Satellite Routes??
- Thread starter Hollerhead
- Start date
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
The mileage is because the driver is in his own vehicle. Otherwise, the driver would have the right to demand the use of a UPS vehicle to drive from the main center to the satellite location.
browniehound
Well-Known Member
This talk of Satellite routes is very intersesting. I've never heard a word about them as I live in a large metropolitan area. A short 50 miles however the area becomes very rural.
I'm very interested in the logistics of these routes, and I'm confused about some things. So can you anwser a few of my "stupid" questions?
Where are the package cars stored? From what I've read of "Sat RTES" it appears the employee drives his car to an area where he gets a UPS vehicle and then a feeder is driven to this location. At this time the drivers load their own truck?
Does this happen in some random parking lot, or is there a facility that UPS owns that the package cars are stored in??
Can someone please enlighten me here? When I first learned of SAT RTES, I pictured driving my car to a parking lot where my package car would be kept over night. Then a feeder would drive to this parking lot and 4 drivers would load their truck in the parking lot. Then all 4 drivers would return to the lot with their PU volume and the feeder would be on its way and the trucks are left in the parking lot for the night??? Or do I take the truck home with me once its empty? I'm guessing this is a long-shot!
Is this how it works?. Can someone please explain what I'm missing here??
I'm very interested in the logistics of these routes, and I'm confused about some things. So can you anwser a few of my "stupid" questions?
Where are the package cars stored? From what I've read of "Sat RTES" it appears the employee drives his car to an area where he gets a UPS vehicle and then a feeder is driven to this location. At this time the drivers load their own truck?
Does this happen in some random parking lot, or is there a facility that UPS owns that the package cars are stored in??
Can someone please enlighten me here? When I first learned of SAT RTES, I pictured driving my car to a parking lot where my package car would be kept over night. Then a feeder would drive to this parking lot and 4 drivers would load their truck in the parking lot. Then all 4 drivers would return to the lot with their PU volume and the feeder would be on its way and the trucks are left in the parking lot for the night??? Or do I take the truck home with me once its empty? I'm guessing this is a long-shot!
Is this how it works?. Can someone please explain what I'm missing here??
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
That is pretty much how it works, except the part about taking the package cars home. My center rents space from an auto parts store to use for the satellite center. The store has a fenced, gated parking lot in back and there are two package cars that live there. The drivers report to this location in their personal vehicles. The "feeder" for these two routes is a pup trailer towed behind a package car. When the drivers are done they park their trucks, lock the gate behind them and go home. The key to the gate is kept in one of those little combination lock boxes like the realtors use to show houses. Routine maintainence for the pkg cars is contracted out to a mechanic at the auto parts store, but major repairs and PMI's are done by UPS mechanics back at the home center. It took a grievance, but our local was finally able to force UPS to rent a port-a-potty with hand and eyewash equipment so that the drivers wouldnt have to pee in the parking lot and would have some way to deal with a hazmat leak.
Pkgrunner
Till I Collapse
a picture is worth a thousand words
The pkg cars are stored and loaded/unloaded here by the drivers. Feeders are too costly and the area is too out of the way for one. UPS rents a fenced in space here. We use 2 tp60s(the trailer) for 3 to 4 routes.
trplnkl
555
Here's a kicker also. The lots that UPS rents to store the package cars are supposed to be protected with a million dollar insurance policy provided by the owner of said lot.
One of your sat centers recently had to change towns because they couldn't find anyone in the original town willing to provide the insurance.
One of your sat centers recently had to change towns because they couldn't find anyone in the original town willing to provide the insurance.
Boxjockey1
Member
We have had satellite routes in our building for years. As far as I know there is no direct language addressing them in the contract. That is why so many people are asking questions. Does anyone think this contract will address the concerns of the satellite routes, and what does your local union tell you? I know there are many different rules concerning satellite routes that are determined by your local. Our local has changed their position many times. Just about as often as our BA's change, the postion changes. I hope that this will be put to rest after this contract. Good luck to all!
Due to the economy we have one that is cut 3 or 4 days a week. I think that driver should be paid to drive back to the center to run a route from there. Just like when someone drives out to cover the satellite route they get paid. Seems only fair, the bid sheet stated the start time and place where the route starts.
grgrcr88
No It's not green grocer!
When a satelite route first goes into effect the company is to give the union a 45 day notice. Then a meeting is to be held open to all union members regarding the implementation(with company presenting the proposed change of operation). After the presentation and all questions answered there should be a vote by all attending on wether to be a stand alone center or a spin off center. If it is voted a stand alone the driver that takes it becomes the number 1 seniority driver in that center, however they cannot bid any available routes in their old center. The only way they could come back is if they were laid off and bumped back in. If it is voted a spin off then they stay on the seniority list in the original center.
As for cover drivers they have 2 options,
1; drive to the satelite center from home and collect mileage pay
2; ride out with the driver that pulls the work out to the satelite center.
The driver that bids the sattelite does not get mileage pay for his driving of personal vehicle to/from the satelite center.
The driver that pulls the trailer to the sat center gets .08 cents an hour extra for the day. All day every day they pull the trailer.
You should make sure the maintenance work on the vehicles in the sat center is being done by your center mechanics and not being hired out to some non union shop! In our building they send Saturday air drivers out together to trade out the trucks for PMI etc...
As for cover drivers they have 2 options,
1; drive to the satelite center from home and collect mileage pay
2; ride out with the driver that pulls the work out to the satelite center.
The driver that bids the sattelite does not get mileage pay for his driving of personal vehicle to/from the satelite center.
The driver that pulls the trailer to the sat center gets .08 cents an hour extra for the day. All day every day they pull the trailer.
You should make sure the maintenance work on the vehicles in the sat center is being done by your center mechanics and not being hired out to some non union shop! In our building they send Saturday air drivers out together to trade out the trucks for PMI etc...
When we got our sat route a bid was hung but not signed by anyone. So they forced the route to lowest senior driver. Well since, we have had two new drivers, yet that driver is not able to get of the sat route until he bids off it.
Does this sound right? a Driver forced to do a route he never bid, while less senior drivers get to be vacation fillers. The reason its a big deal, is because he has to drive a long ways in his own car to the meet spot...
Does this sound right? a Driver forced to do a route he never bid, while less senior drivers get to be vacation fillers. The reason its a big deal, is because he has to drive a long ways in his own car to the meet spot...
Dustyroads
Well-Known Member
We had three satellite areas, and a guy retired from one, a guy in our center bid that job and went up there. About six months later the company decided to abolish that center, and brought that work back to our center. However, the guy that had that route had to come back in on the bottom of our center, even though he had been here before. It was messed up.
old levi's
blank space
Yes, that would be the ideal situation. The center is in the town where I live but my satellite route is 42 miles away. So I lose almost 2 hours of pay each day plus the expense of gas plus the use of my personal vehicle.
trplnkl
555
I went through that situation for 6 years, until they brought all the sat center routes back to the main building except for one route and they moved that one to another town even further away.
trplnkl
555
When that happens here the driver dovetails into the seniority list but can't bump anyone. He has to wait until a route opens up or until the overall rebid.
Dustyroads
Well-Known Member
trpl, that's exactly the case here, and, as nothing came up for bid for a long time, he was just assigned. He wasn't able to go back to his old area or bump junior drivers who had bid areas.
brownrodster
Well-Known Member
How far from the nearest hub/center are these satellites? 1-200 miles?
Dustyroads
Well-Known Member
50-60 miles to the center, ...the trailers are dropped off by other package car drivers delivering along the way or nearby.
