Driver Lunch Break

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

And that time is for your break???

Yuppers.

 

[Coldworld]

Yuppers.

Stupid Dave....

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

Stupid Dave....

He's trying to help out. We need more drivers like that. Lol.

 

[Bubblehead]

I almost always take my lunch at noon, and will take a half hour or an hour based on my needs. I want to do my best to take care of the customers, and do good by the company.

Be honest,...

..... is it your needs, the customer's, or the Company's needs that you base this decision on???

The Company knows the truth.

I want to do my best to take care of the customers, and do good by the company.

I also want to:

"to do my best to take care of the customers, and do good by the company".

The Company knows this as well and will leverage your personal life, against your professional life, if you let them.

Not too many other jobs out there that compensate as well, I'd just as soon not let the company burn.

The Company is very far from "burning"???

Not too many companies realize the profits UPS has either???

Who do you think deserves the spoils, management, or hourly?

I could have taken my lunch earlier and would have had to break off and drive to the other city where the school was, then drive back and finish up, and been out for an extra hour, but I was balancing out my needs/wants with the needs of the company and customer. I didn't want to be out that late, so I compromised and took my lunch later.

Finally, you are being honest....

....and are exposing yourself, and the mindset, that UPS exploits.

Please take off the rose colored glasses and reread what you just wrote.

 

[zubenelgenubi]

Be honest,...

..... is it your needs, the customer's, or the Company's needs that you base this decision on?

Finally, you are being honest....

....and are exposing yourself, and the mindset, that UPS exploits.

Don't know why you think I'm lying. I do try to find a balance. I don't necessarily disagree with your point of view, but I have a different approach to how I deal with the reality of the situation.
It works for me for now, and if your way works for you, then cheers.

 

[Bubblehead]

It works for me for now,

Oh, OK???.....

.....so it's all about you?


I hear ya, yet don't understand or respect that mindset.

 

[zubenelgenubi]

Oh, OK???.....

.....so it's all about you?


I hear ya, yet don't understand or respect that mindset.

So are you criticizing me for being too selfish? Or not selfish enough? How am I supposed to realize how right you are and wrong I am if it's unclear what you think I'm doing wrong?
(Edit)That's only slightly tongue in cheek. I really don't understand what you think I'm doing wrong. I welcome differing perspectives, even if I don't end up accepting them.

 

[Article 3]

It's not normal, but often enough. I take an hour lunch if I'm given 170 stops or more. That way I don't get wrangled into helping other people. I don't mind the long hours. Once I get to where I need to be financially, or if I start to feel it physically, I'll ease up.


I almost always take my lunch at noon, and will take a half hour or an hour based on my needs. I want to do my best to take care of the customers, and do good by the company. Not too many other jobs out there that compensate as well, I'd just as soon not let the company burn. I could have taken my lunch earlier and would have had to break off and drive to the other city where the school was, then drive back and finish up, and been out for an extra hour, but I was balancing out my needs/wants with the needs of the company and customer. I didn't want to be out that late, so I compromised and took my lunch later.

 

[Article 3]

Don't know why you think I'm lying. I do try to find a balance. I don't necessarily disagree with your point of view, but I have a different approach to how I deal with the reality of the situation.
It works for me for now, and if your way works for you, then cheers.

The "reality of the situation" is that you're screwing your coworkers.

Have the spine to take at least your lunch as mandated in the contract THAT COMPENSATES YOU and let the company deal with missed businesses. Trust me, after a day or two they will either put in another route or put the compromised area on another route.

I bid a route that delivered up to 500 pcs a day and had 30 pickups. It took a tp60 out every day....
until I bid it and took a ten minute break after my 10:30 airs were done, my lunch between the 3rd and 6th hr as mandated in our CBA, and my last break right before pickups started.

After holding tight to my schedule thru a bunch of management grumbling for two weeks of this the trailer disappeared and so did almost half my delivery pcs.

When you figure out that the company can't discipline you for working according to the CBA your life will get a lot easier, the customers often get better service when another route gets added, and your spine will be stronger for the next round.

(There's always the next round.)

 

[zubenelgenubi]

The "reality of the situation" is that you're screwing your coworkers.

Have the spine to take at least your lunch as mandated in the contract THAT COMPENSATES YOU and let the company deal with missed businesses. Trust me, after a day or two they will either put in another route or put the compromised area on another route.

