When Did the Decline Start?

[Seymour Packages]

Center manager at the PCM was going on this morning about how we need to "get back to service." Turns out when your ORS are still wet behind the ears and fearing for their jobs, they pressure newbies into running and service starts to suck. Imagine that. Every time a customer appraoches me with a complaint, I strongly encourage them to call and voice their concerns to UPS.

 

[Sissy Brown Short Shorts]

No one has mentioned the strike. The company has never been the same. Going public finished it off.

My reference starts from 40 years ago. Let's review/explore.....

When I started until really a few years ago, it was more like being in the military. Uniforms, appearance standards and mental and yes physical abuse. It was a one-way street. Very rigid. And it worked. Steady work and good benefits and always great pay...for everyone. If you could put up with all that, didn't mind hard work, you could have a career with just a high school diploma or such.

The strike crippled/shook this company to it's core. It also allowed FED-EX to become a powerful competitor. I truly think this is not debatable. UPS's sense of pride and singular purpose was challenged and broken those two weeks. They are still angry to this day. Are we still in business? Still here and all that? Yes we are but not like it used to be. UPS did things their own way.....they didn't care or have to listen to anyone...They were a monolith. Very Postal Service like.

But....is this a good or bad thing?

This subject is way too nebulous for here. Personally if giving up trinkets for milestones, not say shaving ever again or the equipment I have access to now or the pay I receive.....I'll take it. Compared to the way it used to be......decline is a good thing.

Agreed. I missed out on all the trinkets and turkeys, but I was raised not to need gratification or a good job buddy every time I delivered a package correctly. I kind of find it insulting when they get us food, I see through the mind trick and judge the guys that salivate for cold chick fil a sandwiches or old donuts on the random chance the company wants to buy our love with cheap food. I don’t need the watch either, just the paycheck. They’re here to make money, I’m here to make money. The simpler the transaction the happier I am.

 

[ouanling]

You can download the pdf online.

UPS Agreements, 2018 – 2023

The following links are to PDF files of the printed contract books. These documents are also available, in searchable format, on the UPS Rising app, available o

teamster.org

Teamster canada has nothing on their website, they are useless idiots.

 

[Red Devil]

Agreed. I missed out on all the trinkets and turkeys, but I was raised not to need gratification or a good job buddy every time I delivered a package correctly. I kind of find it insulting when they get us food, I see through the mind trick and judge the guys that salivate for cold chick fil a sandwiches or old donuts on the random chance the company wants to buy our love with cheap food. I don’t need the watch either, just the paycheck. They’re here to make money, I’m here to make money. The simpler the transaction the happier I am.

The free food doesn’t buy me off...but you’d better believe I’m loading up on it when they put it out!

 

[EverybodyLovesMike]

PREACH! Let them come watch, ride along, make passive aggressive comments, etc. Document everything. File, file, file! Work the same way every day, follow the methods. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Thankfully we have a really good set up in our hub! Not one article 37 grievance filed from a worker in all the years I've been working here. As a result, we are perhaps the most productive hub in the district.

 

[Made brown]

Only 6 years in so not an old timer, but every old timer I've talked to agrees that things changed once the company went public. Now it's all about playing with the numbers so it's presentable to the stockholders. I laugh at the brand new guys that are so eager to please their supes thinking if they run and make the numbers they can bargain for favors down the road. Young fools. Soon enough they will realize that they are just like everyone else...just a number...and then they start working "safer", taking their actual breaks, and then the games begin. I stopped chasing their imaginary numbers a long time ago. Work safe, work efficient, and make it to the most important stop of the day....home. I've NEVER seen ANYONE get fired for production.

Quick question, is there a production quota in feeder?

 

[nWo]

Keeping the starting rate at $8.50 for 30 years didn't help

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Keeping the starting rate at $8.50 for 30 years didn't help

Some of us voted no on every contract that was offered for that reason.

 

[I have been lurking]

Keeping the starting rate at $8.50 for 30 years didn't help

Wouldn't matter, they'd just jam more trucks

 

[Zowert]

That's true and I agree with all of that. But I'm talking about at the corporate level. It's now nothing but people with a theoretical knowledge of how this job is done combined with an absurd faith that if it works on a computer screen it will work in the real world. Combine that with an utter refusal to ever admit when one of their ideas is a failure *coughorioncough* and a mindset of "we have to do it for the shareholders" and you get the recipe for the decline of a once great company.

I think UPS is still a great company, it’s just experiencing a major change in culture. The use of PVDs and lightened appearance guidelines on regular drivers has taken away some of the professionalism this job once had. I think this is from the struggle to keep up with e-commerce along with the Union bending to the company. Or maybe it’s just that this is such a common gig now. Back in the day it was UPS and FedEx. Now you’ve got every Tom, Dick and Harry delivering packages out of their Prius for what turns out to be $10/hr.

 

[charm299]

IMO things started going downhill in my building with the implementation of EDD. Before this I ran my route the same way everyday, The load never changed and was in the same part of the truck each and every day. Start time was 08:15 and we were out of the building by 8:20 My customers could set their watches by me. After EDD Metrics became the most important thing to chase. Preload was started at late as possible, instead of loading 3 trucks loading four to five became the norm.Our start time was changed in increments to 9:15 now. Instead of Quality Loads Pieces per Hour became the MOST important metric. Routes started being cut and it became the norm to never have the same area two days in a row. Service has taken a back seat since EDD has been implemented and the idea of quality service is never coming back.

