UPS laying off Technical hourly employees

[ncrtscisme]

bigcomputergeek,
our region (02) has many districts, but only the 3 chicagoland area districts ...TSG and TSC...were included in our list. The other districts did it with their own lists.
Like all the other regions, our TSC is going to close and the number of TSG positions will decrease. Every TSGer in these 3 districts who was "above the line" (in our case, hired before May 24 2000) and who's shift will not be eliminated, is safe and they get to keep their current position and schedule.
All others were put in a list by seniority (about 72 of us, I think). They get called in one by one to pick from the list of available TSG jobs. I don't recall the exact amount of jobs there are to pick from...maybe 20 or 30 fulltime and 15-20 parttime positions (some day hours, but mostly 2nd and 3rd shift). It's looking like there might be at least 20 techs who will have no choice but to leave. There are techs who have worked day hours their whole careers and now will be forced to work 3rd shift, and also lots of techs who will have much greater driving distances to the buildings they had to pick from.

 

[TSCGal]

DannyBoy,

You certainly bring up valid points. In the back of my mind, I had thought (briefly) about the fact I'd be out there hunting for a job with my co-workers. I'm hoping we can network and help each other out. We've all been tight so far, so if it's possible, I think it will happen.

I have been the major-steady breadwinner/source of insurance while hubby worked contract. Since the first word of "balancing" was that I wouldn't have a job, he accepted an offer so the family would have at least one steady paycheck (really hope he likes it!).

I'm wondering what the rest of the world is getting paid / hour. Do you think that we will have to start over at the bottom of the pay scale?

It makes me nervous that so many of the TSC/TSG techs are taking the SAP so that I am now being told I should think about if I want to stay or not. Although they aren't telling us where "the line" is, we've all figured out what we think it probably is. I'm 10 below.

Guess it's the feeling that if everyone is jumping ship, I might want to jump with them! I was expecting to have to anyway. That and the fact that NCRTSCISME wrote about having to drive a greater distance to buildings than I do currently.

It depends on the moment what I think I want to do. One minute, stay: enjoy the 3 weeks vacation and known pay etc and hope to get a building that's closer instead of farther away and a shift that will coincide with hubby's to let us watch Grace and not put her in daycare. Or a couple of minutes later, go: only accept a job that will be good for us/Grace, known miles (not changing at whim of management) & hope/pray that the pay will be equal or not too much less than UPS is paying us.

I guess it's a win either way. I just need to know what to say if they ask.

AND, Barely Holding On, has it soooooo very right. If I stay (and even now!), I will be taking lunch and breaks and not just putting them on the timecard. When I stay over to finish up from a last minute call, I will be putting it on the timecard. I know we are supposed to, but a lot of us aren't doing it. I'm betting that is changing.

Last, but not least, this is excellent group therapy! Mostly because while we love our spouses/families, they don't understand the culture / exact job etc. Hard for them to help with input. Thanks!

 

[Replacements]

Any TSCers looking for a job and willing to move big brown wants you!

Yes I am a TSCer

 

[another tech]

What links have been found on the web regarding the layoffs? I haven't found any...would like to see what the word is they are giving the media.

 

[VergerBill]

BrownCafers:
I am new to this LIST. I heard about it today, and joined. I am a UPS Technician in one of the TSC soon to close. The first of nine TSCs to close, Portland OR, closed last Friday, 10 February. The last will be the NashviLLE TN TSC on 28 October. We were notified in the middle of January that this was all to occurr. We were all stunned, shocked, dismayed, angry, etc etc. I have read with interest the line of this discussion .

I am friend with a Region Manager who recently resigned from the company. The manger told me "...It was good to hear from you although I know it is a tough time for you and your fellow TSCers right now. My decision to leave UPS was based on a lot of factors. The biggest one being that I could not support the direction that TSG and the TSC's were going in. The Region TSG managers were given no choice or allowed to give our opinions on anything that TSG or the TSC's are going through right now. All of those decisions were made at a corporate level. I believed the TSCs needed to consolidate down to 2 or 3 but not close entirely. Anyway, I could not continue to work in an environment where my experience and knowledge were not valued. I hated leaving you and the rest of the TSG-TSC folks because that is the reason I came to work every day; the PEOPLE! But I could not continue to compromise my beliefs and values by trying to support things that I did not agree with."

Thanks.

