Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

[over9five]

There's more gypsies than us year round. Consider Amazon, basically ALL Amazon gets to our hubs via gypsy.
We're bleeding feeder jobs faster every year.

 

[tarbar66]

Did you all see this or maybe you've already heard about the proposal? UPS seeks to create integrated over-the-road network manned by drivers from several units, Teamster group says – DC Velocity

I don't quite understand how they would use package drivers in longer hauls.

I remember 10 years ago there was talk of Feeders having a name change to Transportation. Did that ever happen?

With UPS loving Logistics and UPS Freight going to all brown tractors anything is possible. A center I used to work at has UPS Freight using a corner of the lot for their local staging area and base of p/u and del. operation. Is this happening anywhere else?

 

[barnyard]

Did you all see this or maybe you've already heard about the proposal? UPS seeks to create integrated over-the-road network manned by drivers from several units, Teamster group says – DC Velocity

I don't quite understand how they would use package drivers in longer hauls.

I wondered about that.

A couple of years ago, a driver supe said that they were looking for a way to base 1 or 2 freight drivers out of a couple of outstate centers. She said that it would all Freight to expand faster. I asked what they would do if work slowed down or they needed work and she suggested that they could do some of the small package feeder work.

The idea got shut down, but I could see it working well IF they allowed feeder guys from my building the chance to bid that work. In my center, we went from 9 FT feeder jobs to 4 in the last 15 years.

 

[raceanoncr]

Did you all see this or maybe you've already heard about the proposal? UPS seeks to create integrated over-the-road network manned by drivers from several units, Teamster group says – DC Velocity

I don't quite understand how they would use package drivers in longer hauls.

I saw this coming from day one, when UPS bought Overnite. Was it 2004? There abouts.

UPS and the union said it would never happen, that UPSF would NEVER haul UPS parcel stuff and vice-versa. Hmmmmm.....

Now, for some strange reason, UPSF tractors went from brown/gray/blue to all UPS brown. Sale on brown paint?

It might not happen this coming contract but it WILL happen. Look at YRC. It used to be Yellow Freight. Yellow bought Roadway Freight. Yellow said the two would continue to operate separately. Now, Yellow's hauling Roadway trailers. Roadway's hauling Yellow trailers. The company changed it's name to YRC. Hmmmm....what's that stand for?

 

[barnyard]

Look at YRC. It used to be Yellow Freight. Yellow bought Roadway Freight. Yellow said the two would continue to operate separately. Now, Yellow's hauling Roadway trailers. Roadway's hauling Yellow trailers. The company changed it's name to YRC. Hmmmm....what's that stand for?

That HAD to happen. Yellow was bleeding money to the point it looked like they would be bankrupt with an asset sale. One of the only ways to save the company was to combine operations. I have not checked their stock price lately, when I was in feeder school, my trainer had their stock on his home page, as his dad had quite a bit of stock as a retiree. At that time, it was trading below $1 a share and was approaching junk status. The fact that the company is still in business is a testament to management's commitment to keeping the company running.

In my area, they are adding drivers. Not many union LTL companies left and it is good to see them being relatively successful. LTL competition is fierce.

 

[scratch]

YRC also quit putting money into the Teamsters Pension Fund to stay afloat, I don't know if they are still doing that. Just like our business, its difficult to be competitive against non-union companies.

 

[tae111]

In my area we hire feeder drivers off the road by a ratio of 2 from package 2 from feeder transfer and 1 off the road. When I finally decided to go to Feeders I had 25 years in package. As it worked out the next guy ahead of me on the feeder seniority list had 1 month with the company. I get vacation pick and layoff protection over him but he gets job pick, overtime pick and everything else.

What isn't fair about full-time seniority trumping all? I can understand if the street driver makes his time before a part-timer gets his full time seniority, but if a package car driver comes back to feeders, he's earned his time. I have nothing against the guys off the street, but I get tired of hearing them complain about getting bumped when package car drivers come back to feeders. Bottom line: if they get bumped, it's because they don't have the time. The rules didn't change AFTER they got hired; they've been that way all along.

