UPS laying off Technical hourly employees

[Barely Hanging ON]

Is any other tech feeling the love? Sev 6's that used to take 2 days are now taking 4 days and the user doesn't care how many techs are gone. I want my email moved and I want it moved now. I'm too busy to wait. Can't wait for the CSI scores to come in. That's the second part of the savings plan, lower pay raises due to low CSI's.

I almost hope there is a second round of layoffs. It's getting ugly faster than I thought it could. And I still can't get my sup to open a log

 

[tieguy]

That about sums it up. Investors are more important than our people and their families. Bottom line.

That is the Jim Casey way isn't it?

No Its not about investors and the bottom line. Its about the viability of the business. A company that does not look to manage its cost including employee cost eventually gets so bloated that it then is forced into being one of those companies you hear about that lays off 30,000.

 

[tieguy]

Moreluck,

Just a question.

Wouldn't stopping management bonuses save more money than letting about 380 hourly tech go? And wouldn't that make the shareholders happy....wait management is the primary shareholder. Never mind I answered my own question.

One of the perks of being on the board is you get to decide how much everyone including yourself makes. Same in any business you look at. Major league baseball pays its players millions. But don't be the guy selling hot dogs if the attendance goes down.

 

[dablues]

One of the perks of being on the board is you get to decide how much everyone including yourself makes. Same in any business you look at. Major league baseball pays its players millions. But don't be the guy selling hot dogs if the attendance goes down.

Tieguy,

Didn't we use to pride ourselves on being better than the other companies and now we're becoming the other company. I know it's a perk for the big guys to make the rules but it's the right of the little guys to question the decisions of them. I have to follow the rules but I can question them. And the more they affect me the more I'll question them.

 

[tieguy]

Aah blue I don't believe I or anyone else told you that you couldn't ask questions. In fact I'm surprised someone has not thought to form a little group here and maybe pay the boys in Atlanta a little visit. Sit down with Mike in the cafeteria and ask him how he feels he can jack up his compensation while he takes your job. Now that is doing something that would be terrific to watch. Whining on this message board does nothing.

So who is going to take the leadership position and form this group?

 

[BrownTech99]

That about sums it up. Investors are more important than our people and their families. Bottom line.

That is the Jim Casey way isn't it?

Just a quick Jum Casey Quote on this subject...

Money
Are we working for money alone? If so, there is no surer way not to get it. 1947

 

[UPS Jeff]

Tie guy--you really are an a-hole! No matter what the topic is you defend UPS period. You are a very closed minded brain washed piece of crap. Some of your posts are at 2:30 am. on a week night. Obviously you sleep in that tie--your poor husband.

The comparison of Ford and UPS is obsurd. Ford sells a product-we use to offer a service. Ford has reliabilty and fuel economy issues as well as lack of new design. For the tie--that is somehow the hourly union's fault.

21 years ago they trained me to leave a p/u if they weren't ready. Then competition came along and we changed our ways. They went as far as having a KORE (keeping our reputation for excellence) committee and suggestion box. Washed trucks daily and touched up the slighest scratches. Realized that the driver was UPS and had sales leads contests. Took care of small businesses. Paid the preloaders the same wages they make 21 years later. Most of all treated hourly with a little respect.

After we went public, all that went out the door. They reassigned most of our senior sales reps that didn't have degrees and brought interns in--good move? Did away with the local call centers--better move? And now the Tech employees--great move?
If I were to take tie's way of thinking and reverse it--the only good decisions made lately are:management paying for their bene's, 20% stock bonus per year and now raising the retirement age to 62---all excellent company decisions!

I still believe UPS is a great company, but they need help from within righting this ship. Morale is at an all time low. I never thought I would see the day where hourly is actually feeling sorry for the sup's.

 

[browniehound]

Guys stop you whining about losing your job, there are others out there. Ups isn't running a friggin charity here. This is a business. If the company doesn't need you why would they PAY to keep you around? Do you guys have your head that far up your own asses.

 

[scratch]

I hate that UPS is cutting back on its Tech people, this practice is nothing new. The guy who wrote the original DIAD software used to live on my area. He got a lot of UPS Stock, this was before it went public, but he was let go too as soon as he was no longer needed. I feel as a Package Driver, they were trying to replace us full-timers with "part-time" Cover Drivers prior to the '97 Strike. The current deal with the Tech people will probably bite Brown in the rear in the long run. I wish the best to all of you being forced out, I hope you find something better.

