UPS laying off Technical hourly employees

[brown_blood]

Wily:
There are around 1,000 Internal and External techs around the country, plus about 200 TSC (helpdesk) folks. So yes 400 is a huge number.

Tie:
Please shut the **** up. You are incredibly insensitive. I mean you really are. Maybe you are trying to help, but you clearly have no idea what you’re spouting on about so stay out of this conversation please.

Unionizing probably would not save any job cuts that have already been announced, but would force the company to treat all Technical and Admin employees equally. Everyone knows that ****** has it out for TSG, and that PMT resulted from his personal power trip. PMT generates numbers that match his arguments, as opposed to letting unaltered numbers speak for themselves. Btw... Isn’t falsifying numbers THE cardinal sin at UPS? Someone should investigate why management is falsify PMT numbers around the country daily, but even more alarmingly forcing technicians to do the same.
A union contract could also force the company to adhere to a minimum staffing level, force them to find other jobs for any employees affected by restructuring, ECT...

 

[fireman000]

I've gone through 2 downsizing in an external customer support arena. Jobs were moved to Las Vegas due to various reasons but top of the list was cheaper labor. Some responsbilities were also moved to the CSCs around the country.

Employees that met the time-of-service cut off date were offered two choices:1.) take a postion in the district choice was based on seniority or 2.) get laid-off with a month severance for every year of service plus vacation time. For every person that was above the time-of-service cut off date that took the lay-off a person under the time-of-service list was moved up and was offered a job. Most of the folks that left wanted to leave and either retire or take the summer off and look for another job.

This was the plan/ formula used when consolidation was done in the a district in the Northeast and seemed to be the most equitable.

 

[TSG_Lets_Unionize]

[mad]TSG comes alive! I love it!
I have been trying to rally the troops for years to go union!
Why did it take this to open our collective eyes?
Because that is our nature in TSG!
We take all the abuse, ask for little in return, and keep the operations running 24/7.
We miss family events because we are have to work Saturdays to perform upgrades.
We go without sleep because of 2am pages.
We do all this with little or no respect from above, being told not to report overtime because doing so would mess-up the budget and force job cuts!?!
Makeup time??? WTF!! I called that bluff along time ago!

Lets show management that we know what a valuable part of the organization we really are!

No more just rolling over and taking it!
No more eating overtime!
Let the sups take the 2am and weekend calls! Even if you have an awesome sup (which our group does) please remember that they are the ones that signed up for the job! That means they are supposed to be the ones abused not us; that is why they get higher pay AND MIP!!!

We can really do this!
Lets act swiftly and with unity!

PLEASE got to http://uatups.com take the survey, pass the link to your coworkers, and TAKE ACTION QUICKLY!!![/mad]

 

[ncrtscisme]

I agree there is sometimes much misinformation on this kind of forum, but I assure you, dablues, that the numbers and dates I have been giving are all from first-hand experience at my TSC.

As for Region 02, We were all sent the severance packages in the mail (I got mine yesterday) explaining the terms of the severance if we have to or choose to take it. What really sucks is that we must decide whether or not to leave or take a job (if we can) very soon, like within the next 2 or 3 weeks, even though we're open for another 3-4 months. We were also given a vague schedule of which months each TSC will be closing. All I remember from it was just a few of them, but I can post the rest tomorrow if anyone is interested:

Feb - Orlando, FL and Portland, OR (the first consolidation on the list)

May - Addison, IL (the second consolidation on the list)

November - Nashville, TN (the last consolidation on the list)

...all the other TSCs fell in the months between May and November.

Even though I'm one of the "employment at risk" people, I would still like to see those who are left form a union...if this kind of thing keeps up much longer, I fear that all of UPS tech support will be outsourced. The morale and trust in our company might be shot to for those left, but more job security might be something worth trying for.

 

[TSCer]

Yeh I'd say a 30% reduction in staff is big, wouldn't you?
Tie Guy, Im really happy for your tech guys being able to take other spots in the company. The cold reality is that we are not being afforded that option. Why? Because what this is really about is ditching our salaries, benefits and most importantly our pensions. UPS knows they are cutting too deep and that we will not be able to keep up. I would say within a month or two they will start putting on Temps, mark my words TieGuy. This place we work for stinks like a rotten rat carcass. If you want your pension to be there for you, I implore you, tell someone about this site, tell them about www.uatups.com and lets do something about it.

 

[geekdude]

for the rest of us still in tsg that have jobs, is it worth staying? I mean what if this happens again? I dont want to worry about it and put more time in a company that will get rid of us

 

[TSCer]

geek dude, yeh no kidding. Are alot of ppl from your district thinking about taking the severance? Interesting the fireman said during his last two downsizings, the ppl got a month severance for every year they worked there.

 

[dablues]

ncrtscisme,
I have no problems with the info you're giving. I'm questioning why my region/district is not giving any info out. I believe our TSC may have gotten more info than TSG. Makes me wonder if different areas are getting different settlements or something. If I'm wrong why not at least let people know what money to expect while they decide who goes? It's not just the tech in limbo, it's the whole family.

