preload

[ok2bclever]

Iload, thanks, yes the contract doesn't address the situation as "skilled", but actually classifies it as preloader/sorter.

So I didn't think they would challenge this, but for the same reason they should have to give the dollar to anyone doing that position pre or post Spa.

Regardless, the company will correct this unforetunate wording (in their opinion

),look for the dollar to be effectively taken away in language change next contract.

 

[foundinload]

laoding package cars is basically a combination of knowledge & methods. the way the volume is shoved down our throats these days it's difficult to do the job even with no-chart knowledge and sound methods. many of the pt supes in our building are not very good at teaching the methods needed to load cars; it's a good thing that they're not swimming teachers. when pas hits our building in '07 then methods (belt-to-car in our case) will be more critical than they are now and i imagine that our m.a.r. will be higher. boy, i can't wait!

 

[ok2bclever]

Obviously there are pluses to the company with a successful PAS system and that is a good thing in many ways such as in competing economically with the costs of competition.

However, the truth is the pluses to the workforce are a bit more mixed knowing that anything that makes the worker's job simpler or quicker at UPS means more actual physical work in a job that already is very physical.

It stands to reason if this improves the preloader's efficiency they will cut the amount of preloaders rather than getting them chairs

and those working will gain more routes, ie: they will lift, load, move, handle more packages, hence more weight, etc.

So be it,but saying it will make the preloader's job easier is a misnomer.

The wage issue is separate concern.

Article 22, Section 5, Subsection (b) of the National Master United Parcel Service Agreement states Preloader/Sorter get a dollar more per hour than all others.

Technically there is no such thing as "grandfathering" and the legal/contractual term is "past practice", but why would such be even an issue here?

The wage issue states Preloader/Sorter.

It doesn't state if they are "skilled" positions.

Have no stewards in current PAS centers grieved this issue regarding not paying new preloaders the additional dollar?!?

If it has to wait for my centers to get PAS so be it I will grieve it, but I cannot believe this hasn't been grieved by a steward somewhere!

Anyone have any information regarding this wage issue/contention and is this policy/wage separation action happening elsewhere as well?

 

[webterractive]

I work preload in the Vancouver Hub in BC, Canada and I really agree. I have seen people come and go, and UPS seems really desperate to hire new people, especially since the Christmas season is coming. Currently I'm loading 5 cars, keeping stop counts, and scanning. My areas are really busy ones with industrial weight packages 80+lbs. And $10.50 is hardly worth all that effort. So this will definitly attract unqualified workers looking to last 2+ years to get the top rate.

 

[rocketman]

I dont have an assigened route so im on 3 diffrent routes for the most part. I stiil tip my preloaders a 5 dollar gift card to mcdonalds. it might not seem like much. but it makes a diffrence even with the most overworked preloaders. that small tip stops that many missloads and little tighter load so it makes it to your first stop. say thank you to them it helps everyone be safe. i'll tip them like once a month a lot more at xmass holiday.

 

[webterractive]

I don't want a $5 tip, I want an overall change to make the work enjoyable and better. I like the job its not bad, but everyday I find myself dreading it more and more, just 5 months ago I was always really eager to come in and do it, now I find myself looking at the employment paper to see if something better comes up.

 

[westsideworma]

I don't want a $5 tip, I want an overall change to make the work enjoyable and better. I like the job its not bad, but everyday I find myself dreading it more and more, just 5 months ago I was always really eager to come in and do it, now I find myself looking at the employment paper to see if something better comes up.

Pre-PAS: I liked my job (3 trucks to load, bout 300 pkgs each) I rarely had a misload, almost always finished on time or early without help. Loaded about 220-240 pph.

Post-PAS: I loathe my job (4 sometimes 5 trucks to load 300-325 each, not to mention lots of bulk). I have misloads DAILY. This is the result of being given 15 min more time to load 1-2 more trucks and bad PALs. I just don't have time to check EVERY package to see if the PAL is right, if its the right truck number, it goes in. I've had more misloads in a week than I previously had the whole time I was under the old system (color coded charts, about 11 months approximately). I can't finish without help (most of the volume for the trucks comes after break) and it infuriates me. I still load around 200pph and I can't finish...something is not right here.

I don't see how this system assists the preloaders at all....the sort isle and the boxline slides yes, but throwing more work on the brownie loaders and giving them little if any extra time...seems counterproductive.

