Consistently understaffed

[Big Package]

Long time listener, first time caller here

I'm a two year loader in a big hub located in the south. Management cuts our staffing to the bare minimum, and even sends people home when we are clearly in need of extra help.

Week after week, we are constantly short and when I speak up I am told that "we're understaffed". Basically, to suck it up and deal with it. Well tonight, I decided to speak up and call my (new) supervisor out for working some hardware pieces.

There is a clear problem when our staffing levels are so atrocious that supervisors feel the need to work along side us.

I do appreciate the help, but I feel like that is kind of a way for them to justify our poor staffing.

I told him that this has been a problem for weeks now, and that I'm tired of being overworked, and it's unfair to everyone on our belt. And if it continues, I would have no choice but to get the union involved and file grievances for him working and poor staffing. I mentioned how it is the company's responsibility to maintain an efficient workforce, as not to unreasonably burden it's employees.

Well, he basically took it as a threat, and said that he would not do anymore of our work. I had a moment later to speak with him and straighten it out. I do not have a problem with him personally, and I understand he is a small fish in a big pond. He seemed to understand and told me that he agrees, but it still seems like he holds a grudge for me standing up for myself.

I'm going to get in touch with my union hall (#509) monday and see what my options are.

I guess my question for the public is what are some proper ways to identify and document supervisor harassment and retaliation?

I show up on time, I work properly and safely, and usually stay until the work is completely finished. I am trying to prepare for the storm of pettiness that is probably going to come my way.

So please, any advice on my situation would be appreciated. Thanks for reading and I hope I get a snarky reply from the legendary IVEGOTTAPACKAGE4U

Keep track of your interactions with management & file grievances when you're mistreated. If anything bad ever happens, it'll be clear the sup was going after a hard working union member who was unfairly targeted for his involvement in the union. Stand up for yourself when you know you can, work as directed otherwise. Grieve.

 

[Maple Grove MN Driver]

Pick and choose your battles wisely.

Nope
File on every violation.
Bury them in grievances

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Nope
File on every violation.
Bury them in grievances

Wrong

 

[allahuakbar]

If the shift is under staffed doesn’t it fall under operational needs? You won’t get anything from filing and you’ll just look like a pusillanimous cause you can’t take the heat.

 

[DumbTruckDriver]

If the shift is under staffed doesn’t it fall under operational needs? You won’t get anything from filing and you’ll just look like a pusillanimous cause you can’t take the heat.

If management is advancing packages consistently due to the operation being short-staffed, every part-timer should be filing. It has nothing to do with being able to “take the heat.”

 

[allahuakbar]

Yeah but they can work because it’s understaffed. Unless they’re sending part timers home. I’m not 100% on that though. I know that’s what they say when managers pull routes in our building. It falls under “operational needs” and they can do that.

 

[DumbTruckDriver]

Yeah but they can work because it’s understaffed. Unless they’re sending part timers home. I’m not 100% on that though. I know that’s what they say when managers pull routes in our building. It falls under “operational needs” and they can do that.

There’s a difference between “occasionally understaffed” and “chronically understaffed.”

 

[allahuakbar]

Can the union really fight that though?

 

[Jstpeachy]

We have sups loading full load sets due to understaffing. But apparently they can’t keep staff no matter what in our building. Everyone is offered 6th punch, I’ve even seen drivers coming in to preload on 6th punch days etc, every seasonal preload offered a job to stay but no one stays after a couple days. lol I’m in the south so the union isn’t something I’m very familiar with.

 

[PT Car Washer]

We have sups loading full load sets due to understaffing. But apparently they can’t keep staff no matter what in our building. Everyone is offered 6th punch, I’ve even seen drivers coming in to preload on 6th punch days etc, every seasonal preload offered a job to stay but no one stays after a couple days. lol I’m in the south so the union isn’t something I’m very familiar with.

Never had a problem with staffing or supervisors working when preloaders made the same hourly rate as drivers.

 

[burrheadd]

Can the union really fight that though?

If it’s chronic document it

Then bust’em in the ass with a grievance

 

[burrheadd]

We have sups loading full load sets due to understaffing. But apparently they can’t keep staff no matter what in our building. Everyone is offered 6th punch, I’ve even seen drivers coming in to preload on 6th punch days etc, every seasonal preload offered a job to stay but no one stays after a couple days. lol I’m in the south so the union isn’t something I’m very familiar with.

