"Work as Directed" and Production Standards

[turdburglar]

4 packages a minute? I haven't loaded in a long time, but that doesn't seem to hard unless it's all heavy stuff. 1 package every 15 seconds in 4 cars? I am by no means saying you need to work harder because they say so, but am I missing something?

You are missing the part where my focus is on not getting misloads, and on loading the packages stop-for-stop. These are things that I have always done, and believe it or not I do take pride in my work. I know that I have a reputation for being the loader that all the drivers want to load their trucks. Back when I was loading whatever load area had call-ins, drivers would wonder and even sometimes specifically ask where "that one loader who had no misloads" went. I was always moved from load area to load area to replace people who had called in since the full-time supervisor at the time knew that I would never get a misload, and that if he put someone else in the load area that there would be many misloads (since it would not be their usual spot). Many drivers have told me that I load far better than their usual loaders who have loaded their areas sometimes for as long as 2-3 years.

Another thing is that I have repeatedly told the supervisors that have been harassing me that if the numbers show that I am not loading 4 packages a minute, then they need to come see me work and see if I am indeed trying. I am not ashamed at the end of the day of the speed that I was working at throughout the day, and would have no trouble with them watching me at the speed that I am normally loading at. If the speed that I am moving at is not sufficient to load 4 packages a minute, then there are a whole lot of people in the building that are not loading at 4 packages a minute either, but I am being harassed about it since I am filing grievances. Not to mention that 4 packages a minute equates to 1200 packages in 5 hours, which is about how long the sort has been lasting for a while now, and the vast majority of people in the building cannot load that many packages without some help. 4 packages a minute also seems reasonable until you consider things like getting irregulars, heavy packages that cannot be made into "optimal carries", rollers to aisle cars with their volume in your load area, and very little room on the slide to quickly make "optimal carries" (since packages of various route IDs are everywhere and you sometimes have to walk a bit farther to get some of the same route ID), and you can begin to understand why not very many other people in the building are getting 4 packages a minute (and if they are, they sure as hell are not getting perfect loads and service like I am).

 

[turdburglar]

This is the part where they check to see if your balls have dropped yet or you're just being uppity. Just keep doing what you're doing, follow the methods, and show up to work on time and they can't touch you. Let them know you'll file labor charges if they keep threatening you. Eventually, they'll leave you the hell alone once they see you won't back down. Also, those guys that got intimidated are watching you, despite what you think.

If you are talking about the loaders that got intimidated into not filing grievances, they most certainly are watching. They are watching for supervisors working and notifying me of how long they worked, where they worked, etc. This is why I created the last thread I created (about filing supervisors working grievances on the behalf of others), since they are not willing to file grievances of their own anymore. One of them is beginning to talk of starting file grievances again after seeing me do it, and not become intimidated by management (apparently, the big boss of the building was supposed to watch me load today, but I did not see him, although I may see him tomorrow). If I do tell them that I will file labor charges if they continue to threaten me, they will probably just say that they are not retaliating (although my work record will show otherwise). We will see what happens tomorrow.

 

[turdburglar]

it's vague for a reason. It's to protect you from a specific "standard". Work at your best and they pay you your negotiated wage. If it does not say,"you need to load 4 packages a minute", then it is not your concern.

Alright then. Next time they pull me into an office to have a "talk with", I will tell them that the union contract does not recognize their production standards, and that they only need to watch me to see that I am doing a fair day's work.

 

[Johney]

You are missing the part where my focus is on not getting misloads, and on loading the packages stop-for-stop. These are things that I have always done, and believe it or not I do take pride in my work. I know that I have a reputation for being the loader that all the drivers want to load their trucks. Back when I was loading whatever load area had call-ins, drivers would wonder and even sometimes specifically ask where "that one loader who had no misloads" went. I was always moved from load area to load area to replace people who had called in since the full-time supervisor at the time knew that I would never get a misload, and that if he put someone else in the load area that there would be many misloads (since it would not be their usual spot).