 

[hoser]

How long will it be before the customers (you know....those people with the money) get tired of this?
Think of the money the company has/will save with PAS/EDD (sarcasm intended)!!!

the customers don't see this side of the operation (drivers ripping their hair out)

 

[webterractive]

Preloading is not a hard job I learned in about a month the 5 cars, and special splits, and chart errors that I should do the opposite to. It does get heavy from time to time depending on the ordering cycle and season; ie Christmas and in my case back to school (mall car). I don't like the unbalance of having more packages come after the break, it should be evenly distributed to create a better load experience. I try to get things correct, I don't get many misloades, 1 or 2 a week. I try to use the charts to make it easier for drivers with the stop counts and all but now with scanning its becoming almost impossible especially with lots of non-bulk stops that keep clogging up my trucks. And an industrial stop that I have in Burnaby has now changed from a P7 to a van so its hard to fit the 4-6 big boxes without compromising room for my other stops.

 

[LKLND3380]

What are these charts and PAS you people speak of???

Here the SPA peal place a PAL label on the package after scanning it/ The PAL Label shows the address, package car number and sequence/shelf number.

John Doe
123 UPS Drive
Upsers, FL 33801
8A 5999

Jane Public
1000 UPS Ave
Upsers, FL 33801
8A RDR

So both packages listed above would go into car # 8A and the top package would be loaded in the 5000 shelf near the end. The bottom package would be in the same car and loaded Rear Door Right.

Is this not the way it is done company wide?

 

[westsideworma]

What are these charts and PAS you people speak of???

Here the SPA peal place a PAL label on the package after scanning it/ The PAL Label shows the address, package car number and sequence/shelf number.

John Doe
123 UPS Drive
Upsers, FL 33801
8A 5999

Jane Public
1000 UPS Ave
Upsers, FL 33801
8A RDR

So both packages listed above would go into car # 8A and the top package would be loaded in the 5000 shelf near the end. The bottom package would be in the same car and loaded Rear Door Right.

Is this not the way it is done company wide?

Yeah that is a standard PAL label it looks like, thats what ours have on them. We still get charts even though every truck is now the same layout.

The older charts I referred to were before PAS when you actually had to memorize things. They were usually colorcoded and sometimes actually useful (if it was one that was actually kept up to date). You had to memorize streets and bulk stops etc. It took a little bit to memorize it, but once you did it was cake. My trucks looked a lot better too for some reason (really don't know why, but they were a lot neater).

One thing is before you KNEW what was on the trucks, now a driver can ask you are the Elm Street side streets on me today? and I won't have a clue, they don't want us using the addresses at our hub, just go by the numbers. I feel like a maroon sometimes. Or I'll tell them 5465 is blown out today and they'll be like whats that? sometimes its pretty funny

 

[westsideworma]

Preloading is not a hard job I learned in about a month the 5 cars, and special splits, and chart errors that I should do the opposite to. It does get heavy from time to time depending on the ordering cycle and season; ie Christmas and in my case back to school (mall car). I don't like the unbalance of having more packages come after the break, it should be evenly distributed to create a better load experience. I try to get things correct, I don't get many misloades, 1 or 2 a week. I try to use the charts to make it easier for drivers with the stop counts and all but now with scanning its becoming almost impossible especially with lots of non-bulk stops that keep clogging up my trucks. And an industrial stop that I have in Burnaby has now changed from a P7 to a van so its hard to fit the 4-6 big boxes without compromising room for my other stops.

get on them about it or have the driver do it (they'll listen to the driver moreso than you usually). I bitched that the truck I had is too full as it got a lot of bulky stuff (a P800 that never contained and always had stuff left off) all the time. Nothing happened. The driver did it..next day I had a P1000 in the bay, everything contained all was well. Tried to take it away once because his package count was lower than the other 1000s I have and I was like look in it. May have had less packages, but it also had less room to move than the others due to the size of the ones he gets.

 

[dammor]

<font size="+2">PAS will solve all your problems
Signed:</font>
Anonymous Management

I just now picked myself up off the floor. Thanks though, I needed a good laugh. PAS/EDD has not been a blessing unless you want to work till dark-thirty every night and still not get it done. The pre-loaders are expected to load more trucks in the same time period and quite frankly have been turned into machines. At this moment I have a good loader, but only because he was once a driver and actually looks at the address AND TOWN instead of just the label put on by the evil computer on the top belt. We have had this system for over 2 years now. How long does it take to fix the chronic problems? Today many labels were put over the bar codes. Nothing makes your day any better than pulling off a label and removing most of the bar code. Are we faster? I don't see it. Are our customers happier? Hell no...

