Is there a three year plan?

[trplnkl]

The diversification started long before the name change and see no reason for the change. However, I never had someone look at me as if I was speaking a foreign language when I would say I worked for UPS....many times if I said United Parcel Service, they would and I had to clarify with UPS.

 

[JustTired]

The diversification started long before the name change and see no reason for the change.

Of course diversification started long before the name change. My point is (and this is just my opinion) the pkg delivery part of the equation has caused them the most grief in the way of cost and management.

Here is the scenario as I see it.......

The PAS/EDD system was developed in response to the 97 strike. They were looking for a way put a person off the street into a pkg car to perform delivery and pickup functions with a minimal amount of training. While the system developed has the potential to make that happen.....the poor implementation has thwarted that effort. While part of the system (in certain areas) is achieving some success.......overall it is not living up to expectations. If the system is ever overhauled and implemented correctly, it does not bode well for upcoming labor agreements.

Plan B might be to shut down the delivery function altogether should the system not perform as advertised and a strike occur. So far that has not happened. But with every contract, I believe it becomes a more real possibility.

Either way, it becomes a "catch-22" for the Teamster workforce.

It's something to think about. Maybe I'm totally wrong. I hope I am. But with actions taken by other companies and some experience with this one, it appears to be a real possibility.

 

[Blizzard]

I think I'll have them shine my shoes.

um...they are fat cats retiring from their jobs here. why would they want to shine your shoes?

 

[Blizzard]

Actually we DO run the place. When management calls in no one notices, when a driver calls in management has to scramble to cover and even run the route for the day! Who`s job is more important?

they can have it too. I have no interest in running the place.

 

[Bubblehead]

um...they are fat cats retiring from their jobs here. why would they want to shine your shoes?

They've been doing it for years, I'm afraid they would miss it.
It makes them feel useful.

 

[tieguy]

How come everytime I`m on vacation a certain management person is also off? Doesn`t he work or is he bed-ridden? :*******:

he may not have a cushy day job like you do?

 

[RoyalFlush]

its apparent you like to engage in self stimulation thinking about management getting canned. In this case I'm looking at a scenario where many people that may have retired sooner will have to wait three years before doing so.
many people leaving all at once. wondering if the company then downsizes again as they leave.

It takes good hourly people and good management to make a good company. Can you name one large successful company that has one without the other?

 

[pretzel_man]

Reflecting back on the staff reduction events this year I'm starting to wonder if there is a three to 4 year plan for another reorganization.

Looking at those that remain shows many senior experienced staff level managers remaining. Rumors had those that ended up with jobs signing three year contracts.

That basically means a stable management structure for the next three years. At that point many of those folks will be old enough to retire.

Then what?

Tie,

Here is the story as I heard it. First some background. Over the past few years, we have been reducing regions and districts.

The team came back again with plans for further incremental reductions. The management committee sent them back and said to not do incremental change. They said to come up with a plan on how UPS should be structured and to it in one shot. No more small incremental changes.

They came up with the current 3 region 20 district structure. Are they right? I don't know. I hope so.

As far as I know, ther is no 3 year plan for additional changes.

Will Corporate be next? I hope so.

P-Man

 

[SignificantOwner]

Actually we DO run the place. When management calls in no one notices, when a driver calls in management has to scramble to cover and even run the route for the day! Who`s job is more important?

Who was more important - Jerry Rice or Joe Montana? Neither, but Rice ran the routes he was told to run. I see the management vs. driver thing the same way - both equally important, but someone has to call the plays.

 

[Captain America]

Eventually the company will have a period where they "rededicate to our core business" IMHO.

 

[beentheredonethat]

Tie,


Will Corporate be next? I hope so.

P-Man

I hope their is drastic reduction in staffing in corporate. Corporate should be as small as possible. I was there for about 3-4 years in the early 2000's on a SA. There's way too many people, They could cut corp in half and we'd probably run better.

 

[Raw]

Who was more important - Jerry Rice or Joe Montana? Neither, but Rice ran the routes he was told to run. I see the management vs. driver thing the same way - both equally important, but someone has to call the plays.

Walsh called the plays!!

 

[satellitedriver]

I don't disagree. Just taking a quick peak into the future. contract settles around july 2013. Maybe sooner if the company pushs hard for an early settlement. three year committments expire around that time with many people eligible to retire. Looks to me like another reorganization.

on a side note I wonder if the management posters here will ever be able to have a thread that does not get **** on by the management haters.

Factor into the equation that over 10% of the experienced drivers will be taking retirement in the same time frame.
Seems like a perfect storm for change.

 

[SignificantOwner]

Walsh called the plays!!

Now that's how it's supposed to work - Rice and Montana both good union members executing the plans of their manager.

 

[tieguy]

Walsh called the plays!!

So now you're agreeing with us.?

 

[brownmonster]

Walsh called the plays. Rice and Montana and Craig and Taylor executed many of them to perfection and won a few championships along the way. When a pass was incomplete or dropped Walsh didn't have a clipboard full of warning letters or termination notices. He looked at the big picture. Concetrate on keeping the entire organization moving forward as a team.

 

[Raw]

So now you're agreeing with us.?

Nope! I understood S.O`s post as saying that Montana called the plays, I just corrected him as I always must correct my management team at my center when they are wrong!!

 

[randomUPSISer]

Three year plan? I don't know if its actually three years.

What I do see is a management team following standard business school practices which UPS has ignored for many many years. The company seems to be interested in outsourcing nearly everything except the core business. IT is being outsourced more, call centers are being outsourced more, billing functions outsourced more, etc etc. The actual operations they seem to be trying to run as lean as possible.

Assuming that UPS doesn't anger its remaining workforce so badly that they refuse to perform this is all likely good for the stock holders, at least in the short term. I know having worked with outsourced IT they aren't as good if anything because they really don't care that much about the company they are working for. I know from being a customer that outsourced call centers are worthless. I'm sure there are other "bad results" outsourced areas too. It remains to be seen whether outsourcing all of these functions will affect our services to customers or will only annoy us internally. (Or at least those of us that aren't "voluntarily separated")

If anything I would say operations is the safest place in UPS to be these days. Its the core of the business after all. My guess is operations big changes are pretty much done.

 

[BROWNHOG]

Management isnt going to sign contracts. Ups america will continue to shrink its management structure and pay scales. The same thing is going to happen to the teamsters..but will take longer. The teamsters need more members to contribute to their employee base for wags and benefit payouts to older and higher paid workers who will leave in the next 3--5 years. Pay rates for management and labor are to high and will be reduced through staff consolidation and another sweetheart deal for the teamsters in 2012. Bottom lin, ups america is a shrinking and ultimately and less paying operation...probably 5 7 years. They still need small package in the usa, but a split between international..freight and brokerage logistic is coming and coming fast..ups america has the highest cost structures and the lowest rate of return...all planned..all calculated and all designed to shrink the high pay scales in the us.. The party is over in the usa

 

[BROWNHOG]

In a nutshell and concerning the management structure..yes