Who decides who to hire "off the street"

[Hroller]

I am a seasonal worker for UPS. Summer vacation relief and peak. I work at least 6 months out of the year. I have worked for three different centers within driving distance of where I live. I go where the work is.

Now, sometimes more than one center wants me to drive, I will usually pick the one with the closest commute. I already have heard from one center manager who wants me to think about driving for him in May. He also said that he might be able to get me in permanent. Sounds good to me.

But, does he really have say in who gets hired off the street? He might mean well, he might be playing management games. I don't know.

Anyone with insight on this?

 

[barnyard]

If there is an off the street hire spot available, my understanding is the center manager forwards qualified applicants to HR with his recommendation. HR decides, but a center manager recommendation carries a lot of weight.

Bear in mind that the center manager is also going to say what needs to be said for you to commit to one center over another. It is cheaper to add on an experienced seasonal than to send someone to school and all that. You are a known quantity.

 

[bumped]

You should ask him (if he's honest) how many drivers need to be hired before it gets to an off the street hire. Most of the time they'll say anything to you to get you to stay.

 

[Brownslave688]

You should ask him (if he's honest) how many drivers need to be hired before it gets to an off the street hire. Most of the time they'll say anything to you to get you to stay.

Ask him and then ask another driver you know well who the last off the street hire was. Get that info look at the seniority list and find out if the center manager is a liar.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

I was an off the street hire. I'll give you the short version. I worked as a driver for two peak seasons and got 3 letters of recommendation. One from an on-car supe at center #1 and one from the center manager and on-car in center #2. The off the street driver was for center #1.

That center manager flat out refused to hire me because I was divorced and had a toddler at home and he thought I would be absent a lot. Corporate told him I was hired and that was final because I was already qualified and had those letters of recommendation. That same center manager told me that story before he retired - I had no idea there was any opposition to me being hired.

So the center manager may have a say but he doesn't have the final word. Get as many letters as you can and ask different center manager's when the next off the street hire is for any center. If I had asked the center manager in center #1 he probably would have lied to me.

 

[104Feeder]

That's crazy that any Local allowed seasonals to work anytime other than Peak. That screws a lot of part-timers that could be working Summer & Peak and just be laid off back to the hub during fall & spring.

 

[Anonymous 10]

Hoffa

 

[uber]

Go apply for a package handling gig and get in the honest way.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Go apply for a package handling gig and get in the honest way.

Are you saying that drivers hired off the street are not nearly as qualified as those who worked their way up through the system?

 

[uber]

Are you saying that drivers hired off the street are not nearly as qualified as those who worked their way up through the system?

Haha, I knew that would ruffle your feathers.

Aren't nearly as qualified? Those are your words, not mine.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Haha, I knew that would ruffle your feathers.

Aren't nearly as qualified? Those are your words, not mine.

Fair enough---what does "get in the honest way" mean?

 

[uber]

Having an understanding of the BS that a PTer has to go through for years.

 

[bumped]

Fair enough---what does "get in the honest way" mean?

You have to admit its a lot harder for an off the street hire vs an inside hire. The terminology, work ethic, and whats expected of you is a huge learning curve. I wonder if off the strret hires have a better/worse safety record than those inside.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You have to admit its a lot harder for an off the street hire vs an inside hire. The terminology, work ethic, and whats expected of you is a huge learning curve. I wonder if off the strret hires have a better/worse safety record than those inside.

It wasn't very hard at all for me to make the transition from the military to UPS.

I would think off the street hires fall right in line with those from the inside in regards to safety and production.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

It is incredibly difficult to start as a driver during peak! I'd say I got the honest version of UPS from day one. (And running scratch after I was hired was a snap!)

I was offered PT after the first peak but I had a FT job that paid more so I turned it down. I didn't even realize there was an inside/outside hire ratio - it wasn't until I asked about getting on FT that the center manager explained it to me.

It's not fair is the argument - but you start driving with more company seniority (vacation weeks) and a pt pension that gets added to your ft pension. It's not like you worked for nothing* all those years.
*I know the wage for pt is low but that's a UPS issue because wages stated in the contract are minimums.

 

[Bagels]

It's not fair is the argument - but you start driving with more company seniority (vacation weeks) and a pt pension that gets added to your ft pension. It's not like you worked for nothing* all those years.
*I know the wage for pt is low but that's a UPS issue because wages stated in the contract are minimums.

Here, company seniority determines solely vacation weeks. If somebody was hired into driving off the street today, and I went in later this year, they'd get to select their two 2014 weeks before I'd get to select my five 2014 weeks. Kinda silly. And my pension is barely $700. I'm halfway to tripling that, and being able to withdraw in full at 47, if I stay PT. If I go FT, I start over.

That center manager flat out refused to hire me because I was divorced and had a toddler at home and he thought I would be absent a lot.

I always advise people NOT to get personal with their co-workers and bosses -- because they often use that information against you. OTOH, I resent it when a boss will tell me (as happened last summer) "...but Bagels, if you decide to drive this summer John Doe won't be able to, since he just hired in. You're single, earn a decent PT wage but John Doe has four kids." I'm the same age as John Doe. He choose to have four kids before ever having a steady FT job. That's his problem. But I gave it up, anyway, since I knew he was the preferred candidate and I'd be harassed.

 

[Anonymous 10]

Here, company seniority determines solely vacation weeks. If somebody was hired into driving off the street today, and I went in later this year, they'd get to select their two 2014 weeks before I'd get to select my five 2014 weeks. Kinda silly. And my pension is barely $700. I'm halfway to tripling that, and being able to withdraw in full at 47, if I stay PT. If I go FT, I start over.



I always advise people NOT to get personal with their co-workers and bosses -- because they often use that information against you. OTOH, I resent it when a boss will tell me (as happened last summer) "...but Bagels, if you decide to drive this summer John Doe won't be able to, since he just hired in. You're single, earn a decent PT wage but John Doe has four kids." I'm the same age as John Doe. He choose to have four kids before ever having a steady FT job. That's his problem. But I gave it up, anyway, since I knew he was the preferred candidate and I'd be harassed.

if you are in he central region as I think you have said you don't start over. It's thirty and out age fifty no matter what the combination of part time and full time is.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

Here, company seniority determines solely vacation weeks. If somebody was hired into driving off the street today, and I went in later this year, they'd get to select their two 2014 weeks before I'd get to select my five 2014 weeks. Kinda silly. And my pension is barely $700. I'm halfway to tripling that, and being able to withdraw in full at 47, if I stay PT. If I go FT, I start over.

That was my point - that you would have 5 weeks to my 2 weeks of vacation. But yes, I would get to pick first.

1/4 of our seniority list is off the street hires and you can't tell who's who without looking at the list. New drivers who came from PT will sometimes make not so nice comments about off the street hires and then are shocked (and look embarrassed) when we identify ourselves.

I don't get the animosity towards that person off the street when they had the least to do with the contract.

 

[Buck Fifty]

If I hire one off the street, I like to be the one to pick her !