SPHOR

[bad company]

https://web.archive.org/web/20091214060438/http://tdu.org/node/3506

 

[Raw]

It is, but there are certain rules management must follow to "lock" you into a SPORH. I don't know how it is where you are or if you're mis-informed, but management CANNOT "pick and choose" certain days. It must be 3 consecutive days. In other words, if a day is missed the 3-day ride must be started again.

Also (at least here in MA), the AM break must be taken before the 3rd hour and the hour lunch must be taken between the 4th and 5th hour. Then the PM break must be taken before the end of the 8th hour.

Where I'm from, this causes many problems for UPS. First, they stuff these 100% industrial routes with too much work. Then they inform the driver he sucks and needs to improve his SPORH. This is on a route in which the driver does the right thing by his customers and delivers all the packages and takes the bulk of his lunch at the end of the night.

In this hypothetical situation he doesn't mind taking 20 minutes in the middle of the day to eat and 1 hour after pick-ups are over. It becomes a problem when the center decides you're not working hard enough(is it possible???). The 3-day OJS comes and per the contract/union rules during an OJS, lunch must be taken before 1330. Pick-ups start at 1500 and we're sitting on 15 stops and 40 pieces. Half of these can probably be delivered in the .5 hours after lunch and before pick-ups. What is to be done with the other half?

They are either missed (not going to happen) or some poor purely residential driver is going to come and take the work. Its logic like this that leaves me wondering how our great company makes any money. It all stems from the greed of upper management in its hope that many drivers will give up their lunch.

Instead of a company of 80,000 drivers, lets imagine a business with 5 drivers, 5 trucks, and 5 fuel tanks to be filled. I'm the manager for this 5 truck business. My drivers are allowed up to 1 hour of lunch everyday. Driver A calls me and tells me he needs to work 30 minutes into his lunch hour to finish his deliveries. If I come from UPS, the protocol would to have driver B drive many miles and take the work from driver A just so driver A can sit for another 30 minutes twidling his thumbs. We just wasted fuel, labor, and efficiency to satisfy the "almighty lunch hour".

If I owned this company this manager would be fired ASAP! My instructions as manager would be to pay driver A the extra 30 minutes out of his lunch hour rather than wasting the fuel and labor of driver B to do the work that driver A can do just as easily and with less friction. Doesn't this make the most sense?

Why does UPS run its business like this? The only logical explanation I can conjure is that they save more money from the lunch runners than whats wasted in the labor transfer of drivers who actually demand their rightfully earned pay.

Where is UPS' ethics on this issue? I'm never told from the center team to take all lunch and breaks. I'm just told to "record 1hour and 20 minutes of lunch and breaks in the DIAD". Why? Because UPS doesn't care if you take them or not, just as long as you record them.

They know some people will give up personel time to get home to see their family. UPS is preying on these people to obtain free labor. Where is the company's ethics, I ask again?

I'm required to enter 1 hour of lunch in the DIAD everyday. If I only take 53 minutes and record as such I'm disiplined. Why? What other company do you know that does this? If you only take 53 minutes, why would UPS actually care that they doc'ed you for 53 minutes and not the hour that they want to?

The only thing I can think of is they want people to run the entire hour or only take 15-20 minutes and enter the entire hour, thus gaining 40 minutes in free labor.

Can you believe UPS is allowed to get away from this????

Slavery and Free labor ceased to exist in this country more than a century ago. Somehow, UPS has learned how to exploit free labor right here in the 21st century!

Here's to you UPS!

BOOOOOOOOOO!

Wrong! On my 3 day ride on my LAST route I wasn`t aware it was a SPORH ride, the supe kept rushing me and it was a 2 day ride because he got the results he was looking for

 

[browniehound]

Wrong! On my 3 day ride on my LAST route I wasn`t aware it was a SPORH ride, the supe kept rushing me and it was a 2 day ride because he got the results he was looking for

Well, I'm not wrong, I'm right where I come from. My center decided to OJS everyone last year. In doing so, the union stepped and and rules were set if the company was going to hold us to the #'s. Some rules included were, 3 concecutive days, lunch between the 4th and 5th hour and breaks taken at the contactually allowable times.

In othe words, no lunch at the end of the night to service businesses...

 

[OVERBOARD]

Any drivers/centers having there sphor certified by a 3 day ride. Our management is riding with us and telling us if we dont meet our sphor we will be terminated. Management is picking the days to ride with you and we are seeing it is the lightest, less miles , less bulk days they are choosing to ride with you. Is this threat going on at other centers across the nation?

Santoape, Did you get your job back? The same thing happen in my center, even issued warning ltrs for production, everyone filed grievance and the union won, so there is no more production harassment, just safety.

 

[toonertoo]

I think that is where we are at. Since there has been no time study, they really have no basis. A time study 20 yr old is no good. Also when the area changes dramatically is no good.

