Sups Working

[Jackofalltrades]

I am a firm believer in Article 3 sect 7. The problem is most of the people are not . I make sure I get my guarantee every day even though my day started (full time job) @ 7AM and 2nd @ UPS ends around 9:45 PM .With a 1/2 hour drive each way I do not even get 8 hours sleep. The problem being they will run out the door when asked to go home by the sups, even some of the artice 22.3's.Right over my body LOL, while management does the work to make the frickin magical number.I have had people say look at them (management) doing the work to which I reply "why don't you do it ?" "not me" they say. I will help them file sign my name, deliever to management, and e-mail to the local .Only a few takers.The peeps are sheep I am sorry to say. Lazy sheep at that.

Exactly. People won't speak up and its frustrating. Sometimes I feel like a one man army over here

 

[curiousbrain]

Exactly. People won't speak up and its frustrating. Sometimes I feel like a one man army over here

Can't speak for all current soups, but I used to have a lot more respect for people who would file on me working.

Sure, we used to yell, scream, piss and moan back and forth to each other - they'd file, I'd use the sham shield, and the game would go on; but, when I wasn't working, we were more than friendly and would joke about the absurdity of the entire game.

 

[ExPreloader]

We have a HUGE problem with Sups working. Our problem is everyone who used to say something got sick of harassment and left, no one taught the new hires about their rights, and the good shop stewards either went full time or finally got fired. With our low hours, early start times, and low pay we cannot get any decent people to stay and our new hire turnover went from months to days. We are so understaffed, we have supervisors working every day. Our last BA had a heart attack and the only this our new guy has actually done is state that seniority means nothing for part timers and won't even return our new steward's phone calls. After a lot of grievances they have a few guys pullin doubles off the night sort, but I am working my vacation next week because we don't have coverage for normal summer vacations and I really need money. Our building is a nightmare.

On a side note I am working with our steward on setting up informal meetings for new hires to educate them and when I get back from basic and tech school I am going to become a steward. I have been part-time for 6 years, drove seasonal, drive air, and have done every part-time job in our building. I have seen this place go to hell and I am afraid this is nation- wide.

Bottom line, nothing happens without filing greivances and for every 1 person willing to do so, 10 more don't know any better and another 10 just don't care. Sometimes you have to fight for your coworkers.

 

[RealPerson]

First course of action I use is to address a complaint to the sup first. If no remedy results, use these rules.
Rule #1-File!
Rule #2-See rule #1.
Rule #3-If any unfair treatment results after a grievance, file "reprisal", harassment or intimidation.
Rule #4-Always remain calm (desensitized).

I am in a right to work state, and I am glad to say the union is still fairly strong, despite lack of BA leadership. I have most of our stewards to thank...
I do Exactly like Stink posted, except I will give a One warning, if it is a new Sup, Sup helping our shift, or if I am double shifting.
File File File, Talk to your shop steward(s)
Everyone makes a Union, and or the rules are there for YOU to enforce.... UPS enforces their rules on YOU!

 

[RealPerson]

We have a HUGE problem with Sups working. Our problem is everyone who used to say something got sick of harassment and left, no one taught the new hires about their rights, and the good shop stewards either went full time or finally got fired. With our low hours, early start times, and low pay we cannot get any decent people to stay and our new hire turnover went from months to days. We are so understaffed, we have supervisors working every day. Our last BA had a heart attack and the only this our new guy has actually done is state that seniority means nothing for part timers and won't even return our new steward's phone calls. After a lot of grievances they have a few guys pullin doubles off the night sort, but I am working my vacation next week because we don't have coverage for normal summer vacations and I really need money. Our building is a nightmare.

On a side note I am working with our steward on setting up informal meetings for new hires to educate them and when I get back from basic and tech school I am going to become a steward. I have been part-time for 6 years, drove seasonal, drive air, and have done every part-time job in our building. I have seen this place go to hell and I am afraid this is nation- wide.

Bottom line, nothing happens without filing greivances and for every 1 person willing to do so, 10 more don't know any better and another 10 just don't care. Sometimes you have to fight for your coworkers.

Got Fired?????

What would they get fired for?