 

[wily_old_vet]

Brownie-Have to give you credit, you are consistent. First, you couldn't grasp the concept that a mailbox is federal property and you weren't allowed by law to put a delivery in it. Seems to me you did quite a bit of whining about that. Now you tell people losing their jobs to quit whining. I would bet my last dollar if it wasa you and a bunch of other drivers in the same position the howl would be deafening. The only thing that bothered me about this thread was in the beginning some of the posters seemed to be advocating sabotaging equipment that has been stopped. Brownie I hope you are never put in the position these people have been.

 

[browniehound]

Wily, I hope I'm never in that postion either. The difference is these people have a SKILL. They can find another job somewhere else. Us truck drivers have no skill and would never be able to land a job making 26 bucks an hour plus overime anywhere else. UPS is running a business not a soup kitchen. If they no longer have a need for these techs they should be let go. As a shareholder this is good news. As far as them losing their job, that sucks, but they have unemployment insurance and they economy is healthy-they-ll be ok.

 

[BrownTech99]

Wily, I hope I'm never in that postion either. The difference is these people have a SKILL. They can find another job somewhere else. Us truck drivers have no skill and would never be able to land a job making 26 bucks an hour plus overime anywhere else. UPS is running a business not a soup kitchen. If they no longer have a need for these techs they should be let go. As a shareholder this is good news. As far as them losing their job, that sucks, but they have unemployment insurance and they economy is healthy-they-ll be ok.

The fact that "unskilled drivers" are paid more that skilled technicians sounds kind of like a soup kitchen. We are never allowed OT and most of us paid to go to school to acquire our skill sets. Your post is very contradictory. You sound like an idiot! As a shareholder I do not like unskilled labor being paid exorbitant wages. I friend you get canned you should be able to find work as a school bus driver..

 

[TSCGal]

BrownDeath wrote:
when a discrict TSG position opened up and was offered to TSC techs. The catch was that they refused to tell you where the position was. Not only that but once you blindly accepted the position, there was no going back, even if it was to a location beyond your tolerable commute. Never in my working career have I been expected to accept a position without first being told where it was.


You know, this is what I'm experiencing! All in the same room, HR says I can take a job with TSG then TSG Mgr states "can't promise you where or what shift, just that you'll have a job. We will place you where we feel your skills are best suited."

On the one hand, I agree, I would like to work where my skills are best suited but on the other hand, one of the likely options is 60 miles away. It's located in a 'better part of town' if I'm given the late night shift to walk in by myself. Or, there is always the closer locations that are in a decidedly bad part of town where I'd have to walk quite a ways to get to the gate.

That piece of information has hubby finally understanding why I am considering the SAP even if able to stay. Otherwise, he thinks I'm crazy for giving up 3 weeks vacation, 9 discretionary days & known $$.

Meanwhile, I've read Sideline Sam's "back in play" posts several times...

I'm no longer 50/50. I range from 60% to 95%, depending on the moment, taking the SAP now. I agree with Sam though, it's awful hard to give up those creature comforts for the bigger unknown than UPS's where will I be assigned this week/6 mths/year. I'll just keep reminding myself about The Dream.

On to current workday conditions... NCRTSCisme What sort of things are they knitpicking about at your TSC? Our mgmt is all over the BSC! Blows my mind that they (driven/ordered by the Region TSG Mgr) are making a huge deal about it! The only thing there is slack over (and I haven't brought it to their attention), is the fact no SMS tests have been assigned. Since I usually don't get around to doing them until the last week of the month, I have no idea if they were assigned and they removed them or if they just never got around to doing it.

 

[Hangingon]

Umm.. Browntech, you do realize that those unskilled people are the ones that actually make the majority of the money for the company, right? I do feel for the situation the techs find themselves in, but if you are upset about how much we make I'm sure there are openings that you can fill and see if you have what it takes to qualify for an unskilled position.

 

[BrownTech99]

Umm.. Browntech, you do realize that those unskilled people are the ones that actually make the majority of the money for the company, right? I do feel for the situation the techs find themselves in, but if you are upset about how much we make I'm sure there are openings that you can fill and see if you have what it takes to qualify for an unskilled position.

