My poor pop would be rolling in his grave!

[twoweeled]

The strike was eye opening from both sides.

yes it was.

 

[oldupsman]

Those were the good ol days. Everyone busted their butts to do what needed to get done, and everyone knew everyone (management and hourly) was getting it done. Disagreements made and argued occasionally, then it was get back and do the job. Many covering each other"s back when necessary, then we'd argue it out later. Often ending up at some bar, pub or club for a few drinks.
I have no doubt, ol time management miss those days just as much as we do. It's a shame. It was a great company.

Yep, it was a good job. Everybody was on the same page, everybody was making good money, everybody had good health care.
And yeah you butted heads once in awhile but the next morning it was all forgotten and lets get to work.
And everybody carried their weight.

 

[Gear]

All I did was state the facts. Nothing more. Remember, I referred to anyone who has driven package. I should have excluded any management who did the 6-months on a residential split to go into management. lol They of course thought they had been through hell and back. Or the person who was hired, knowing he/she was going into management.
Other than that. No doubt about it. Package was thee most difficult job at UPS. If I'm wrong, please point out the more difficult job. I'm all ears!
Please be specific.

I would say part time loaders and unloaders have the most difficult job at UPS. Its all physical labor, under the gun pressure, with low compensation. Those guys/girls are constantly getting barked at.

 

[Catatonic]

All I did was state the facts. Nothing more. Remember, I referred to anyone who has driven package. I should have excluded any management who did the 6-months on a residential split to go into management. lol They of course thought they had been through hell and back. Or the person who was hired, knowing he/she was going into management.
Other than that. No doubt about it. Package was thee most difficult job at UPS. If I'm wrong, please point out the more difficult job. I'm all ears!
Please be specific.

Oh, I agree that being a package car driver is the hardest job at UPS for the type of job it is.
The hardest part is the pressure and the rules and of course the day in day out grind of the job especially in adverse conditions.

However, the PC job is just one link in the chain of logistics of getting a package(s) picked up and delivered.
The link is important but the person performing the job is not ... no more than a inside package handler or management person is.
The only reason UPS is still in business is because of the use of internally developed technology ... one could easily argue that the developers of those technologies are the most important employees of UPS.

Is that specific enough?

 

[Catatonic]

Sooo true. I've experienced all of the above. Agree with everything. The strike really revealed a lot, to all of us. funny how management had such a tough time just cleaning out the system. I didn't see any smiling faces when they returned from their 30 stop day. Yep, easy job!! LOL!

I delivered over a 100 stops everyday I delivered but after 3 weeks I was bored less.
I was smilin' when I brought no pickups back in and the few packages where Union workers gave me crap at the dock ... their packages went back in the car as RTS.

 

[Catatonic]

The strike was eye opening from both sides.

It opened a few eyes that resulted in UPS going public.

 

[twoweeled]

I would say part time loaders and unloaders have the most difficult job at UPS. Its all physical labor, under the gun pressure, with low compensation. Those guys/girls are constantly getting barked at.

I realize toughest job is subjective. Having said that. I wonder if you've driven package. No doubt unloading is physical. They always do get barked at. They are underpaid. Throwing the underpaid variable into the equation of toughest job, is difficult for me to solve. lol But package is also physical and freakin heavily stressing. maybe not so much barking from the doors as they go walking down isles watching unloaders, but always on driver's butt. They can harass drivers a lot, because they know we'll put up with more because of the compensation. If they harass a new part timer, management risk the part timer walking, while giving the finger on the way out. I didn't take the pay variable into account, when I said, package is the toughest job.

 

[twoweeled]

I delivered over a 100 stops everyday I delivered but after 3 weeks I was bored less.
I was smilin' when I brought no pickups back in and the few packages where Union workers gave me crap at the dock ... their packages went back in the car as RTS.

I didn't totally understand it, but! It sounds like you had one of the juice routes? sounds like 100 stops and no pickups??? You were out in the boonies?? Virtually all DR? After 3 weeks you were bored? There were always a couple of juice routes ( I was in a fairly large building) out of maybe 50 routes. Assuming that was a juice route, how did you get a route like that with only 3 weeks in driving?

Union workers gave you crap? whose union workers, ours or someone else's Union workers?

Edit. Sorry, coffee kicked in and I had to go!!! I wrote this wrong. When i started package, we had around 40-50 routes. but when I left if may have been 60-70 routes, probably close to 70 routes. That was for the center, not the building. Guessing, there may be in the range of 7 centers, for a better perspective.

 

[twoweeled]

Oh, I agree that being a package car driver is the hardest job at UPS for the type of job it is.
The hardest part is the pressure and the rules and of course the day in day out grind of the job especially in adverse conditions.