 

[LKLND3380]

One thing is before you KNEW what was on the trucks, now a driver can ask you are the Elm Street side streets on me today? and I won't have a clue, they don't want us using the addresses at our hub, just go by the numbers. I feel like a maroon sometimes. Or I'll tell them 5465 is blown out today and they'll be like whats that? sometimes its pretty funny

I know this too well... "your 5000 section is blown out and I have some 5's in your FL3 section..." Sounds like we are loading the same route...

 

[Anonymous managment]

That is the point so they don't have to pay new preloaders at skilled pay

 

[PassYouBy]

I have only been doing preload for approx. 3.5 weeks. I thought I was the only one having problems!!
What I did was take my charts home and color code the numbers to the colored section of the shelves..(Yes, I did this on my OWN time)This made it a little easier for me when I look at the number chart and then I would glance over at the truck chart (for the colored shelf). If anybody could give me or anybody else some good advise, I know I would deeply appreciate it.

P.S..Thank God for good drivers that can EXPLAIN to me what is going on in their truck. God I hope I make it through this---VERY VERY discouraging when you cant get it everytime.!

 

[scratch]

P.S..Thank God for good drivers that can EXPLAIN to me what is going on in their truck. God I hope I make it through this---VERY VERY discouraging when you cant get it everytime.!

PassYouBy, Welcome to the Brown Cafe. I have always worked with my Preloader, they are who make or break my day. I recently lost the woman who loaded me the last seven years. My Preloader now is alright, but he is not as good as her. It is very important for a driver to talk to his preloader, we need to tell them when they do well and let them know what happened when we have problems.

 

[PassYouBy]

Thank you for the welcome Scratch.
Yes, I have 2 of the three drivers that I load are good on helping me help them One driver even told I was doing a good job. (THAT MEANS ALOT!) or to me it does. My goal is to help them too. (I.E get them home earlier than it normally would if I mess up the loading.)
Would help if the charts were correct too!1

 

[westsideworma]

I'd love to be in your center PassYouBy. You are still using the charts. Not that abomination that was supposedly supposed eliminate misloads, make all cars the same (technically this is true, in reality...far from it due to shoddy dispatches) and make everyone super fast loaders (210+pph).

PAS has started to succeed on some of those accounts, but its been a long arduous process for preloaders and drivers alike. No one is ever satisfied at the effort you put in. I shouldn't say that, aside from the drivers no one is satisfied. I was recently moved again and two of my drivers were like "what the hell happened to you?!?!" I regrettably informed them that I was no longer their loader. One was like aww "friend$#!." All my drivers get pissed when I am moved around. I didn't necessarily want off that pick but they trained someone to take it over while I was on vaca. I guess he's not doing too bad according to the supes...though my drivers miss having a seasoned loader. The guy works hard, I was like work with him like you worked with me when I started your trucks (this was my 5th pull and the 2nd longest frame with the same drivers) and it'll be fine. He can't correct the mistakes of PAS because he doesn't know what your truck was like before PAS (whereas I did having loaded it a while before it was actually mine pre-PAS). IF you tell him, then he'll work on it, guaranteed. We also now get spoken to if we are over allowed (over 5 hrs, OT is forbidden now) after we busted our backs to just even get done on time for the drivers to get out. I don't hold any ill will toward our management for this because I know it wasn't their call. Its still stupid and its frustrating. It came from someone who hasn't been in the operation which makes it all the more ridiculous. Even some of them admit that this place is making it hard for management (operational) to do their job and it frustrates the hell out of them. I can't blame them.

PassYouBy, keep your head up, show up everyday on time, use the methods (if only to stay safe) and you'll do just fine. This job is hard work, theres a lot of BS that goes with it, but just push through it. If you show the drivers you care about what you do (which you have) they will continue to help you and give you pointers as well. Believe me they want you to be a good loader just as much if not more so than you do

 

[lost]

SOOOOO TRUE!!!! We have a new sup on our boxline, Has been a sup for 2 months, My full timer cant train him because he has only been on preload 1 1/2 weeks!!!! I My old full timer did not train him at all. So I am running MY side of the boxline and trying to train him. This guy has no Idea what to do with a training packet, what the methods are much less what a methods evaluation is. He has a kid right now that has gone through cornerstone and been loading by himself for 2 weeks with no additional training, because this sup has no idea. This guy has no clue what a CSA is or how to do ANY of the daily paperwork. Much move his people to the work. I feel sorry for the new loader, but I can't train him and run my side too. So now we have an untrained ft/sup, untrained pt/sup and untrained loader making the drivers miserable!!!! Theres not much I can do about it being the only half way trained sup on the entire boxline with 62 cars and 17,000 pkgs a day.