Another thing is that I have repeatedly told the supervisors that have been harassing me that if the numbers show that I am not loading 4 packages a minute, then they need to come see me work and see if I am indeed trying. I am not ashamed at the end of the day of the speed that I was working at throughout the day, and would have no trouble with them watching me at the speed that I am normally loading at. If the speed that I am moving at is not sufficient to load 4 packages a minute, then there are a whole lot of people in the building that are not loading at 4 packages a minute either, but I am being harassed about it since I am filing grievances. Not to mention that 4 packages a minute equates to 1200 packages in 5 hours, which is about how long the sort has been lasting for a while now, and the vast majority of people in the building cannot load that many packages without some help. 4 packages a minute also seems reasonable until you consider things like getting irregulars, heavy packages that cannot be made into "optimal carries", rollers to aisle cars with their volume in your load area, and very little room on the slide to quickly make "optimal carries" (since packages of various route IDs are everywhere and you sometimes have to walk a bit farther to get some of the same route ID), and you can begin to understand why not very many other people in the building are getting 4 packages a minute (and if they are, they sure as hell are not getting perfect loads and service like I am).

You explained it well and I thank you. I do see what you mean it just doesn't sound like much I would have thought they would want more than that. I have not had a stop for stop(by sequence #)load in.....heck I can't even remember. I commend you on trying to do that,here it's just try and get it in the truck(hopefully the right truck). Keep up the good work. Watch your back misloads can end up on your cars without your knowledge.

 

[turdburglar]

You explained it well and I thank you. I do see what you mean it just doesn't sound like much I would have thought they would want more than that. I have not had a stop for stop(by sequence #)load in.....heck I can't even remember. I commend you on trying to do that,here it's just try and get it in the truck(hopefully the right truck). Keep up the good work. Watch your back misloads can end up on your cars without your knowledge.

They were able to intimidate the other preloaders into stopping, but they can see that I am not going to stop. And seeing as how I am paranoid, I feel like management will go to great lengths to attempt to terminate me. I feel like they may very well attempt to put misloads on my cars when I am not looking and they are counting the packages in my cars. I guess all I can really do is be careful now.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Sounds like an article 6 violation too.

 

[Johney]

They were able to intimidate the other preloaders into stopping, but they can see that I am not going to stop. And seeing as how I am paranoid, I feel like management will go to great lengths to attempt to terminate me. I feel like they may very well attempt to put misloads on my cars when I am not looking and they are counting the packages in my cars. I guess all I can really do is be careful now.

Let me ask you this? Do the drivers in your building pull their PAL's on misloads and put them on a misload sheet?

 

[turdburglar]

Let me ask you this? Do the drivers in your building pull their PAL's on misloads and put them on a misload sheet?

I really have no idea about that. I will ask a driver tomorrow to be sure. But I do know of something that can come up as a problem. There was a load area that I had loaded for a while before, with drivers that know that I never get misloads. Even so, I always asked them when they came in if they had misloads. I also check the service report every day when it is available, even though it invariably shows that I did not get a misload. However, a couple of times it did show that I had a misload. Of course, when I asked the driver of the truck if he had a misload, he says that he did not. But then he sometimes clarifies by saying that he did, but it was a double label or an out-of-sync, and for whatever reason it turned up as a walk-in-wrong-car. I always made sure to correct that with my part-time supervisor (although he would usually say that the misload was not counted since they knew something else must have happened that was not my fault if there was a misload in my truck). This is one way that they could get me, by saying there were misloads (walk-in-wrong-car) when they were really out-of-syncs or flips.

Presumably, all of these things would help my case if all of a sudden misloads started to "magically" appear in my trucks. They can look back at my misload record, and I kid you not, in my 5 years of working at UPS, I have probably had a number of misloads that you can count on three or four hands (and most of these were when I was less experienced). There was even a time when I would catch all flips and out-of-syncs as well, but with the extreme push on production recently, I have not had as much time to do this. One of my part-time supervisors even called me "flipper" since I would catch flips throughout the day and leave them to the side for him to take to the clerk (and this was in a load area where flips were commonplace, sometimes as many as 10-15 per day). However, I knew that I was playing a dangerous game when I began to file grievances, but someone has to do it.