 

[RealPerson]

I am a firm believer in Article 3 sect 7. The problem is most of the people are not . I make sure I get my guarantee every day even though my day started (full time job) @ 7AM and 2nd @ UPS ends around 9:45 PM .With a 1/2 hour drive each way I do not even get 8 hours sleep. The problem being they will run out the door when asked to go home by the sups, even some of the artice 22.3's.Right over my body LOL, while management does the work to make the frickin magical number.I have had people say look at them (management) doing the work to which I reply "why don't you do it ?" "not me" they say. I will help them file sign my name, deliever to management, and e-mail to the local .Only a few takers.The peeps are sheep I am sorry to say. Lazy sheep at that.

I am Part time, only there mostly for the Benefits.
When I am asked to take a day off, or leave early. they know when making the schedule I will do this, and it allows one of my Junior(s) who Need the Money to stay and work, or be scheduled.

 

[BLACKBALLED]

Do you seriously think a Sup. wants to be doing bargaining work, sometimes if the predicted volume is off and you try and call for help from other union workers it may not be feasible and the help is needed, most employees don't mind if you help every now and then, to me that is team work, when stewards would yell at me for helping and sorters would threaten to grieve all I would do was tell them to bring the form and I would sign it for them, no sup likes to do the bargaining work but sometimes you have to and most of my sorters understood what I was doing and knew the cards I was dealt by my management at times.

 

[RealPerson]

Do you seriously think a Sup. wants to be doing bargaining work, sometimes if the predicted volume is off and you try and call for help from other union workers it may not be feasible and the help is needed, most employees don't mind if you help every now and then, to me that is team work, when stewards would yell at me for helping and sorters would threaten to grieve all I would do was tell them to bring the form and I would sign it for them, no sup likes to do the bargaining work but sometimes you have to and most of my sorters understood what I was doing and knew the cards I was dealt by my management at times.

Depends on the Supervisor.
It is all discretion with me.
I don't mind a quick simple break a jam once in awhile, or IF they are short handed and have exhausted the double shift list.
I have seen some supervisors NOT touch a box even if told to do so, and I have seen some that no matter what, can't keep their hands off of them.
The main thing is if a Sup is doing the work another person could be doing when we have fellow workers off work, or could hire a NEW employee..
I believe in good communication with supervisors, they are only doing the devils work for them... You couldn't pay me enough to be a supervisor...

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

The current southern supplement Article 46 Section 3(a).
"However, in cases of unexpected absentees or to prevent service failures, supervisors may perform
such bargaining unit work as necessary to complete that day’s (or night’s) work schedule."

No wonder supervisors are doing union work, all day, every day, in every work area here.

 

[bsmart]

Ok update time. I talked to my sup on Sunday and asked why he was working. He replied because so and so called out. That night we actually got help from a union employee and the sup didn't work. Monday right back to sup working. Found the union steward and he gave me grievance form. Filing tomorrow. Thanks for all the input I really do appreciate it!

I guess that supercool grievance didn't work out for ya since we've got no update like "I smashed that supervisor with that working grievance, he was so nervous he peed his pants when he was signing it....."

 

[PiedmontSteward]

The current southern supplement Article 46 Section 3(a).
"However, in cases of unexpected absentees or to prevent service failures, supervisors may perform
such bargaining unit work as necessary to complete that day’s (or night’s) work schedule."

No wonder supervisors are doing union work, all day, every day, in every work area here.

With the exception of the cardinal sin infractions and 9.5 loopholes in the Central Supplement, that's some of the worst language in any supplement in the country. I'm in a different region and UPS Labor Managers already try to use excessive absenteeism as an excuse to have supervisors working, even if the extra work list has a 1/2" thick layer of dust resting on top of it. If you give UPS any sort of contractual "out" to do our work, they'll abuse the **** out of it.

 

[oldngray]

With the exception of the cardinal sin infractions and 9.5 loopholes in the Central Supplement, that's some of the worst language in any supplement in the country. I'm in a different region and UPS Labor Managers already try to use excessive absenteeism as an excuse to have supervisors working, even if the extra work list has a 1/2" thick layer of dust resting on top of it. If you give UPS any sort of contractual "out" to do our work, they'll abuse the **** out of it.

For a long time the policy has been to not hire enough hourly then use that as an excuse to have sups working because no hourly was available.

