What to do about senority???

[angel_sj]

I'm writing on here because my husband isn't sure what to do...

Someone who runs early am is on vacation for several weeks and the route was promised to him the whole time, but a supervisor keeps pulling him off of it to give it to someone with less senority. He has told the supervisor no that he wants to run it and he has more senority than the other guy but they refuse to back off from repeatdly pulling him from it... Their reasoning that they say is because my husband knows more routes and the other guy doesn't...

What should he do? or Is there anything he can do? He is in the union.

Thanks for any feedback or help. Have a great day & weekend! =)

 

[UPSGUY72]

I take it your husband is a "cover driver". In that case he dosen't get to pick the route he wants to drive management does and they are going to put him on a route that will benifit them the most.

That is what before sucks and is good about being a cover driver you never know what route your going to be on.

 

[angel_sj]

No he isn't a cover driver... he hasn't been for over 2 years now.

 

[UPSGUY72]

If he is not a cover driver then he must have bid on a route and was awarded one in that case he can file a grievance to be put on that route. If he hasen't bid on a route then he is still a cover driver.

 

[angel_sj]

No he isn't a cover driver anymore he is a full time driver and has already gotten his top pay raise... but he doesn't have a route of his own yet because there aren't enough routes in his center for him to bid yet. There are more full time drivers in that center in Atlanta than there are routes.

 

[Dustyroads]

angel, that makes him a cover driver, it's a driver with seniority that doesn't have a bid route. They can be assigned to a route. A couple questions, is that early am job an 8 hour job? and, Is your husband getting at least 8 hours of work on the route that he's been assigned to?

 

[UPSGUY72]

Your husband is still a cover driver. If you don't have your own asigned route than your a cover driver. You could be a cover driver your entire time at ups if your never bid on a route.

 

[angel_sj]

He is called a swing driver... he got his title changed November of 2006 to a "Full Time" driver from a "cover driver". & yes he gets at least 8 hours everyday but actually he gets 9 1/2 a day not 8.

 

[klein]

No he isn't a cover driver anymore he is a full time driver and has already gotten his top pay raise... but he doesn't have a route of his own yet because there aren't enough routes in his center for him to bid yet. There are more full time drivers in that center in Atlanta than there are routes.

Well, if he doesn't have his own route, that's what makes him a cover driver.. even though he reached full seniorty.
But, I do think he should be entitled to pick over someone with less seniority.
But, that would be "sh.t disturbing"

If he wants to , he should talk to a senior Shopsteward at first.
If that doesn't help, call the local union, and ask.

Do, you think going thru all that trouble is worth it though ?
With already too many drivers, I wouldn't. JMHO.

 

[angel_sj]

Well actually yes I do think it would be worth it because if they aren't supposed to do that then they aren't supposed too. My husband has learned all the routes from the center just because he likes knowing things but I don't think that means he should be taken advantage of... if that makes sense... he was told he was going to have the route by the center mgr and I think he should be able to have it unless someone with more senority takes it from him. I thought that was the point. & the cover driver, full time thing... I just know that they call him a swing driver not a cover driver anymore, so that's why I said he isn't.

 

[UPSGUY72]

He doesen't get to pick his route because it can change daily. Can you imagine a center that has say 20 cover drivers and each day that come in and pick what route they want that day. Need I say more.

One way cover drivers get off routes they don't like is by taking to long on them and than management knows not to put them on that route anymore.

Complaining about what route your doing isn't worth it. It could turn out to be alot more trouble than it's worth. Management could say fine and then cut his route.

 

[Dustyroads]

In our center, working early am's is not a full time job, but just a couple hours of work. If your husband is already getting more than 8 hours, he really doesn't have any standing to grieve the issue. He hasn't lost any money in not running the early am run, and he had no contractual right to that run.

 

[angel_sj]

Okay, nevermind... thank you

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I take it your husband is a "cover driver". In that case he dosen't get to pick the route he wants to drive management does and they are going to put him on a route that will benifit them the most.

That is what before sucks and is good about being a cover driver you never know what route your going to be on.

Just because someone is unassigned doesn't mean management can pick which routes they run. Seniority rules. I've seen drivers file on this and win. If the route they are forced on gets less hours than the route they wanted then the grievance become monetary for the difference.

 

[angel_sj]

Just because someone is unassigned doesn't mean management can pick which routes they run. Seniority rules. I've seen drivers file on this and win. If the route they are forced on gets less hours than the route they wanted then the grievance become monetary for the difference.

Thank you! That is what I wanted to know... have yourself a great weekend!

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Thank you! That is what I wanted to know... have yourself a great weekend!

No problem. I recently won a grievance like this but mine wasn't monetary because I had worked 1.5 hours longer than the person on the route that I had wanted to run. Same concept though. Seniority rules.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

In our center, working early am's is not a full time job, but just a couple hours of work. If your husband is already getting more than 8 hours, he really doesn't have any standing to grieve the issue. He hasn't lost any money in not running the early am run, and he had no contractual right to that run.

It is considered "extra work" and he could grieve it. Extra work is supposed to be assigned based on seniority. Some centers bid running EAMs though.

 

[Jones]

A lot of this stuff will depend on where you work. In my building they have cut out the part time early AM drivers and those eams are now assigned to specific routes, ie, it's not extra work, it's part of the route. It sounds like that might be the case where angel's guy works as well.
In addition, our supplement directs the company to post the routes of all drivers who will be on vacation the following the week to allow the cover drivers to bid on them. If you bid it, it's yours for the week and you can't be forced off it because of area knowledge or whatever other excuse they might use. If you don't bid a route for the week, however, you have to run whatever they assign you regardless of seniority.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

A lot of this stuff will depend on where you work. In my building they have cut out the part time early AM drivers and those eams are now assigned to specific routes, ie, it's not extra work, it's part of the route. It sounds like that might be the case where angel's guy works as well.
In addition, our supplement directs the company to post the routes of all drivers who will be on vacation the following the week to allow the cover drivers to bid on them. If you bid it, it's yours for the week and you can't be forced off it because of area knowledge or whatever other excuse they might use. If you don't bid a route for the week, however, you have to run whatever they assign you regardless of seniority.

I am glad I'm not covered under that supplement. I wouldn't want to sign up for a route a week in advance and be stuck on it for a week. I prefer to choose daily because the routes change daily and what is a good route one day might be cubed out the next. Screw that. Bidding in advance is too risky. Kind of defeats the purpose of being unassigned. For those that chose to be unassigned anyway.

 

[Jones]

I don't know, I liked it way back when I ran cover. I preferred knowing what I was going to be doing every day, and bricked out routes never really bothered me. It's the same reason I bid a route every year now. Some days are heavy, some days not but it beats running cover. People are different though, not every person is going to feel the same way about it. I know guys who stayed in cover longer than they had to just because they liked running different routes all the time. I think they are definitely in the minority though.