When you figure out that the company can't discipline you for working according to the CBA your life will get a lot easier, the customers often get better service when another route gets added, and your spine will be stronger for the next round.

(There's always the next round.)

I appreciate that you took the time to explain all that to me. So you're saying that I'm screwing my coworkers because they are cutting routes because I'm willing to compromise on my break schedule and make service on deliveries. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I took away from that part.

I think you and bubblehead may be assuming too much without enough information. But I wasn't submitting my anecdote for your approval of my actions, so I didn't, and still don't see a need to go into the entire situation, and all of my philosophies on life which lead me to make this particular decision on this particular day. I did ask for the clarification as to the reason for bubblehead's objection to my decisions, and as I said before, I do appreciate your input.

My next question is, do you simply enjoy getting on here and insulting anyone who does not appear to share your point of view 100%? Or are you actually trying to inform people so they will make better decisions in the future that will benefit all the union members? Because if it's the latter, if I may offer this critique, then you could probably make it seem like less of the former. I know when someone calls me dishonest, spineless and a sheep it doesn't magically make me want to shift my views to match theirs. I'm just weird that way.

 

[Article 3]

I appreciate that you took the time to explain all that to me. So you're saying that I'm screwing my coworkers because they are cutting routes because I'm willing to compromise on my break schedule and make service on deliveries. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I took away from that part.

I think you and bubblehead may be assuming too much without enough information. But I wasn't submitting my anecdote for your approval of my actions, so I didn't, and still don't see a need to go into the entire situation, and all of my philosophies on life which lead me to make this particular decision on this particular day. I did ask for the clarification as to the reason for bubblehead's objection to my decisions, and as I said before, I do appreciate your input.

My next question is, do you simply enjoy getting on here and insulting anyone who does not appear to share your point of view 100%? Or are you actually trying to inform people so they will make better decisions in the future that will benefit all the union members? Because if it's the latter, if I may offer this critique, then you could probably make it seem like less of the former. I know when someone calls me dishonest, spineless and a sheep it doesn't magically make me want to shift my views to match theirs. I'm just weird that way.

First, to address the lunch issue here dredges up the same frustration we encounter with even high seniority drivers in our own workplace.
They don't have the spine to take their lunch during the contracted time(s) because they'll have to either take a stand on their negotiated rights and weather the blow back from supes that bank on them making it easy to cut routes (screwing other coworkers who would've driven but were laid off because their fellow drivers blew thru their lunch to "make service") and decide to break the very language that they are protected under.

The sheep pic was a word picture. It was also meant to be humorous so don't take it personal. Many of us have been sheep in the beginning of our employment and/or at least after qualifying for a driving job. It wasn't meant for just ewe.

Finally, you have to understand that the issue of delaying lunches (barring a family emergency, etc) past the time allotted time in the CBA, working/driving thru breaks, is truly a sore subject to many who have the responsibility to make other bargaining unit employees understand that they need to stop the practice and why it screws the people they work with.

For me, it's a sore subject because no matter how hoarse you get educating the cowardly people you work with about this issue they still don't man up and obey what the CBA dictates. It's very frustrating. And after awhile you realize that it's also an embarrassment to the union.

Dishonesty wasn't even mentioned in my previous post. And by the way, when I was in my first year of driving one day I took my "lunch" at 17:30. When a top senior driver asked why I was hanging around the locker room I told him I was on lunch and I was lucky to have gotten out of the locker room with my hearing intact. I got the point and from that day on I made it a point to adhere to the contract language.
You're lucky. All you got was a sheep pic.

 

[zubenelgenubi]

Bubblehead was the one who brought up dishonesty, and since you seemed to be making the explanation for him I threw it in with the rest. I'm not bothered by the apparent insults, I was just suggesting they may be counterproductive if you are trying to get people to see things your way.

I appreciate this candor even more because I now have a better understanding of where you are coming from. Honestly hadn't considered it from that perspective before. We have a long way to go in my building before we can get everyone on the same page. Very few guys are even interested, let alone involved, in union issues. Now I am better equipped to be having these conversations with my fellow union members, so thanks again.

 

[Back first]

Bubblehead was the one who brought up dishonesty, and since you seemed to be making the explanation for him I threw it in with the rest. I'm not bothered by the apparent insults, I was just suggesting they may be counterproductive if you are trying to get people to see things your way.