 

[bsmart]

We just cant get enough hourly where I am at.... I have issues with the starting pay, the "hiring pool", and I think that I could be witnessing a generation gap kinda thing with hard work. I can tell you that I personally despise working and will avoid it all cost but I am in a staffing crisis currently and it hurts.
I think that if one of my people stopped working to come watch me work then I would not be a happy camper. What gives you the right to do this???? File your paperwork, I am good with that but you cant just stop working to get a good look at me working!? With that being said I am not nor would defend something I don't know anything about... but maybe a more in depth conversation is needed before filing your paperwork? There could be reasoning this guy work or there could be meaningless fluff but to me, it just sounds like this guy has a boner to file or has a personal issue with the sup...

 

[bsmart]

Just a note but I have developed a very deep appreciation for a handful of hourly that I have had to really lean on for about a year now. I used to be a complete by the book guy but now I find that a conversation even if in disagreement usually gets us back on track. They feel bad for me just as much as I do for them because it has been the roughest I have ever seen it and we are all paying for it. I haven't had a grievance filed in about six months which is probably a record and likewise attendance is the only thing I have been writing up. Everything else we settle in a conversation or a heated debate in loud voices but we fix it. I understand not every sup is the same and sometimes its push comes to shove.....

 

[PiedmontSteward]

We just cant get enough hourly where I am at.... I have issues with the starting pay, the "hiring pool", and I think that I could be witnessing a generation gap kinda thing with hard work. I can tell you that I personally despise working and will avoid it all cost but I am in a staffing crisis currently and it hurts.
I think that if one of my people stopped working to come watch me work then I would not be a happy camper. What gives you the right to do this???? File your paperwork, I am good with that but you cant just stop working to get a good look at me working!? With that being said I am not nor would defend something I don't know anything about... but maybe a more in depth conversation is needed before filing your paperwork? There could be reasoning this guy work or there could be meaningless fluff but to me, it just sounds like this guy has a boner to file or has a personal issue with the sup...

There's multiple reasons why retention has gone to ****. The "new" starting pay will be frozen until the tentative agreement is finally ratified and most 17-20 year old kids aren't going to sling boxes for a buck more an hour than McDonald's, the economy is "improving" somewhat, and (at least in my area) UPS went on their usual post-peak hiring blitz.. then stopped hiring during spring.. and now local HR is trying to get bodies in the door when it's 100 degrees in the shade every day. The last 4 employees hired on my shift all quit before they finished their probationary period.

Another big reason is the expectations.. when I was first hired in the mid-2000's, we were "expected" to load (in the outbound) 250 pieces per hour. Somewhere between '05-'07, that increased to 300 per hour -- still reasonable, but a definite increase. Then from '07 onward, that went up to 350/hour and now it's somewhere in the range of 400-500 per hour, depending on who you ask.

While the union doesn't recognize production, most new hires don't understand that concept and they get beat down by baby-faced Hitlers in UPS polo shirts that just got out of high school.

 

[Jackofalltrades]

At 250 an hour I'd tell you to gtfo of my trailer lol

There is really no excuse to be less than 400 an hour. I could hit 700 an hour andI way older then these kids

 

[Jackofalltrades]

Btw what's everyone's building pph? Ours is 180

 

[bsmart]

190 and the goal is 400pph on the loaders. Its obscene sometimes and It is possible but it's when the stars are aligned in the middle of the day kinda thing.....

 

[Brownslave688]

Production has gotten so out of wack on the package car side also. I've only been here about 10 years and in the last 5 the expectations have gotten unreal. Please tell me what gains have been made in technology that a route that once went out with 60-65 stops is now expected to do 85-95.

It's funny because its all going to blow up in their face before too long. Once u get to the point that no one can meet numbers. Well then no one cares. Why even try to do the impossible?

 

[BrownBrokeDown]

At 250 an hour I'd tell you to gtfo of my trailer lol

There is really no excuse to be less than 400 an hour. I could hit 700 an hour andI way older then these kids

When i started, we were "expected" to load 425 pph. Some of us average over 500 on a nightly basis. A "bad" loader was 300-350 pph. Now if you have a loader doing 350 pph, he is a superstar. We have a number that average 250. There is a trailer in our hub, that when i started, 1 loader did it and the inbuilding load. Now it is just that load by itself, and more than half of the current loaders can't handle it, and the volume hasn't increased any.

I don't have an issue if 250 is the best they can do, but a lot of these kids are 10+ years younger then me, just out of high school, in better shape (played sports less then 2 years before) and...I guess the word is "saunter" back and forth as they load packages.

And no additional loaders have been added. I think we might actually have a couple less now that I think about it.