Has anyone seen the actual document they read to us? We've asked and been told it's not to be released. Tie- If you have a good answer for that I promise to start a management/hourly tiff. Just kidding

 

[bleednobrown]

I have worked for this company for many years. More than I care to admit. I have been on both sides of the fence. I left management for a TSG job due to the way I was being told to supervise my people. I don't care for the way this company is going. Ever since the stock went public we have switched from a service and customer driven company to one full of bean counters. I personally have seen this,(downsize), coming for a while. The question of unionizing was brought up in my district already but somehow the company found out and it was crushed immediatly. As for now it is too late until after the current events pass. We have had several people take the new MAPP test for management and were told they failed. No one in my district is saying anything other than we are downsizing. I don't feel it is fair to release the information and then make a family wait so long on the outcome. I understand the companies side as far as cutting people and hiring temps. From an accounting stand point is makes since to reduce benefits and pension matches, but it doesn't make it ethical. UPS has long turned its backs on being Ethical. It's about the bottom line and answering to shareholders.

As far as tie's comparison to Ford, I submit this. Ford is downsizing 30,000 people over the next six years. These cutbacks include all job functions accross the board not just hourly but management alike. If you take the total number of people that UPS is getting rid of in one department and get rid of an equivalent number of people in all departments management and hourly alike I think the numbers would equal or surpass that of Ford. Your argument is quite inane.

That being said this is all I have heard from people in my district. PMT is a planning tool, (yeah right). Has anyone noticed now that the numbers are in and the plan of attack has been formulated how the daily emails with tech utilization completed work and tech planned work have all but stopped? Asset management shows the number of internal and external workstation supported. It is a flawed tool at best given that we support alot more assets than just the computers themselves. We have been told that the corporate number is one tech for every 100 PCs supported. We have also been told that they are going by time in servicein their selection criteria as far as who stays and goes. This is about all we have been told and none of it has been official. It has all come from management in the know, but none with backbone enough to say it is official.

It almost seems like the company wants people to take severance packages so lower senior people can stay without them having to do their own dirty work. The MAPP test and management selection process is a joke. They pick who they want and I know for a fact that the test doesn't matter. Seen it happen. I personally would rather see this go public in the media than tuck tail and run. Either tell me I can stay in my current position or give me a decent severance. I have no desire to go back into management. I just want an answer!

 

[bdva50]

I agree with the posts that point out that Ford is losing money and therefore laying off people. Supposedly UPS is going to announce growth and earnings increases for the 4th quarter tomorrow. Wouldn't it be ironic for them to also announce the layoffs at the same time?
I can only agree about PMT. It was designed to produce a result and not be an accurate reflection of work being done. We in TSG were forced to lie to get numbers at an artificial level. Our local management knew it and no one had to courage to stand up to corporate.
This will end up coming back to haunt UPS. Eskew claims that technology drives the company. In my opinion, the wheels are going to come off real fast. We are an easy target since we don't have a union. This whole thing shines a light on how unprofessional UPS management is to their people. I think everyone in the company will be looking over their shoulders to see who in next. Too bad it will not be the ones that made this poor decision.

 

[brown_blood]

The MAPP process most definitely is a joke. I have seen more qualified individuals get passed over this year than ever before, all because they did not have the right people backing them. Meanwhile, some of the most incompetent people one could imagine fly right through because of "practice" tests and coaching.

I don't know how long it would take to for a union for TSG, but the time will never be better than today for you folks to start the ball moving. There will be threats and scare tactics from above, but just ignore it, knowing in your heart that it certainly can not get any worse.

 

[bigcomputergeek]

I'm not sure what everyone is complaining about, they got us A+ certified... I'm sure we could get a job now! What a joke! They made it mandatory that we passed the A+ cert? WOW, how nice of them to spend the time and train us, thanks J. Bev... I do agree with some of the techs, we have Sups that work 3 hr days and complain the rest of the day about Corp. When will they be held accountable for the time they put in? I also agree that management is telling us to just put numbers in PMT to make the number corp wants on the BSC. I got one word for management... Integrity.

 

[local02]

I think that UPS mngrs in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = " /><st1:City w:st="on"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">Atlanta</st1lace></st1:City> got scared and the reason is that right after new year new site came up www.uatups.com TSG people started to talk laud to unionize TSG and admins nation wide. Who ever thinks that this is just start and want protect your job submit your votes and get started with union. Email site webmaster your info.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

[ncrtscisme]

you wanna talk about what a joke the MAPP process is?
Less than 2 years ago, our TSC was running at full staff and in no need of hiring more technicians. No jobs were posted, nothing. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, they hire a new guy right off the street. People start talking, and soon it comes out that this new technician happened to have a relative or aquaintence who was good buddies with a bigwig at UPS and that's how he got the job when there wasn't one open.
WELL...
Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that this technician...with less than 2 years of seniority and still a tech I (not yet a senior tech)...had been promoted to a specialist! When I spoke with him about it, he said that he went through the MAPP process and passed it well enough to get a supervisor position. He was only made a specialist because there were no open supervisor positions at the time. This decision, made by management, pissed off a lot of technicians who were tech IIs (senior technicians) and had much more seniority than he did.
My point of this story is that because this technician's relative or friend was good buddies with a bigwig, he was intentionally "bailed out" of losing his job only days before the downsizing was announced. Because of this game that management seems to play more and more of, someone else more qualified and experienced is going to lose their job. It's favoritism to a tee. Sometimes, it just seems like it's all about who you know.