 

[turdburglar]

Sounds like an article 6 violation too.

I am assuming you are talking about the language about entering into other contracts. No one has had me sign anything saying "I will load 4 packages a minute" or anything (yet), but I will simply RTS such a document.

 

[Johney]

Ask them if they do and if there does become a misload issue which seems you would have under control, you can always start tagging your PAL's with a mark so if one shows up w/o your mark tell em to pound sand. Of course this will only work once or twice as they will catch on to your tagging. just a thought. You seem to have a handle on it good luck.

 

[CAFAL]

filing grievances won't stop production-related harassment, ever

they're a badge of honor to most center-managers

This is the truth. now is where you need to figure out how worth it it is to play the "game". I've learned a long time ago,for myself,it's not worth being a target or getting harassed.

 

[stink219]

it's vague for a reason. It's to protect you from a specific "standard". Work at your best and they pay you your negotiated wage. If it does not say,"you need to load 4 packages a minute", then it is not your concern.

Alright then. Next time they pull me into an office to have a "talk with", I will tell them that the union contract does not recognize their production standards, and that they only need to watch me to see that I am doing a fair day's work.

That's very correct. Any you can't be perfect all the time. Use the system of percentages. If you have 1 misload out of every 100 packages, that's still 99% effective. There is not a school in the world that wouldn't praise you for doing such an amazing job. Understand where I'm going with this?

 

[sortaisle]

I do not like the language of a fair days work for a fair days wage. It's far too vague and the company can/has/will use this to their advantage. However to the OP I would say that you should file harassment as a last resort. Try to work it out if possible. Also, don't let one bad supervisor ruin your perspective. Hard work has more to do with your personal integrity and less to do with what your manager thinks is a good day of work. Don't let one guy mess with your own integrity. Also, if it does come to a point of you filing a harassment suit, there is also an 800 number to call for harassment. Corporate doesn't like these calls. It should be posted in your breakroom. If not...does anyone know the number off hand?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

That's very correct. Any you can't be perfect all the time. Use the system of percentages. If you have 1 misload out of every 100 packages, that's still 99% effective. There is not a school in the world that wouldn't praise you for doing such an amazing job. Understand where I'm going with this?

The 1% seems insignificant unless it is the package that you need for a project that you are doing this weekend.

 

[stink219]

The 1% seems insignificant unless it is the package that you need for a project that you are doing this weekend.

It still seems insignificant. If I didn't get the package because I shipped it ground and I needed it that bad, maybe next time I'll consider an upgrade to air because if you notice......Actually, I'll use words so even you can understand, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH YOU (add your own expletive)!

 

[curiousbrain]

Hello everyone. So, if you have read my previous thread on supervisors working grievances, then you will know who I am. Basically, ever since I started filing supervisors working grievances, I have been moved to a heavier load area with a supervisor that has been explicitly instructed not to touch packages. Just today, I was given a "talk with" for not working as directed (I have been following the methods to a "T", but the part that they say I am not meeting is loading 4 packages a minute). They seem to be implying that 4 packages a minute is a method, even though it is clearly a production standard. I am being very careful to follow the methods and ensure that I get no misloads, since I know that I have a target on my back.

The silly part is that my supervisors seem to be implying that I am not working hard enough. I have repeatedly told them to simply come watch me load, and that if they watched the speed that I load at, then there would be something wrong with them if they could fire me for not "working as directed" in good conscience. My part-time supervisor also told me to watch my back, as a lot of higher-ups are watching me and that "UPS will always win in the end" (whatever that means). I have talked to my steward about this, and he was present at the "talk with", and he said to just keep doing what I am doing, and that they could not fire me over production as long as I follow the methods. I intend to keep doing as I have been doing, and to file grievances, but what advice can people who have been harassed give me? Can they take this beyond a "talk with" and begin to discipline me? Thank You.

