Article 54 - Meal Period or Why does UPS do this?

[pt_oms]

here in california it is the Law, if you you over 6 hours you have to take a 1/2 hour lunch between the 4th and 5th hour after your start time, and if you work over 12 hours you have to take a second lunch between the 4th and 5th ahour after the end of your first lunch. I know driver that do not want to take a lunch so that they can go home earlier, but UPS has to enforce the Law of tha state. I have seen many driver given warning letter and suspended for failing to take proper lunch time off. In our building they have asked all employees both union and non union to write letter to the governer ammend the law to give each employee the option of taking or not his lunch time

 

[stingray AJ]

we only get 30 minutes, i take all of it and some days that makes the difference if i have to go back out to delivery, to sum it up management hates to see you take lunch, they want you to eat a sanwhich while you are driving down the road, really....eat it from the dash...just ask them, they will tell you to skip lunch, thats more bonus in there pocket at year end.......VETERAN 13 YEARS....

 

[tranham]

I appreciate all the info. My main concern is the UPS double standard of enforcing one part of article 54, ignoring the rest. As it is right now I will have to make my helper take an hour lunch with me if I follow the contract.

I hope the union and company come to understand that language can hurt both the company and drivers if enforced. My #2 wish for the new contract would make lunch optional as long as it did not effect service by skipping it. With 2 kids it's always one thing after another on weeknights. Family comes first. So I will lose +/- $40 from time to time, and just live with it. #1 is still fixing the pension.

Robert

 

[rod]

UPS has settled a lawsuit in CA for not inforcing the lunch rules. They are looking out for other lawsuits in other states to follow.

the trouble with a class action lawsuit is that the only ones who usually end up with the money are the lawyers.

 

[wornoutupser]

It boils down to the "Flavor of the month". Corporate or division will get on a rant about something and take it to the extreme for a while. Just give it time, it will pass on to the next one, and then you wont be able to use the bathroom more than twice a day.

You may choke laughing on this one but I was thrown in the PITTS one summer for taking too much time to drink water in the summer. Yes, I am in steamy Central Florida. Yes, I listened to the "dont get dehydrated" mantra. Yes, I was written up!

I just LOVE this place!

 

[undertheradarprg9n4]

If you can't get done because you took a lunch, it's not on you, it's on the person who over-dispatched you. Bottom line - do what they tell you; if it takes longer you make more money.

 

[rod]

It boils down to the "Flavor of the month". Corporate or division will get on a rant about something and take it to the extreme for a while. Just give it time, it will pass on to the next one, and then you wont be able to use the bathroom more than twice a day.

You may choke laughing on this one but I was thrown in the PITTS one summer for taking too much time to drink water in the summer. Yes, I am in steamy Central Florida. Yes, I listened to the "dont get dehydrated" mantra. Yes, I was written up!

I just LOVE this place!

They must have a thing about water. Years ago when I was being trained in the 1st time I was allowed to actually deliver a package without the trainer stepping on my heels I actually stopped at a water fountain for a quick drink.(it was July and 90 degrees out). When I got back to the pkg car the trainer had seen me get a drink and his comment was "The first time I turn my back on you, you go to **** on me." He was later fired for changing employees time cards so they didn't go over 60 hours.

 

[LKLND3380]

we only get 30 minutes, i take all of it and some days that makes the difference if i have to go back out to delivery, to sum it up management hates to see you take lunch, they want you to eat a sanwhich while you are driving down the road, really....eat it from the dash...just ask them, they will tell you to skip lunch, thats more bonus in there pocket at year end.......VETERAN 13 YEARS....

Now if UPS did not tell you "Don't take a break..." and you have a wreck... We all know how UPS likes to "hold others accountable..." I would think UPS could write you up and the Teamsters would have no defense... You volunteered to breach the UPS/Teamsters contract...

Now if you have a wreck I am sure UPS could say you were fatiged because you choose not to take breaks as directed...

 

[satellitedriver]

Satellitedriver-
I could be wrong but it's my understanding that Jim Casey (you know, the guy that founded the company) invited the Teamster's into the workplace because he (Casey) knew they (Teamster's) had the clout to get him (Casey) where he (Casey) wanted to be.
It's also my understanding that various state and federal laws require a person to take a meal or "break".
Your battle cry this week seems to be "union dues".
I suppose you think the APWA isn't gonna charge union dues? I am not for or against the APWA or the Teamster's but I do know we need a third party to intermediate the nonsense the company tries to pull over on us.
Yes, I was a pkg driver in the early 80's. Did I take my meal? No, and I became physically ill from the guilt and stress when I decided to quit showing up an hour early and running through my meal. When I quit working for free I was informed I had a "bad attitude". I responded by saying "just because my attitude isn't the same as yours doesn't make it bad."
My point?
I think most unions charge unions dues. How else are they to support themselves? If you want to be a pioneer, lead the charge against our union officials retiring with multiple pensions.
As far as lunch? I believe some areas of the country only allow 30 minutes for a meal.
I do agree with the poster that said if everyone took their full hour meal and breaks it would definately force the company to put in new areas (routes) and possibly end the 10-12 hour days. BUT this isn't gonna happen because too many pkg drivers have skipped meal for many years and it would throw their day out of balance to do so. My suggestion? Slowly (over a 3-4 week period) start showing up for the PCM not quite so early and gradually start taking more and more of your hour meal. The reason they don't send help when you call for help is to teach you a lesson.

