Weight regulation

clean hairy

Well-Known Member
They still ship those things around Christmas? 30 years ago when I was a PC driver we would sometimes get 20-30 of those things a day. The good news is that they were driver release, and they would really sail if you got a good windup. lol.
Yup!
You drive right past it coming up 45.
You can see it on the frontage road right side in Corsicana.
 

Nimnim

The Nim
Article 44 section 3 of the NMA 4th paragraph

Packages over 150 pounds shall not be picked up. However, if such a package is discovered in the UPS system, the package shall not be handled by a bargaining unit employee unless such package can be reasonably broken down into packages which do not exceed 70 pounds.

I've received a few of these overweight foreverbags before. Sometimes we've broken them up and sent them back across the belt, other times we've just taken them as irregs to the proper load. Depends on what's in them. If they make it to the sort aisle then don't sort them, send them back to the unload as an irreg if you can't break it down and sort the packages separately.

Edit: while the NMA addresses 150 lbs smalls/forever bags are internal packaging and there's no reason you can't break them apart if it's too heavy. Everything will still have a label and if sorted and loaded properly the tracking information will still be accurate.
 

twoweeled

Well-Known Member
Supposedly 70lbs. is the max weight limit allowed on the sort aisle and there is even contract language on over 70's. I have an issue at my hub where those nyalon zipper bags (forever bags) are stuffed with small packages that are heavy. Imagine stuffing trash bags full of bricks and geing told to sort those bags to top belts and there is no weight descriptions. These bags feel super heavy and alot feel over 70 and it is shifting weight. You have to force it to the top belts. I keep bringing it up to CHSP and they say they will try to use moderation on stuffing these bags. All it takes is one bag too heavy to hurt someone. I have women on my sort aisle. Should I contact OSHA? My business agent says we have to sort it if it's not over 70 but he doesn't seem to get it.
When I was in package, I made a big deal when we went to over 70lbs. BIG DEAL!! District manager's from HR and operations, my manager, sups, union secretary and ba's. bottom line was every morning they would come to my car and pull off all the over 70's, (and put them on someone else's car).
It may not be fixed, but you have to grieve it. Write a grievance repeatedly when the issue comes up. Mention the danger of lifting "possible" over 70lbs, and the potential violation. Mention the fact there are no safeguards to rectify this. No anger, no ranting. Just the facts. Submit the grievance weekly if need be. The local may not want you to do this. Do it anyway (with due respect). Neither the union or the company is going to like this, I promise you. It sorta puts them both in a bad light if god forbid someone gets hurt because of this, and you have copies of 30 weekly grievances/notices. With this, you will learn a valuable lesson. Documentation is important. Why do you think management does it? If it works, it'll work after they realize you are going to continue to pursue this. The problem is going to be, we really don't know when these bags are overweight. Don't try and do their job. It's not your job to find the solution. Your job is to work safe. When they ask you how, you respond, "I don't know"! Leave it in their lap.
 

Inthegame

Well-Known Member
When I was in package, I made a big deal when we went to over 70lbs. BIG DEAL!! District manager's from HR and operations, my manager, sups, union secretary and ba's. bottom line was every morning they would come to my car and pull off all the over 70's, (and put them on someone else's car).
I'm sure the union secretaries were pleased with your tantrum. I would think a better course of action would be to follow Art 44 and ask for help from another BU employee when dealing with the contractually permissible over 70 lb package, on your own route miles from the center. To shift it off to someone else's car at start time (if that ever happened) did them a favor.
 
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Faceplanted

Well-Known Member
Two.

Of course, the joke would be:

How many union people would it take to lift a 149 lb package?

6. 4 to stand around and 2 to actually do the work.
How so? We can seek assistance with over 70s per the contact.

You can ask for help for a 71lb package correct?

If the answer to my question is 2 than the irregular weight would start at 75 not 70.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
How so? We can seek assistance with over 70s per the contact.

You can ask for help for a 71lb package correct?

If the answer to my question is 2 than the irregular weight would start at 75 not 70.

71 is the point where we can contractually ask for help. Using your math that means we would need 2 drivers for up to 142 lbs and an additional driver for the 7 lbs.

Someone at UPS did not do the math when working on this part of the contract.
 

clean hairy

Well-Known Member
71 is the point where we can contractually ask for help. Using your math that means we would need 2 drivers for up to 142 lbs and an additional driver for the 7 lbs.

Someone at UPS did not do the math when working on this part of the contract.
Management has yet to figure that 1 plus ? =2
And you think they can figure more complex mathematical equations than the one above?
 
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