 

[over9five]

In my area we hire feeder drivers off the road by a ratio of 2 from package 2 from feeder transfer and 1 off the road. When I finally decided to go to Feeders I had 25 years in package. As it worked out the next guy ahead of me on the feeder seniority list had 1 month with the company. I get vacation pick and layoff protection over him but he gets job pick, overtime pick and everything else.

Do you feel this is fair? I think it's insane.

 

[beentheredonethat]

Did you all see this or maybe you've already heard about the proposal? UPS seeks to create integrated over-the-road network manned by drivers from several units, Teamster group says – DC Velocity

I don't quite understand how they would use package drivers in longer hauls.

It's not what you think of as Package drivers, it would be combining our "feeder" drivers, UPS Freight Drivers, and the UPS cartage business.

 

[barnyard]

Important to note that UPS freight is unionized with a lower scale than package and Cartage is not organized at all and the pay is the same is many of the worst gypsy carriers.

 

[Dracula]

In my area we hire feeder drivers off the road by a ratio of 2 from package 2 from feeder transfer and 1 off the road. When I finally decided to go to Feeders I had 25 years in package. As it worked out the next guy ahead of me on the feeder seniority list had 1 month with the company. I get vacation pick and layoff protection over him but he gets job pick, overtime pick and everything else.

Well, where I'm at, that doesn't happen. Here, your 25 years of seniority dovetails right into the feeder list. You have 35 full-time years and are treated as such. I'm sorry it works that way in your area, because that's a bunch of BS and whoever agreed to that should have their fingernails removed. I mean, what is the purpose of seniority if you have to start over in feeders? In my building, the street hires bitch and moan about how they get bumped back down the list every time a new school finishes. And we tell them ,hey, if you don't like it, you should have been here for all of the years we toiled through package car. We earned that seniority.

I'm curious what area you are in.

 

[kingOFchester]

Well, where I'm at, that doesn't happen. Here, your 25 years of seniority dovetails right into the feeder list. You have 35 full-time years and are treated as such. I'm sorry it works that way in your area, because that's a bunch of BS and whoever agreed to that should have their fingernails removed. I mean, what is the purpose of seniority if you have to start over in feeders? In my building, the street hires bitch and moan about how they get bumped back down the list every time a new school finishes. And we tell them ,hey, if you don't like it, you should have been here for all of the years we toiled through package car. We earned that seniority.

I'm curious what area you are in.

Going full time into package car can a part timers with 10 years in jump over a full time driver that only has 8 years in?

 

[Dracula]

What worries me is that our union hasn't told us any of these details that have come out from the TDU. Why are they holding info back from us? Don't they think you might want to know some of these details? If we find out at the last minute what UPS is offering, then we have less time to fight back and our union gets more past us. I have never liked Hoffa, and this is a good reason why. It is just bad faith bargaining, on behalf of those you are bargaining for, to keep us in the dark. I checked the Teamster web site last night and there is nothing--NOTHING--about UPS's proposals regarding this or the increase in retiree health care monthly costs. Just some vague blurbs about 9.5 and harassment language. And we heard that crap before the last contract and UPS flipped us over the barrel on that.

Bottom line: if we--OUR UNION--let UPS dovetail small package work into UPSF and subcontractors, outside the period during peak, we're screwed. We shouldn't allow it then, if you ask me, but it's too late now, isn't it sooner or later, we have to start drawing some lines in the sand and standing up to them.

 

[Dracula]

Going full time into package car can a part timers with 10 years in jump over a full time driver that only has 8 years in?

Not in my area. That is the line. Part-time/full-time. A part-timer going into PC would carry his time for vacations (the amount of weeks he/she gets) and layoff rights, but his full time date starts his full time seniority.

 

[kingOFchester]

Not in my area. That is the line. Part-time/full-time. A part-timer going into PC would carry his time for vacations (the amount of weeks he/she gets) and layoff rights, but his full time date starts his full time seniority.

But doesn't that go against your stance "I mean, what is the purpose of seniority if you have to start over in feeders?"

If a driver puts off going to feeders for 20 years, and a junior driver decides to make the leap to feeders shouldn't he be rewarded just as the part timer who makes the leap to full time before some other part timer who waited to make the leap? I can't see how the two differ?