And about this dude who pushed the whole PMT thing...he'll probably be living it up now with that 250% stock bonus. I hope that's enough for him to buy a good night's sleep.

 

[broke.in.tsg]

I'm not sure what everyone is complaining about, they got us A+ certified... I'm sure we could get a job now! What a joke! They made it mandatory that we passed the A+ cert? WOW, how nice of them to spend the time and train us, thanks J. Bev... I do agree with some of the techs, we have Sups that work 3 hr days and complain the rest of the day about Corp. When will they be held accountable for the time they put in? I also agree that management is telling us to just put numbers in PMT to make the number corp wants on the BSC. I got one word for management... Integrity.

We are putting fake numbers into PMT everyday. They tell us to do it! "Only put in 7 hours planned for your 8 hour day!" "Why? So you'll say I'm only doing 7 hours work in my 8 hour day?" "No, just do it. Cause region said." "Only close 7 hours work for your 8 hour day too!"

It's all just a big number game. The person that fluffs the numbers the most wins.

I always wondered what the ROI for the A+ was. There is something else behind the A+ and Net+ stuff.

night.....
broke.in.tsg - make'n less in '06

 

[ncrtscisme]

since I'm a TSCer, i don't deal with PMT like TSG does, but I've heard plenty of those kind of stories from my TSG friends. As for the helpdesk, I think our big sign was when they started to push for us to use and update the common solutions database...they wanted us to put our knowledge into the system so that anybody could search it and find the fixes to do the job.

Did anybody catch that 2006 video on upsers.com? I like the part when Mister Eskew was talking about how important our people are, and it showed a clip of a technician working on a laptop...irony at its best!!

 

[SEA1SUX]

Here in my district, Washington, they are telling us there will not be any job cuts...
Yet...
C'mon do they REALLY think we are idiots?
The only reason they are not making cuts today is because the most corrupt management regime we have ever had pushed 5 golden boys & girls into IE specialist positions which they magically created out of thin air. I mean these positions could not possibly be any more bogus! They are getting paid to do absolutely nothing. They are bored silly all day, but obviously are happy they got out of TSG when they did.
What will tomorrow bring? Nothing good I'm sure.
I've been trolling this board for years, and I realize it is primarily an operations driven forum, with what seems to be a strong Midwestern presence, but I also know that there are TSG folks, as well as Washington district folks that read this board regularly.
It's time we unite.
We all need to go to www.uatups.com take the survey and tell your coworkers about both the brown cafe, and uatups.com.
Also, I've been letting the guys at the TSC know about it when I call the desk for any reason.

 

[TSG_Lets_Unionize]

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but without action we will all parish.



[mad]PLEASE got to http://uatups.com take the survey, pass the link to your coworkers, and TAKE ACTION QUICKLY!!![/mad]

 

[tieguy]

Please shut the **** up. You are incredibly insensitive. I mean you really are. Maybe you are trying to help, but you clearly have no idea what youre spouting on about so stay out of this conversation please.

Well I certainly think I have been a hell of a lot more sensitive then you just displayed here. If you have some specifics on points you disagree with me on then feel free to address them. I have made a sincere effort to try to keep this conversation firmly planted on the ground. I do know what I am talking about. I have seen a lot of the info the company has put out. I have a lot of friends in the TSG ranks. I'm getting info from them, taking what the company sends me and making observations on what I see personally. This is what I am relaying on this message board. I invite you to do the same and lets keep this conversation focused on what we actually see happen and not what is flying through the rumor mill.

 

[tieguy]

Yeh I'd say a 30% reduction in staff is big, wouldn't you?
Tie Guy, Im really happy for your tech guys being able to take other spots in the company. The cold reality is that we are not being afforded that option. Why? Because what this is really about is ditching our salaries, benefits and most importantly our pensions. UPS knows they are cutting too deep and that we will not be able to keep up. I would say within a month or two they will start putting on Temps, mark my words TieGuy. This place we work for stinks like a rotten rat carcass. If you want your pension to be there for you, I implore you, tell someone about this site, tell them about www.uatups.com and lets do something about it.

Okay. Everything the company is putting out says they will make every effort to move you to other spots. Have you sat down with an HR person yet and what specifically did they tell you? if you like I can post the email that came from corporate where they specifically said they would try to move as many of you into other jobs or let you take the spots of what I think is outside employees working for us in TSG type slots. let me know.