 

[ImpactedTSG]

Any TSCers looking for a job and willing to move big brown wants you!

Yes I am a TSCer

Great info. Looks like the support desk will be offering no support at all. They are just going to be an answering service. Incredible. All of those people that never listened to us about the importance of calling in ALL technical work will be kicking themself when they have no tech on site and no phone support. HAHAHAHA. The Big Brown Ship is slowly sinking.

 

[BrownDeath]

I'm in one of the TSC's that's been shut down already. We were not informed of the shutdown. Just walked into work yesterday and was told that no more calls would be routed to us.

We have had no information from our managers and are in a state of limbo. We have been given conflicting information about everything from the final closing date to the availability of the SAP. 1st week of February we were told it would be available, next week we were told we would not be getting any compensation for being laid off.

In all my years working I have never seen such a horribly mismanaged situation. The fact that they didn't even have the courtesy to let us know that they had shut us down, and that they took away our SAP option, tells me UPS no longer has any respect for their technical workforce.
This one is going to come back and bite big brown in the ass. The remaining workers are going to burn out quick. A co-worker who's not being laid off summed it up nicely when she said, "I don't know if I should be sorry for you or be jealous."

Has anyone thought about going to the media with our situation?

 

[ncrtscisme]

Brown Death...WHOA, I'm kind of blown away here...can you verify that for all of us browcafe'ers out here? Your TSC was never told about your closing date and they waited until the day your calls stopped to tell you?!?! and now you're not sure if SAP's will be given out?? I'm guessing you are either from Portland or Orlando, since we were told they both will close in Feb. Please give us more details...is there work right now for your department, or did they just send you home and you're waiting to hear about SAPs?

VergerBill...your region manager friend is a good person. Too bad this company is causing people like that to walk away rather than listening to their valuable opinions. Instead, they are breeding a bunch of unfeeling, unopinionated, greedy "yes men" robots.

Region 02 still told nothing since Friday's job picks...strange...some of us have a feeling that the surprises are still not over here.

I really hope that things only go down from here after we are all replaced with a bunch of $11/hour answering machines. Our callers will be so happy, won't they?

 

[dablues]

ncrtscisme,
How many techs were in the TSCs? What jobs were you guys offered?

 

[BrownDeath]

Yes, I'm in Orlando. 1st week of February we were told we would close on the 28th. Management told us the SAP would be an option and gave us all the details, but a week later pulled the SAP option. The reason they gave for not giving us the SAP is because they have 2 TSG positions available in the district. The positions are not an option though because they're in other cities (Lakeland and Pinellas). There is nothing available here in Orlando. February 13th I walk in to find that the desk was closed. No notification. I'm still getting paid, but I'm not sure for how long. They have me doing odd jobs no one else wants to do. Management is not giving us any information about what our status is. Very stressful as I don't even know when I should put in my paperwork for unemployment benefits with the county. Any job hunting would be hurt by the fact that I don't know what my final day at UPS will be.

 

[Barely Hanging On]

Looking at the web sites shows what its all about. Let 350+ at $20.00+ go and hire 125 at $11.00. I hope Butthead's brother is happy in a few months when the crap really hits the fan.
"But Mike E look at the money I saved and we only lost 25% of our customers. Make the drivers get more leads and we'll still get our bonus."

 

[X-TSGer]

Just wanted to say Hello! I'm a Portland TSG tech, well atleast until the 17th of this month then I will be laid off. Must of the techs in Portland are already gone there is only about 6 of us left. I really blown away with the direction that UPS is heading and I think if the founders new what was going on they would be rolling in there graves. But they have to do what they think is best, I actually feel sorry for the techs and supervisors that are left after this whole thing. It's going to be a nightmare to keep up with the SVC orders and PMT. The customers (both internal and external) are going to be the ones that really suffer though. I was really upset by that craiglist job listing, it is really upsetting to think that 24 TSG/TSC techs were laid off so that they could hire a bunch of idiots for $11.10 an hr... Its really sad...

Not sure if this was posted already, but Portland TSC offically closed on the 10th. We were not offered any other job options and people that were in the process of moving within UPS were now declined that position. We did get SAP packages so that helps, but we were also told if we take them we could NEVER be re-hired back to UPS.