Make most of the money? Explain please.. I understand that without drivers the company doesn't exist, but has a driver ever integrated a customer's systems with UPS shipping software thereby allowing the customer to ship much more effectively and shift volume from Fedex to UPS. As I see it, the only way to make money for the company is to get more volume. Otherwise you are just a cost. Just because you deliver the package that I got into the system does not mean that you made that money for the company! As for qualifying for an "unskilled position", it would take me at the maximum a couple months to learn your job. How long would it take you to learn mine? I am not saying your job is easy or taking anything away from any drivers, but these are the facts as I see them. Do you know how it feels to set up a batch shipment import and watch the label printer spit out $80,000 worth of shipments? Didn't think so...

 

[ncrtscisme]

TSCgal,
Speaking of SMS tests, our TSC went a long time without getting any of them...until a few days ago, when we were given 2 tests to do. Guess what the tests were about? The Electronic Communications Policy!!
As far as the nitpicking goes, the main BSC concern is our SLA (calls answered in 40sec or less). But calls are coming in big waves now...one moment it's slow and the next moment we are overloaded with calls from all over the country. So naturally, some calls are not answered immediately during the busy "waves". Now we are constantly watched as far as being "autoed-in" on our phones. Just try and take that 2-minute after-call time without being asked "why aren't you autoed in?" or "what are you doing? are you taking calls?". Some techs have been written up for taking breaks that don't even add up to the 30 minutes, just because someone else decides to play "tattle-tale liar" with the manager and telling him that they are on longer breaks than they really are. When I first decided to take the SAP, I had some feelings of regret...but as each day goes by, I'm reminded again and again that it was the right desicion. Heck, I've been told by a few techs who are staying that they wish they had taken the SAP because they no longer feel comfortable any more just coming to work.

 

[Hangingon]

Which makes you support staff Browntech, and as we all know, that is where the first cuts come from.

 

[TSCGal]

NCRTSCisme wrote:
Now we are constantly watched as far as being "autoed-in" on our phones. Just try and take that 2-minute after-call time without being asked "why aren't you autoed in?" or "what are you doing? are you taking calls?". Some techs have been written up for taking breaks that don't even add up to the 30 minutes, just because someone else decides to play "tattle-tale liar" with the manager and telling him that they are on longer breaks than they really are.
***************

OMGoodness!!!! Now that you mention it, re taking the time to try to hunt down that elusive Common Solution after a call has netted me IMs from mgmt as to what I was doing. I agree about the call volume, none and then too much from everywhere.

I heard that the requirement for the Common Solution usage is going to go up to 50% in April. I guess they are wanting to make sure we have put in enough requests for really good solutions so that the database is loaded up for the new HD by the time Nashville ends the era of the TSCs.

I wonder if we can get away with using the Template instead. > Use Notes and Attachments to add our real solutions. Probably not, as someone would turn us in, just like your "tattle tales".

So far, I don't know of anyone being written up for breaks.

About your SMS test... Do any of you check your webmail (non-UPS) while at work? Or weather / news? I wonder if after you complete the Electronic Policy SMS test, if you will be monitored for that as well? Several techs spend their between call time looking up data for their UPS paid for college classes (not to mention the others who check the other mentioned locations). Wonder if that will come under scrutiny as well? Guess you'll be able to answer that one in a week or two....

 

[IT_Consultant]

Which makes you support staff Browntech, and as we all know, that is where the first cuts come from.

so why can't UPS outsource their drivers? wouldn't that save more $$$ than reducing TSG? shhh, don't let the BoD hear that.

-a|ex

 

[Anonymous Brownshirt]

NCRTSCisme wrote:

OMGoodness!!!! Now that you mention it, re taking the time to try to hunt down that elusive Common Solution after a call has netted me IMs from mgmt as to what I was doing. I agree about the call volume, none and then too much from everywhere.

I heard that the requirement for the Common Solution usage is going to go up to 50% in April. I guess they are wanting to make sure we have put in enough requests for really good solutions so that the database is loaded up for the new HD by the time Nashville ends the era of the TSCs.QUOTE]

Stop submitting common solutions to the database. It's for the use of your low-payed replacement. You're only helping the executioner by digging your own grave.