UPS Technical Support

[devilsadvocate]

Upscorpis,

Upscorpis, what injustice are you referring too? I am only stating my opinion and experience, for your information I love UPS and I love what I do. I take advantage of every opportunity I get to make my work environment and UPS a better place. As I stated before I think as soon as the economy improves, we will see a big exodus from the hourly technicians. Using the word think suggests my opinion only, not my actions. The IT economy stinks right now, but when it gets hot again, and it will, there will be many opportunities for people with talent. Maybe when that time comes I might just consider other options, but I doubt it, I love my situation. Could it be possible that the dead wood I refer to has put a strain on your eyes or comprehension capabilities? Sometimes the truth does funny things to people. You remind me of some of my management team, they too misinterprets of what is being said to what they would like to hear. I never said I was a YES man.

 

[devilsadvocate]

Smf0605, very clear. Criticism is the easiest thing an individual can do. Taking action and offering solutions are sometimes harder to do.

 

[devilsadvocate]

Jackvette, I agree with you, but what happened to We hire from within. Oh by the way, nice car, very nice.

 

[smf0605]

devilsadvocate ... Criticism is the easiest thing an individual can do.

You might want to consult a dictionary. Requesting that you stop whining is not a criticism. It is a request, nothing more.

 

[jackvette]

Devil,

Thanks about the car. I love it.

We still do hire from within. Lots of IS people came from within UPS.

The policy book also says that for specialized positions we go outside. The IT world is one of those areas.

In IS there are experts in telecommunications, database design, hardware, contracts, etc.

Not likely to find those from within, but in case a person exists

Jack

 

[devilsadvocate]

Smf0605

I took your advice

whine
(click to hear the word) (hw n, w n)
v. whined, whining, whines
v. intr.
1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch: jet engines whining.
v. tr.
To utter with a whine.
n.
1. The act of whining.
2. A whining sound.
3. A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone.
May I make a suggestion? YOU MIGHT WHANT TO GET YOUR EARS CHECKED. Unless you just got off an airplane. Which definition are you referring to?

 

[smf0605]

devilsadvocate -- Which definition are you referring to?

I'd say you fall into any of these definitions .. maybe all of them

1. The act of whining.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone.

 

[devilsadvocate]

Smf0605, Obviously you have nothing better to do on a nice Sunday afternoon. Other than wasting your time making request on this board, may I recommend you call your local radio station and request your favorite song. Most likely it will be more satisfying for you, otherwise if you have nothing worthwhile to contribute on this board, may I suggest to just moving on. Thank you

 

[smf0605]

devilsadvocate... I should have subscribed to the theory:
Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

 

[upscorpis]

devilsadvocate,

The injustice I was referring to was from your post to which I was responding:
Ups never have, and never will pay this group what theyre worth. Because management considers them as a cost, that takes away from their MIP, low salary = more MIP. Management also fails to recognize these folks for what they bring to the table especially the talented ones. The dead wood will always remain, because they would never make it in the real world. I guess what irks me, is knowing that the dead wood get paid the same amount that I earn and I get to play the team player and do their work when they dont know how to do their own.

I comprehend those words as implicating management for holding down salaries for their own personal gain while not dealing with underperformers, which you feel is an injustice. Did I miss something?

I agree with your assessment that there is potential for turnover when the economny improves. However, don't automatically assume UPS will sit back and do nothing at that time. It's all a matter of where UPS sees it best to spend money. There's also the chance with economic improvement, UPS will have some IS growth that could produce opportunities that just don't exist now.

I feel you're dead wrong about the management team's fixation on MIP. It's about the long term good of the company, which certainly should result in better MIP. However, I've never been a party to any conversation where better MIP was mentioned as a reason to cut cost. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but those are exceptions. It's just not the general case.

As far as misinterpretation, that's very common in electronic discourse. It can be difficult to gauge a person's true feelings due to the imprecise usage of the language. My interpretation of your disatisfaction came primarily from the snippet above. I can only read the words. I cannot read your mind as you were typing. I'm really not trying to get into a word parsing contest. Look back at any of my posts and you'll see I'm normally trying to help and I stay out of the jousting. I will have meaningful debate though. Trust me, I've never been a yes man either. I remember a few times that got me into the district managers office.... :-}

I'm glad you like your position at UPS. UPS does offer a lot of non-salary benefits and a level of stability that you can't get everywhere. I personally know people that left UPS for the "greener pastures" of higher salaries and stock options during the boom that are begging to come back now, realizing what they left.

Good luck.