​

 

[Dracula]

Different people have different reasons for going or not going to feeders. Some are intimidated, some still want to smoke dope, some want regular hours. Where I'm from, the dividing line has always been between part time and full time. But to your point, it wouldn't bother me much if long time PT's came back and carried their seniority. It would all even out over time. There is only so many high seniority PT's. If you're back there for that long, chances are you aren't ever going driving. But seniority is something that is earned and should be respected and have it's merits.

 

[QKRSTKR]

. It's mostly these guys who hire in off the street and have 2 yrs seniority , want to act like they have 20, that have problems with pkg drivers coming over with seniority. I started with the company when I was 18. I GAVE UP my seniority once when I went full time. I sure in the hell shouldn't have to do it again.

 

[raceanoncr]

That HAD to happen. Yellow was bleeding money to the point it looked like they would be bankrupt with an asset sale. One of the only ways to save the company was to combine operations. I have not checked their stock price lately, when I was in feeder school, my trainer had their stock on his home page, as his dad had quite a bit of stock as a retiree. At that time, it was trading below $1 a share and was approaching junk status. The fact that the company is still in business is a testament to management's commitment to keeping the company running.

In my area, they are adding drivers. Not many union LTL companies left and it is good to see them being relatively successful. LTL competition is fierce.

That may be true. Look, nowhere did I say I didn't agree with what they're doing. Yes, they're trying to keep the company afloat.

Here, there was alot of anger and hatred for each other that may or may not go away, I don't know.

I MERELY stated that Yellow said this was NEVER gonna happen and it did, that's all, for reasons that were economical, logical, sensible and/or reasonable.

UPS has stated the same thing, THE SAME THING! Whether it's wrong or right from a business standpoint is not for me to say. I am MERELY saying that UPS said the same thing and I get real tired of small/medium/large/huge corporations reniging on their "word". BUT, I guess that's America.

 

[happybob]

Our work rules were negotiated in 2000 and 'fixed' in 2009 but the classification seniority process has never been an issue. I guess it's a matter of your perspective but to me, just going by Company Seniority for classification presents all sorts of problems. A couple of scenarios:

Employee A works P/T for 3 years until eligible for Package, qualifies, and works 17 years in Package working his way to a nice route.
Employee B has one month seniority on Employee A, but stays in P/T working his way to the cushiest of Hub jobs: parking cars, damages, you name it. He decides to go driving and bumps Employee A.

One year later, Employee B has earned one year of Safe Driving and bumps into Feeders, displacing other 20 year drivers from day runs back to nights.

No one is being denied their option to exercise their seniority by our process. When you are eligible to drive, you can exercise your seniority. If you don't you are end-tailed when you do. Everyone can sign up on the Feeder list by Seniority every year, and if their turn comes up that's the time they can guarantee they will go into Feeders at their guaranteed position by Company Seniority. Delay that decision and you are end-tailed. We paid our dues in the Hub to get to Package, and pay them in Package to get to Feeders. Feeders is like working for a whole different UPS so it's appropriate to pay your dues to get the best opportunities there.

If we were to change how we do this, you would see the most movement in the bottom 2/3's which is where the transition from Nights to Days is most present and a lot of the shifting work would go to guys who've been in Feeders more than 6 years.
I think we're happy with the way we do things.

Every Supplement is differant. New England Supplement is you get a new seniority date when you become fulltime from the parttime ranks. Your vacation eligibility is by hire date. You get hired as a parttime employee you get a parttime seniority date and a hire/eployment date for vacation eligibility. When you go fulltime you get a fulltime seniority date but get to keep your hire date for vacation eligibility. Your fulltime date is used in all fulltime jobs, package, feeder and I believe 22.3. You get your allotment of vacation(weeks) based on your hire date. When you're ready to go into feeders you use your fulltime seniority date to slot where your date takes you, including bumping a 20 year feeder driver if your seniority date is before his/hers. To think the company hired someone off the street to driver feeders, maybe a year or two ago, and I toiled for 20 years as a package car driver and I can't bump him/her is crazy.

 

[pretender]

. It's mostly these guys who hire in off the street and have 2 yrs seniority , want to act like they have 20, that have problems with pkg drivers coming over with seniority. I started with the company when I was 18. I GAVE UP my seniority once when I went full time. I sure in the hell shouldn't have to do it again.

So true!