However, the PC job is just one link in the chain of logistics of getting a package(s) picked up and delivered.
The link is important but the person performing the job is not ... no more than a inside package handler or management person is.
The only reason UPS is still in business is because of the use of internally developed technology ... one could easily argue that the developers of those technologies are the most important employees of UPS.

Is that specific enough?

Yep! I get your point. But it seems your argument is a bit more focus on the necessity of the job. No argument there. All the jobs you pointed out are a necessary part, and no job can do it all alone. I think what went through my mind is. Looking at our last strike. Replacing loaders and unloaders, no problem. Replacing sorters? Going to take a bit of time. Replacing feeder? No problem. Replacing package drivers? Good luck!!
I know nothing about Orion, but I hear it makes it a lot easier for utility or any new drivers, but I don't know. That was my perspective of why the toughest job. I equated toughest with most difficult to replace. Just my view.

 

[Catatonic]

Yep! I get your point. But it seems your argument is a bit more focus on the necessity of the job. No argument there. All the jobs you pointed out are a necessary part, and no job can do it all alone. I think what went through my mind is. Looking at our last strike. Replacing loaders and unloaders, no problem. Replacing sorters? Going to take a bit of time. Replacing feeder? No problem. Replacing package drivers? Good luck!!
I know nothing about Orion, but I hear it makes it a lot easier for utility or any new drivers, but I don't know. That was my perspective of why the toughest job. I equated toughest with most difficult to replace. Just my view.

Believe me, UPS can replace a driver 10 times (at least) than they can a programmer.
And about half the programmers leave within a couple of years.
UPS is a weird duck in the Technology sector and most techies will not put up with UPS BS.

 

[MC4YOU2]

We were told at our center, that had fairly low overallowed, that Orion would probably really not solve many problems and likely create more and actually increase operating cost.

And so, we continue to hear how technology advances pay for drivers wages, (as management staffing doubled, then tripled, college kids staring at computer screens while listening to motivational conference calls) but in our center it's always been just the opposite. The drivers are expected to make the technology look good.

In the end, UPS decides, and agrees to what it will pay each worker based on their value to the operation.

 

[Catatonic]

We were told at our center, that had fairly low overallowed, that Orion would probably really not solve many problems and likely create more and actually increase operating cost.

And so, we continue to hear how technology advances pay for drivers wages, (as management staffing doubled, then tripled, college kids staring at computer screens while listening to motivational conference calls) but in our center it's always been just the opposite. The drivers are expected to make the technology look good.

In the end, UPS decides, and agrees to what it will pay each worker based on their value to the operation.

Of course, ORION is for Future Drivers.

Make sure you get the bugs out for your replacement.
.
.
.
.
.

 

[Catatonic]

I didn't totally understand it, but! It sounds like you had one of the juice routes? sounds like 100 stops and no pickups??? You were out in the boonies?? Virtually all DR? After 3 weeks you were bored? There were always a couple of juice routes ( I was in a fairly large building) out of maybe 50 routes. Assuming that was a juice route, how did you get a route like that with only 3 weeks in driving?

Guess wrong much?
I had a training route for the first 22 days after which I became a cover driver for 2 centers with major industrial pickups and deliveries. There was no such thing as DR back then (well there was Rel# and Doorknob). Never got bored as a driver. I drove for 1 1/2 years, at which time I was bored.

 

[twoweeled]

Of course, ORION is for Future Drivers.

Make sure you get the bugs out for your replacement.
.
.
.
.
.

LOL !! that wasn't right. that was cold. but sadly, probably true. I think that's exactly what it was developed for. we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I think replacing package drivers was one of the big problems for the company at the last strike.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

LOL !! that wasn't right. that was cold. but sadly, probably true. I think that's exactly what it was developed for. we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I think replacing package drivers was one of the big problems for the company at the last strike.

Orion is definitely a result of the strike.

 

[Billy Ray]

I think replacing package drivers was one of the big problems for the company at the last strike.

"last strike" has a double meaning

 

[Wally]

"last strike" has a double meaning

 

[twoweeled]

"last strike" has a double meaning

Sorry, I didn't mean to say a strike will never happen again. I think if we don't strike again, things are going to get sooo much worse. A strike is so necessary. But I don't know how another strike will turn out. I was totally confident at the 97 strike. 97 correct? Not as confident now. But it's necessary. I have no further comment on that one. I just don't know.
Nope, didn't mean to imply, "no more strikes".

 

[Catatonic]

LOL !! that wasn't right. that was cold. ...

I always try to post with some humor, and often, with some truth.

 

[twoweeled]

Orion is definitely a result of the strike.

The company is always thinking ahead. No doubt about it!