get missorted, from the Pal person, to the sorter to the slide sorter, yet only the loader is responsible?

A piece of advice, check the label, recheck the label and make sure you are in the right truck every time. A fair days work for a fair days pay!

And be very careful taking advice from a message board, not everyone that replys is a steward or even knows the contract.

 

[over9five]

And be very careful taking advice from a message board........

+1

 

[deleted9]

Then slow down and make 100% sure of every package on every car, You will get in alot more trouble for misloads than for speed.

As a steward you just crossed the line by directing the workforce, you do not have the right to tell any ups employee that they should slow down, a steward directing the workforce is a dischargeable offense.

 

[PT Stewie]

As a steward you just crossed the line by directing the workforce, you do not have the right to tell any ups employee that they should slow down, a steward directing the workforce is a dischargeable offense.

Your splitting hairs here. I am sure what 88 meant was the advice:"work as fast as you can without loosing accuracy" I am sure management would not have an argument with that. After all it's all about the customer on both sides management and the work force.