So, you want to be a trucker?

[oldupsman]

You don't know what my thoughts are unless you are Karnac the Magnificent.
As I have stated before I respect and promote seniority issues.

Just give me 2 honest answers.
Are you an off the street feeder driver?
Have you ever worked in package car?

 

[Heavy Package]

I'd much rather be in the yard with our UPS trained Feeder Drivers than these GD Gypsies in flip-flops who don't speak English and look like they rolled out of a meth lab and reported for work.

 

[BigUnionGuy]

Just give me 2 honest answers.
Are you an off the street feeder driver?

Oh yeah.

Have you ever worked in package car?

Nah....

Dude is a nobody.

 

[oldupsman]

Oh yeah.







Nah....

Dude is a nobody.

You know Bug I really don't have a problem hiring guys off the street for feeders.
Some little outfit goes down, they come to UPS great. They keep their Teamster seniority,
goes to their pension, I'm happy for them. But this idea they have that package car drivers
are inferior to them gets my blood going. And you know how I feel about classification seniority.

 

[quad decade guy]

You know Bug I really don't have a problem hiring guys off the street for feeders.
Some little outfit goes down, they come to UPS great. They keep their Teamster seniority,
goes to their pension, I'm happy for them. But this idea they have that package car drivers
are inferior to them gets my blood going. And you know how I feel about classification seniority.

I don't know how you feel about classification seniority. I personally don't understand why changing

classifications makes you go to the bottom. Allowing off the street hires to go before you. Happened to

me. I had 24 full time years until a feeder slot became available. This off the street hire from another

hub followed work and dove-tailed over dozens of higher Company senior drivers. Yet, depending on

where you are, this may or may not happen.

 

[oldupsman]

It shouldn't move you to the bottom. Some locals have it, some don't. My didn't. My local you would have
gone on the feeder list with your 24 years right where you belong. Classification seniority goes against
everything that seniority is supposed to be.

 

[quad decade guy]

It shouldn't move you to the bottom. Some locals have it, some don't. My didn't. My local you would have
gone on the feeder list with your 24 years right where you belong. Classification seniority goes against
everything that seniority is supposed to be.

I agree. But around here, it's go to the bottom and the top guys will fight to the death to keep it that

way(understandable I guess). The only answer you get as to why is "that's the way it's always been"

The worst of all answers.

 

[Driver7906]

I didn't think I'd ever become a trucker until I went feeder. And UPS is the only company I'd ever want to work for as a trucker.

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

I agree. But around here, it's go to the bottom and the top guys will fight to the death to keep it that

way(understandable I guess). The only answer you get as to why is "that's the way it's always been"

The worst of all answers.

Consider the implications of changing it..... never gonna happen.

 

[Mack37]

UPS is the teamsters union largest employer no doubt but not it's only employer. I've got 23 years as a teamster. The primary goal of a collective bargaining agreement is to protect seniority and I oppose those that would say it's not.

You’ll find that UPS is one of the only teamsters outfits that do it that way. A package car guy and feeder driver are two different jobs. A dock guy or a box truck driver isn’t going to bump a road or a city driver no matter how long he’s been around at a freight company. Hell, a road driver can’t even bump a city driver and vice versa.

I can’t decide to go be a letter carrier and take all my seniority with me.

 

[PT Car Washer]

You’ll find that UPS is one of the only teamsters outfits that do it that way. A package car guy and feeder driver are two different jobs. A dock guy or a box truck driver isn’t going to bump a road or a city driver no matter how long he’s been around at a freight company. Hell, a road driver can’t even bump a city driver and vice versa.

I can’t decide to go be a letter carrier and take all my seniority with me.

It is called building seniority. We just had a 22.3 combo beat out a delivery driver for a 22.2 job because he had more seniority.

 

[quad decade guy]

Consider the implications of changing it..... never gonna happen.

Most likely that high seniority would stay about the same generally. There would be exceptions of

course up and down. And it would be a one time deal. Implications? Tomorrow would come. Sun would

rise.the work and sacrifice...a few winners and losers. But in the end, company seniority would actually

mean something and reflect the time, effort and sacrifice we all made.

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

Most likely that high seniority would stay about the same generally. There would be exceptions of

course up and down. And it would be a one time deal. Implications? Tomorrow would come. Sun would

rise.the work and sacrifice...a few winners and losers. But in the end, company seniority would actually

mean something and reflect the time, effort and sacrifice we all made.

I disagree.

 

[BottomFeeder909]

Just give me 2 honest answers.
Are you an off the street feeder driver?
Have you ever worked in package car?

Yes I am an off the street feeder driver.
I drove a package car for the United States postal Service Federal Express and DHL.

 

[Jones]

We had classification seniority here years ago, got rid of it, everyone's happy.

 

[BottomFeeder909]

You know Bug I really don't have a problem hiring guys off the street for feeders.
Some little outfit goes down, they come to UPS great. They keep their Teamster seniority,
goes to their pension, I'm happy for them. But this idea they have that package car drivers
are inferior to them gets my blood going. And you know how I feel about classification seniority.

I never said they were inferior I think they're a talented group of individuals it's just that you can't make a truck driver in 6 weeks or less.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Yes I am an off the street feeder driver.
I drove a package car for the United States postal Service Federal Express and DHL.

So you are still trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up.

 

[BottomFeeder909]

So you are still trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up.

Yes I want to go to feeder school for 2 weeks and be a trucker, come on?

 

[Mack37]

It shouldn't move you to the bottom. Some locals have it, some don't. My didn't. My local you would have
gone on the feeder list with your 24 years right where you belong. Classification seniority goes against
everything that seniority is supposed to be.

I just can’t get on board with this and I’m glad it will never happen at USPS. If I have 15 years in I’ll be damned if I’m going to get bumped in my own craft by a 20 year letter carrier or mailhandler.

I appreciate their seniority and they paid their dues in their craft but they did not pay their dues in my craft. Their seniority should let them bid gravy routes as a carrier, not as a truck driver. If they want to transfer crafts and start with all the crap runs like we all had to, that’s fine by me.

 

[Jones]

I just can’t get on board with this and I’m glad it will never happen at USPS. If I have 15 years in I’ll be damned if I’m going to get bumped in my own craft by a 20 year letter carrier or mailhandler.

I appreciate their seniority and they paid their dues in their craft but they did not pay their dues in my craft. Their seniority should let them bid gravy routes as a carrier, not as a truck driver. If they want to transfer crafts and start with all the crap runs like we all had to, that’s fine by me.

"Your own craft"? Give me a break, it's not like you're a plumber getting bumped by a guy who used to be a carpenter, you're a truck driver who's driving a different sized truck. Nobody is going to trade school to learn a different job, you get two weeks training (paid for by the company) and then you get your CDL. That's it. If you want to select work ahead of a 20 year driver then stick around for 21 years. It's just that simple.