 

[Raw]

Well, I'm not wrong, I'm right where I come from. My center decided to OJS everyone last year. In doing so, the union stepped and and rules were set if the company was going to hold us to the #'s. Some rules included were, 3 concecutive days, lunch between the 4th and 5th hour and breaks taken at the contactually allowable times.

In othe words, no lunch at the end of the night to service businesses...

Those were our rules also but then stewards said they can do a one day ride if they want! After they upped my SPORH by 3 per hour I changed routes that I had 12 years.

 

[Jd10041981]

i think your steward is wrong in my center if its not 3 days in a row it don't count bottom line.

 

[Jones]

If they plan on taking you to panel they need a 3day and a whole lot of documentation.

 

[Dragon]

If I or one of my supervisors is going to OJS you. I promise you for the 28.5 hours I am with you, there will be paperwork and lots of it.

 

[targetdriver]

In my center they do a one day ride and cherry pick a loser stop or section to make your SPHOR higher for that day if you have a stop that is time consuming ive seen them pull that one stop to another driver in your loop so it dont eat into your day

 

[Jd10041981]

there all shady that why they do things like that

 

[bad company]

If I or one of my supervisors is going to OJS you. I promise you for the 28.5 hours I am with you, there will be paperwork and lots of it.

.... I'm scared...

 

[Raw]

If I or one of my supervisors is going to OJS you. I promise you for the 28.5 hours I am with you, there will be paperwork and lots of it.

That`s fine! I don`t do paperwork on lunch and I don`t talk while I`m driving, it`s not safe!

 

[trplnkl]

9.5 is not an issue here. This driver doesnt file. I've gone to pick up his Air to bring it in because the Air trailer pulls at 7:20. It was taking him 11 hours to run a 9 hour day. Now he runs a 9 hour day in a little over 9. Nobody goes over 9.5 is a blanket statement that is wrong.

If they tell you NOT to go over 9.5, just call them around three pm and inform them you will be over with the amount of stops you have left to do. Take you meal time and breaks as prescribed by the contract. Don't mess around but don't run either. The O/9.5 is their problem, not your's.

Oh and BTW, your dispatch sup must have it together, there are routes in our center that Flash Gordon couldn't do better than 2 hours over on.

 

[trplnkl]

If I or one of my supervisors is going to OJS you. I promise you for the 28.5 hours I am with you, there will be paperwork and lots of it.

And you will pay me overtime to read every word of your paperwork, before I refuse to sign it.
also, you may be watching me as you OJS me, but I will be watching you too.

 

[dave991]

BEWARE!!!!!!!!!

They fired a guy in the west for dishonesty, cause he was putting in his lunch and breaks and then working through them, on road breaks count when they are doing your spohr evaluation. This driver was actually giving the company time (which adds up to money) to help meet his numbers and they fired him for it. The union got his job back, but this is how they are now. They would rather fire you for frivolous things than thank-you for giving back.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

BEWARE!!!!!!!!!

They fired a guy in the west for dishonesty, cause he was putting in his lunch and breaks and then working through them, on road breaks count when they are doing your spohr evaluation. This driver was actually giving the company time (which adds up to money) to help meet his numbers and they fired him for it. The union got his job back, but this is how they are now. They would rather fire you for frivolous things than thank-you for giving back.

Suppose he had an accident or was injured while he was "on lunch"? Bottom line--take your full lunch and break(s). I don't care if you take them during the stated times in the contract or near the end of the day, as I do, just take them.

BTW, it is not a frivolous thing. It is called falsifying records.

 

[dilligaf]

Suppose he had an accident or was injured while he was "on lunch"? Bottom line--take your full lunch and break(s). I don't care if you take them during the stated times in the contract or near the end of the day, as I do, just take them.

BTW, it is not a frivolous thing. It is called falsifying records.

Thank you for re-iterating what I had said earlier. This is a bit of a pet peeve with me and to many just don't get it.

 

[grgrcr88]

Actually if your so worried about having an accident or injury you would follow the contract and take your lunch and breaks during the negotiated time periods. The original purpose of the lunch and break times in to mentally and physically rest and refresh. God forbid you have an accident after your 7th hour of work and someone gets injured, gets a good attorney and they go over your time card only to find you did not take your rest period that YOUR labor agreement requires.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Actually if your so worried about having an accident or injury you would follow the contract and take your lunch and breaks during the negotiated time periods. The original purpose of the lunch and break times in to mentally and physically rest and refresh. God forbid you have an accident after your 7th hour of work and someone gets injured, gets a good attorney and they go over your time card only to find you did not take your rest period that YOUR labor agreement requires.

You make a good point but taking my break and lunch in the afternoon works best for me. I would have a hard time sitting for an hour during the middle of the day. I prefer completing my deliveries and first round of pickups before stopping for lunch/break and then finishing up my pickups on the way back to the bldg. While it may not be ideal in your mind to me it beats the heck out of taking lunch/break in the bldg at the end of the day.