1 trick pony.
Once again you missed the point of my post. How about time actual lunch breaks. Every job I have had in my life has had a punch clock. You punch out at 12:01pm for lunch and punch in at 12:24, even though you were allowed 30 minutes for lunch. The company would base your pay on the actual time you spent for lunch.
My battle cry is the "REAMSTERS" only care about union dues, not the worker. Not just this week, but every week for my time at UPS.
Yes ,I would gladly pay union dues to APWA ,if my best interests were their goal. Time will only tell that.
I did lead the charge in 1997. I quit the "REAMSTERS".
UPS sends help when I need it.
The third party is in place. It is called Federal/ State labor laws.
As to your attitude, all I can say is that it is yours not mine.
I don't have PCM's. I am a sattelitedriver.


I

 

[DS]

I appreciate all the info. My main concern is the UPS double standard of enforcing one part of article 54, ignoring the rest. As it is right now I will have to make my helper take an hour lunch with me if I follow the contract.

I hope the union and company come to understand that language can hurt both the company and drivers if enforced. My #2 wish for the new contract would make lunch optional as long as it did not effect service by skipping it. With 2 kids it's always one thing after another on weeknights. Family comes first. So I will lose +/- $40 from time to time, and just live with it. #1 is still fixing the pension.

Robert

This skipping lunch and not getting paid for it is just WRONG.
In the past we`ve had a few hitler type center manager`s but
My current mngmt team is leaving it up to us to decide if we need to go code 05 or not.If they say no code 05`s everybody that cant get thier break calls for help.This causes lots of missed that our supes are accountable for.All they care about is that you stay under 12 hours.

 

[MSGTDEL]

As for all of us who drive and who have driven have help create and keep this monster of " not taking a lunch break". The company see's it as free labor from us. They know that in order to get in your 30 days almost all trainees come in an hour earlier to rearange their loads and work through lunch. I remember back before NDA and Diads when drivers would come off their routes and the first thing they would do is clock out on that white time card. Then they would fuel their truck, go through the carwash, then pull off ni 3's refused, etc... After that then they would do their check in, count cod cash, drop it off and go up stairs to take off the pants (when we could not wear pants home or to work), LOL, I know Im going back aways; early 80's. OH, did I mention transcribing everything on the white time card; stops, pickups, cod's, send agains, turnng in delivery records, etc... So after all of that, you may have given UPS more than 2.50 hours a day easily. This practice has been on going for generations at UPS. You do all of that to make your 30 days and are expected to keep the same production afterwards. And if you dont, you could be writen up.
I agree we should have the option of taking a lunch break but state labor laws require that and it benefits UPS while drivers work for free so they wont be out after dark knocking on doors saying "hello, UPS!!!" at 8.30 pm. I hate to say it but this "monster" will not go away anytime soon.

 

[Rick.Bulverde]

I am a driver in the SE. Back in the good old days if I needed off work early I would just skip lunch and my boss would pay me for the time (if I was going over 8). I was happy and he got a happy worker. Now his boss says no more. We must follow article 54. Ok I understand, except that UPS only wants to follow the part that it likes. The contract says we are required to take a 1 hour lunch. My boss says its ok to skip your lunch! I wonder if that's because UPS won't have to pay me that time, hmmmm? It also says that lunch starts between 3-5 hours after you begin work when practical. And all break time has to be taken in the first 8 hours of work. My boss says to take it whenever, what a great guy! After all, I would miss business stops if I took lunch before 5pm. And who wants to deliver in the dark anyway when you can sit in the hub eating out of a vending machine. So, the question is should I file and force UPS to make everyone take lunch before 4pm? I'm sure I would make all sorts of new friends that way, both union and management.

Robert

Robert,

I am one of those managers and I don't care when you take you lunch or not! One thing higher managers are getting grief from YOUR union to enforce the lunch thing. If you don't like it, then in the new contract have your Union people have it changed so that you can elect to take it or not.

Before you do a post like this get you info right.

Regards

 

[tranham]

Rick,

Thanks for the reply. However posting this thread was the only way to get info in my opinion. And I also thought it was the whole idea of this forum? Talk to others, learn things?

Anyway my boss said it comes down from corporate and he can get canned if he pays lunch to people. The union says follow the contract and take your lunch. If the union is pushing it on a national scale they are not telling the members, that I have seen. And if your info is true then why is UPS not forcing us to take lunch before 4pm per article 52?

Robert

 

[Gman24]

I've been keeping up with all the responses to this question about meal period. Personally, I also wish we could take our lunch how we want, I think 30 minutes is plenty, but if UPS is going to charge us for an hour I will definately take an hour. BUT,,,,,, if anyone expects UPS to bide by the contract on other issues such as over 9.5: Seniority: and every other article, then they simply have to abide by whatever your article in your area says about the meal period. I think that should answer the original question. I can't believe no one brought that up.