I appreciate this candor even more because I now have a better understanding of where you are coming from. Honestly hadn't considered it from that perspective before. We have a long way to go in my building before we can get everyone on the same page. Very few guys are even interested, let alone involved, in union issues. Now I am better equipped to be having these conversations with my fellow union members, so thanks again.

When you stop making excuses why you can't take your FULL HOUR lunch during the prescribed times your job will be much easier. This is a company wide problem, I see it all the time in my building too. Drivers taking lunch in the parking lot at the end of their day just because they wouldn't make service on deliveries and pick ups. everyone's been there but you must take a stand and your job will be a lot less stressful.

 

[Article 3]

Bubblehead was the one who brought up dishonesty, and since you seemed to be making the explanation for him I threw it in with the rest. I'm not bothered by the apparent insults, I was just suggesting they may be counterproductive if you are trying to get people to see things your way.

I appreciate this candor even more because I now have a better understanding of where you are coming from. Honestly hadn't considered it from that perspective before. We have a long way to go in my building before we can get everyone on the same page. Very few guys are even interested, let alone involved, in union issues. Now I am better equipped to be having these conversations with my fellow union members, so thanks again.

When you stop making excuses why you can't take your FULL HOUR lunch during the prescribed times your job will be much easier. This is a company wide problem, I see it all the time in my building too. Drivers taking lunch in the parking lot at the end of their day just because they wouldn't make service on deliveries and pick ups. everyone's been there but you must take a stand and your job will be a lot less stressful.

Be forewarned, if you're the first "sheep" to escape the fold they may want to make an example of you.
You'll get past it if you continue to use all 3 million of their methods and hopefully get your other drivers on the same page.

Hopefully your ba is not spineless.

P.S/ I'm not sure how old you are but when you get toward retirement age you'll appreciate that you took all your breaks and lunches as I have. Your body isn't a machine. It can wear out from taking shortcuts when you were young and it didn't seem to matter then.

 

[Coldworld]

He's trying to help out. We need more drivers like that. Lol.

Oh the hell we do!!!

 

[Coldworld]

When you stop making excuses why you can't take your FULL HOUR lunch during the prescribed times your job will be much easier. This is a company wide problem, I see it all the time in my building too. Drivers taking lunch in the parking lot at the end of their day just because they wouldn't make service on deliveries and pick ups. everyone's been there but you must take a stand and your job will be a lot less stressful.

It boils down to ups is going to give every route more work than it actually needs and you as the driver need to find "ingenious " ways to try to game the system to squeeze your lunch and breaks in... that's why drivers are taking their breaks while letterbox stops are open(dave).. or are waiting until 9 pm to take a "lunch"( sorry guys , you aren't in feeder)...or using your drive time to or from the building to take your lunch(not ok!!!!) Hell, we had a couple guys punch in 30 minutes early and take their lunch before their start time..(stupid fools!!!) Overdispatching is a HUGE problem here and I hope they at least pretend to address it in this contract... we need stronger language than 9.5... no matter what ANYONE on here says..

 

[Coldworld]

Be forewarned, if you're the first "sheep" to escape the fold they may want to make an example of you.
You'll get past it if you continue to use all 3 million of their methods and hopefully get your other drivers on the same page.

Hopefully your ba is not spineless.

P.S/ I'm not sure how old you are but when you get toward retirement age you'll appreciate that you took all your breaks and lunches as I have. Your body isn't a machine. It can wear out from taking shortcuts when you were young and it didn't seem to matter then.

Yep... they use this whole "method violation " bs against us... another thing that needs to be addressed....got a kick out of the 3 million method thing but it is true.... firing you for not doing a method is absolutely Ludacris... there should already be language in the contract that says a driver can't be fired for methods....our own mgt team doesn't even know every single method... it is a total scam... SCAM!!!

 

[BigUnionGuy]

They use this whole "method violation" bs against us. Our own mgt team doesn't even know every single method.

Isn't that the easiest thing to combat ?


Management people are scared to death.

They can't do the job.... and are beheld to numbers they can't achieve.


I'm not sure what the problem is.



-Bug-

 

[Article 3]

Isn't that the easiest thing to combat ?


Management people are scared to death.

They can't do the job.... and are beheld to numbers they can't achieve.


I'm not sure what the problem is.



-Bug-

I do.

 

[wide load]

I find it odd that they always find a way to pass out suspensions this time of the year so they can train seasonals

Really? Ours come in January. This is the time of year we can do no wrong.