Do you pay dues Peachy?

 

[Jstpeachy]

Do you pay dues Peachy?

I started with UPS 3 weeks ago, just got my union application that I’m turning in to the steward tomorrow.

 

[Jstpeachy]

They have said we are short 25 people in our building, but they did a ton of interviews when I got on, 6 showed up for the walk thru tour and only one other besides me actually showed up for work day 1 lol. It’s a mess. According to other preloaders they hire but no one stays on hardly.

 

[JL 0513]

There's now more job openings in the US than people available to fill them. All Trumps fault. Going to be particularly hard for a place like UPS to stay fully staffed because of the type of work it is.

 

[Maple Grove MN Driver]

Wrong

What is the point of the contract of the members don't enforce it?

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

What is the point of the contract of the members don't enforce it?

It's a two way street.

 

[Superteeth2478]

The only thing that will make them stop is when it effects their wallet, trust me and talk to your coworkers and tell them the plan to get staffing back on track.

It used to be the case that supervisors working slowed down when it affected their wallet, but now I'm up to 112 supervisors working grievances for May totaling at least $5,000 and they're actually getting worse with the violations. Those numbers must be damn impossible at this point.

To the OP: Like everyone else said, keep doing what you're doing and start filing. It won't stop, the staffing situation won't change, and you'll get a big target on your back especially if you're the only one filing. But at least you'll get paid for that target. And try to encourage others in the building to file. I've managed to encourage many in the building where I work to start filing when it used to be only me. It took a while, but I knew that the ridiculous "New UPS" that would rear its ugly head in 2019 would only work against them.

 

[Superteeth2478]

Once you file do everything by the book, harassment grievances are the hardest to prove from what I have heard from my stewards, usually they move the sup to.a different part of the building to resolve the issue. Yes bring a note pad with but do not write anything in the book while you are on the clock. This would be considered to some management as stealing time, just remember the time, place and supervisor working in what area and write down later.

Management at my building has tried that "taking notes on the clock is stealing time" BS for a while. You have a right to take notes pertinent to grievances on the clock. Just don't spend an inordinate amount of time doing it. I take all of 5 seconds to scratch down the time/work location/supervisor's name for my notes. This is because I utilize a system of shorthand and write so fast no one but me can make heads or tails of what's in my notes. What are you more willing to risk, filing an inaccurate grievance because you utilized your faulty memory to write them and losing your job over "dishonesty" or them wasting their time telling you you can't take notes during the sort? If you're doing everything else right and they're messing with you for union activity file for retaliation.

Pick and choose your battles wisely.

And the battle against supervisors working is always a worthy battle. Only the OP knows whether or not he's the right kind of soldier for it. You have to be cool-headed to deal with the retaliation and keep from doing something stupid in response to it. You have to have balls. You have to actually care to some extent about the problem and not just about the money or you'll fold as soon as your job is on the line (and some still will). You have to be a model employee (it sucks, but that's the way it is). If you can mark all those boxes you're good to go.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Management at my building has tried that "taking notes on the clock is stealing time" BS for a while. You have a right to take notes pertinent to grievances on the clock. Just don't spend an inordinate amount of time doing it. I take all of 5 seconds to scratch down the time/work location/supervisor's name for my notes. This is because I utilize a system of shorthand and write so fast no one but me can make heads or tails of what's in my notes. What are you more willing to risk, filing an inaccurate grievance because you utilized your faulty memory to write them and losing your job over "dishonesty" or them wasting their time telling you you can't take notes during the sort? If you're doing everything else right and they're messing with you for union activity file for retaliation.

And the battle against supervisors working is always a worthy battle. Only the OP knows whether or not he's the right kind of soldier for it. You have to be cool-headed to deal with the retaliation and keep from doing something stupid in response to it. You have to have balls. You have to actually care to some extent about the problem and not just about the money or you'll fold as soon as your job is on the line (and some still will). You have to be a model employee (it sucks, but that's the way it is). If you can mark all those boxes you're good to go.

You definitely have to stand up for yourself. But some battles ate best saved for another day.