November 4,2008

Question for the old timers. When did you notice the company culture start to shift to the mess it is now? One of the 30 year drivers on the route next to mine says it all started to go downhill once the company went public in '99. Another driver says he noticed a change once the holiday turkeys stopped. One guy says that once "computers" were introduced, it was all over. I am a 3rd generation UPSer, and my grandfather always used to say that back in the day, drivers were honored for safe driving. Leather jackets? Watches?? Hard to believe that was once a thing. Now it's a quick mention at the PCM and a patch. No one seems to care anymore. It used to be a pride thing. Uniform standards are only suggestions now. Some guys leave the building looking like TRASH. All the while upper management sings kumbaya and acts like widespread apathy toward the job, piss poor customer service, and crapping on the most vital people in their organization will be beneficial in the long run.

Question for the old timers. When did you notice the company culture start to shift to the mess it is now? One of the 30 year drivers on the route next to mine says it all started to go downhill once the company went public in '99. Another driver says he noticed a change once the holiday turkeys stopped. One guy says that once "computers" were introduced, it was all over. I am a 3rd generation UPSer, and my grandfather always used to say that back in the day, drivers were honored for safe driving. Leather jackets? Watches?? Hard to believe that was once a thing. Now it's a quick mention at the PCM and a patch. No one seems to care anymore. It used to be a pride thing. Uniform standards are only suggestions now. Some guys leave the building looking like TRASH. All the while upper management sings kumbaya and acts like widespread apathy toward the job, piss poor customer service, and crapping on the most vital people in their organization will be beneficial in the long run.

November 4th,2008
Go back and see what happened on this date and you will understand why

 

[quad decade guy]

Absolutely!

Quick question, is there a production quota in feeder?

Absolutely!

 

[Well-Known Member]

Amazon isn’t taking pickup volume from us. FedEx Ground is. I watched it in real time throughout 2020 as many of our pickup accounts started using them. Their volume increased nearly 60% last year while our growth was a fraction of that.

Try again.

FedEx Ground: total annual package volume 2023 | Statista

The total annual package volume of FedEx Ground overall increased between the 2016 and 2023 fiscal years.

www.statista.com

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

View attachment 325817

FedEx Ground: total annual package volume 2023 | Statista

The total annual package volume of FedEx Ground overall increased between the 2016 and 2023 fiscal years.

www.statista.com

Try what again?

 

[quad decade guy]

Agreed. I missed out on all the trinkets and turkeys, but I was raised not to need gratification or a good job buddy every time I delivered a package correctly. I kind of find it insulting when they get us food, I see through the mind trick and judge the guys that salivate for cold chick fil a sandwiches or old donuts on the random chance the company wants to buy our love with cheap food. I don’t need the watch either, just the paycheck. They’re here to make money, I’m here to make money. The simpler the transaction the happier I am.

Well, I'll agree to some of that. However, a positive nod in our direction would be nice sometimes. We work for a huge, profitable and believe it or not admired company. Probably not as much as it used to be but still. I played lot's of team sports growing up and still do. I always enjoyed the camaraderie and teamwork. UPS and the Unions attitudes(this is hard to explain) nurtures none of that. It could be so much better.

 

[burrheadd]

Quick question, is there a production quota in feeder?

No only a donut quota

 

[Well-Known Member]

Try what again?

You said FedEx Ground volume increased by 60% last year.

I said try again because you're so far off that it's funny. And, how much of the actual volume increase they got last year was because of COVID. Our volume also went up drastically because of COVID. We were up 65% by July of last year. I haven't seen a final number for the year, but I will bet you it was higher than FedEx Ground.

UPS shipping volume soars 65% | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

The pandemic-fueled boom in online shopping shows no signs of slowing down, providing more business for delivery companies like UPS Inc.

www.arkansasonline.com

Last year FedEx Ground delivered 2.54 billion packages. In 2019, they delivered 2.28 billion packages. If you can't do the math yourself and figure out the percent increase, go to your local grade school and ask a 3rd grader to do it for you. I'll give you a hint though...it's less than 12%

 

[Well-Known Member]

Quick question, is there a production quota in feeder?

There never used to be. As long as Feeders left on time and got to there destination on time, nothing was ever said.

Now, feeders has an over\under, excess property time, etc. Just like packages. They get on drivers all the time who "drag their feet" on the highway, drive less than the speed limit to extend their day. Or who have excess property time even though their loads were ready. Or don't leave on time when their loads were ready. They even expect Feeders to leave on time when their loads aren't ready. But, at least this one, can be explained.

 

[MrBates]

Quick question, is there a production quota in feeder?

Not that I know of. Only thing I know is that I've never had a buddy say "I made a mistake transferring to feeder, I want to come back to package"

 

[quad decade guy]

There never used to be. As long as Feeders left on time and got to there destination on time, nothing was ever said.

Now, feeders has an over\under, excess property time, etc. Just like packages. They get on drivers all the time who "drag their feet" on the highway, drive less than the speed limit to extend their day. Or who have excess property time even though their loads were ready. Or don't leave on time when their loads were ready. They even expect Feeders to leave on time when their loads aren't ready. But, at least this one, can be explained.

Well, I've been in feeders 15 years. The above statement resembles nothing I've experienced. We have many CPU runs that are run like any pkg center. Pkg car in a feeder. Always have been. The difference is that it's a lot easier to stay out of trouble with just one turn around. However, dealing with poorly run hubs and centers can cause all kinds of problems with scheduling. This is always at least tried to make the feeder driver responsible.