What that means, for better or worse, is that the hierarchy of management will always be there, and as an apparatus can just wait until you make a mistake. Then another. Then another. Eventually, they will add up. They will throw the book at you, and you will probably get your job back. Then, they will just wait and throw the book at you again. Ad infinitum.

As another poster said, this is the "game"; decide, for yourself, if this is how you want your career (as you have insinuated you've worked there for over 5 years) at UPS to be. As you yourself intimated, perfection is unattainable.

Food for thought.

edit: I feel compelled to clarify that I am not advocating any specific course of action, but merely highlighting what I see as the practical reality of life at UPS.

 

[turdburglar]

What that means, for better or worse, is that the hierarchy of management will always be there, and as an apparatus can just wait until you make a mistake. Then another. Then another. Eventually, they will add up. They will throw the book at you, and you will probably get your job back. Then, they will just wait and throw the book at you again. Ad infinitum.

As another poster said, this is the "game"; decide, for yourself, if this is how you want your career (as you have insinuated you've worked there for over 5 years) at UPS to be. As you yourself intimated, perfection is unattainable.

Food for thought.

Indeed, I have worked there for 5 years. I am not making it a career, however, as I am going to school. As I said before, I knew that this was a dangerous game when I started filing grievances. Honestly, the harassment does not bother me. It is actually somewhat entertaining. My full-time supervisor blamed me when one of my drivers drove off without letting me put a bulk stop in his truck. I asked her how it was my fault, and she just kept yelling at me. In the end, I just said "alright", shrugged my shoulders, and smiled. She turned and walked away, since she knew that I was not screwing up or getting angry like she expected. I think that in the future, whenever she yells at me, I will just shrug and smile.

The fact is that I am not doing anything wrong, and that is as much as the preload manager can gather as well. I asked him if he thought I was doing a fair day's work, and he said that he believed so. He actually asked to meet with me at the end of the sort today, and I did. He basically said that he will tell his supervisors to stop working, and that he will use the established local practices to ensure that no supervisors are working. He also said that he will watch me for a longer period of time to find out why I cannot meet the production standard of 4 packages a minute, and that as far as he could tell, there was nothing wrong with the speed I was working at or the methods that I was using. He could simply be trying to appease me, but he did seem sincere. I only told him that I would continue working at the pace I had been working at, and that I would continue to file supervisors working grievances if I or one of my witnesses sees it happen. He did, however, vaguely imply that I could be disciplined for not being able to meet production standards. We will see what he determines is wrong with the way that I am loading. As far as I can gather, it is nothing, just that I am not loading as fast as they want me to.

 

[turdburglar]

That's very correct. Any you can't be perfect all the time. Use the system of percentages. If you have 1 misload out of every 100 packages, that's still 99% effective. There is not a school in the world that wouldn't praise you for doing such an amazing job. Understand where I'm going with this?

My full-time supervisor counted the packages in my truck at the end of an hour again today, but did not pull me into the office again. I know that I did not have 240 packages in my trucks, since I continued to load at the same speed. However, she did not bother me about it. Hopefully, I called their bluff and will not get a warning letter. Like I said before, the preload manager believes that I am putting in a fair day's work, and that is the only production standard I need to follow.

 

[Johney]

Hey if you don't plan on making UPS your career, then give them as much crap as they give you. Make their job as miserable as you can...why not your time will come and you will go. I am nearing my time and like most of the guys who are close to retirement they basically do the job and tell the sups to "friend" off.

 

[turdburglar]

Hey if you don't plan on making UPS your career, then give them as much crap as they give you. Make their job as miserable as you can...why not your time will come and you will go. I am nearing my time and like most of the guys who are close to retirement they basically do the job and tell the sups to "friend" off.

I am not sure how I would make their job more miserable without doing something that could get me terminated faster. I know that the supervisors working grievances are pissing them off, but that is really not why I am filing the grievances. However, if I know of only one thing that makes supervisors get really angry, then it is being friendly while they are yelling at you. I have always utilized this, since it awfully difficult to get me angry. I just smile and nod when I am being yelled at, and that is great entertainment for me.