 

[ncrtscisme]

browndeath,
first of all, I have to say that I am sorry to hear what is happening with your TSC. Orlando definitely seems to have drawn the shortest straw here. Your story scares the hell out of me!
How many of you are there at your TSC? what kind of work do you do there now that there are no calls? did they offer any help or incentives or extra time for anyone who takes those far-away TSG positions and has to relocate? If there is more than 2 of you left, and they only offer 2 TSG jobs, then how can they NOT offer you SAPs when EVERYBODY in my region and others get them?

X-TSGer,
How fast did you get cut down to only 6 TSCers? There are 26 of us and we worry about whether they will start kicking us out one by one soon.

dablues,
our TSC has 26 techs...we were offered TSG jobs, both internal and a couple external, mostly 2nd and 3rd shifts but maybe 7 or 8 day fulltime shifts. I want to say maybe 20-30 fulltime and 15-20 parttime positions. Take in mind that it's not just our 26 techs who are picking, there are about 72 techs total when you include internal and external TSG for the 3 chicagoland districts (46, 47, 17).

 

[X-TSGer]

X-TSGer,
How fast did you get cut down to only 6 TSCers? There are 26 of us and we worry about whether they will start kicking us out one by one soon.

I'm actually with TSG, the TSC is completly closed as of the 10th. They asked some of us that were only offered the SAP to stay until the 17th so that they could train the TSC techs that were stayiny due to seniority. These TSC techs will now be TSG techs.

So we had a total of 41 TSG/TSC techs (20 tsc 21 tsg), they are going down to 17 TSG techs only.

 

[Anonymous BOI]

To those of you talking about "part time" TSG positions, did those positions exist previously? We do not have any part time TSG positions in our district, but is this something new they are creating as part of the cost cutting? How do the benefits work?

 

[Parrothead]

Hello all.
I've set up a Yahoo Group to assist us soon to be displaced folks in our job search. I figured alot of us would be googling the same engines, so I made a list of links (both local to Nashville and national/customizable). Feel free to add folders in the links section for any resources you feel may be needed for a specific area. The reason it's moderated is to prevent spam. I hope this helps some of us.

 

[Parrothead]

Re: PS laying off Technical hourly employees

I agree with Anonymous Coward - pissing off your entire tech staff who have full control access to the entire nationwide network, is completely stupid. It would only take one really good tech with a dark side to make it come crashing down. And unlike the last big virus, when all of TSG mobilized in a 48 hour period, over the weekend, to stop a virus in it's tracks, I doubt we'll come running to the rescue this time around. I'm sitting back with a bowl of popcorn, waiting to see this unfold.

I don't think anyone could do more damage to the company than what they are doing to themselves.

 

[BrownDeath]

We had 5 TSC techs left at the beginning of February when they announced the closing date of the 28th. The two with the most seniority took TSG positions in Orlando and Cocoa/Melbourne ("only" 40 miles away with no travel reimbursement). The only two other TSG slots were in Lakeland (50 miles away), and Pinellas (90 miles away). None of us that were left were willing to take travel that far, so they said we were not going to get any seperation allowance since we "chose" to refuse the positions offered. Problem is the choice they gave us was no choice at all.

So now they have us 3 doing **** jobs like cleaning dirty equipment and facilities. No one is saying anything to us. It's like we don't exist. I get all my information from you guys. It's really sad.

 

[BrownTech99]

I hope and prey for all of you and your jobs. (Not a misspelling)

 

[ncrtscisme]

"We had 5 TSC techs left at the beginning of February when they announced the closing date of the 28th. The two with the most seniority took TSG positions in Orlando and Cocoa/Melbourne ("only" 40 miles away with no travel reimbursement). The only two other TSG slots were in Lakeland (50 miles away), and Pinellas (90 miles away). None of us that were left were willing to take travel that far, so they said we were not going to get any seperation allowance since we "chose" to refuse the positions offered. Problem is the choice they gave us was no choice at all.

So now they have us 3 doing **** jobs like cleaning dirty equipment and facilities. No one is saying anything to us. It's like we don't exist. I get all my information from you guys. It's really sad."

Only 3 of you left and that's all they could do for you...no job and no seperation unless you move yourself and your family at your own expense. I hope everybody is reading this out there, which is why I posted it again in red. I'm speechless and I'm so sorry to hear this is going on. The techs I work with have been discussing your situation and we are worried about what may end up happening with us (can they take away our seperations also, even though we were told we'd be getting it? After all, nothing on it gets signed until our "mutually agreed upon date").