 

[devilsadvocate]

upscorpis,

To a certain extent, yes one can assume that all for-profit organizations exist exclusively to generate profits. Those who fail will go out of business. The ones that succeed will need to do one of two things or both. 1. Reinvest profits to grow the company and/or 2. Distribute the profits to the owner/s.
Management incentive awards granted in the form of UPS stock are most directly keyed to corporate performance because the aggregate amount available for distribution is based on profits. Obtained from the most recent Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders dated May 8, 2003 page 17 fourth paragraph.
Therefore it is in the best interest of all recipients of this benefit to take part in participating in doing the following. 1. Keep all costs to a minimum. 2. Use all resources wisely. 3. be profitable.
Please dont misunderstand; what I post here is only my perception assumptions and experiences for the years at UPS in TSG at my location. I am not aware of any increase in compensation during the internet go-go years, the most that anyone ever got in our department was no one is forcing anyone to stay, if you dont like it, just leave. When the economy slowed management used the excuse that corporate is allowing only a 3% annual pay increase. Again please dont misunderstand, I like what I do and I like UPS, my discontent is with equality. Management has the incentive MIP. Union employees have the benefits and protection of the union negotiating on their behalf. Hourly have no incentives or protection (catch 222) and very limited opportunities.
Why cant I equally be compensated as my fellow union coworker? Why cant I get part of the profits I help generate? Why do I and most of my coworkers get treated less important? Sure, I could put my letter in or drive a package car, but what if I enjoy doing what I do? Isnt my role as a skilled technician just as important as a driver or mechanic? Sure, there are plenty of other IT opportunities throughout other UPS location, but why would I want to loose my seniority and start as a new employee?
Most of the technicians in our group average around $23.00/hr.for a grade 11 and $22.00/hr. for a grade 10 with an average of 10 years of service, newbees start out at about $17.00/hr max is $25.50/hr. nothing to sneeze at, comparable companies in the same area usually average 30%-40% more $ with a similar benefit package. Naturally the trade off is, job stability. I dont know if UPS has ever had a layoff, its a common occurrence in todays world. I guess if thing get bad enough, after all, we are a for-profit organization, and of course, my other options are to just leave or continue to be technical and content. I also know off some people that have left, but they dont want to come back. They did ok for themselves.
Thanks for your help.

 

[upscorpis]

devilsadvocate,

Why cant I get part of the profits I help generate?

You answered your own question before you asked it.2. Distribute the profits to the owner/s. Become an owner via the DESPP. Before this plan existed, many hourlies, union or not, asked the same question. This plan is the answer. Keep in mind that the MIP management gets mostly stays put in the stock. Think about what that means from a risk perspective to a managment member that's been around a number of years. UPS management takes the risk of receiving their compensation in stock and holds it. They are truly risking their future on the company's success. That's a commonly forgotten side of the story. Anyone that wishes to take part in this equation can do so via the plan. Take part of your compensation each month, and buy stock at a discounted price.

Sure, there are plenty of other IT opportunities throughout other UPS location, but why would I want to loose my seniority and start as a new employee?

If you were to move into another IS area at UPS, you would retain your hire date.

As far as poor treatment is concerned, there is no excuse for that. Lack of respect from your supervisor should be brought to his/her attention. Give the person time to make a change. Things like that don't happen overnight. If they refuse, then escalate the problem to your manager, their manager, HR, etc. If you don't want to go through that, then you've made the choice to accept it.

Good luck.

 

[devilsadvocate]

UPSCORPIS

Why cant I get part of the profits I help generate?


I consider myself having a bit of business sense, and I always keep UPS and our customers best interest in mind, theres been many instances where I found myself being the dealmaker assisting AEs in their presentations, theres been many times I helped our customers process packages as soon as I rebuild the shipping system, I always try to up-sell the services we offer, etc. etc. etc. I consider this going above and beyond the call of duty. Your average tech will not entertain doing manual labor or equate the business consequences. Thats why I think I help generate profits, because retained, and additional business equates to additional PROFITS.

My perception is that MIP, represents profit sharing bonus and whatever else you whish to call it, it all equals to MONEY.

I do participate in DESPP. Because I am a believer in the company, the unfortunate part is that I can only stretch a dollar so far and even less on ups wages.

I believe every employee contributes to the bottom line, some more than others but everyone does.

If every employee shared in the profits, morale would improve; productivity would increase, everyone would have the companys best interest at hand, and everybody would feel equally compensated.

I feel the current system only rewards a small percentage with the most monetary value. I think if theres a carrot available it should equally be distributed to all employees, or done away with.

 

[internaltech]

I agree with devilsadvocate. I think he is saying that he would just like to get fairly compensated for the work that he does. There is no differentation in pay between the top tech's and the pond scum of our department.

 

[ups_tech_guy]

I also agree with Devilsadvocate. I find it demoralizing that a company the size of UPS pays its technicians 30 - 40 percent below market levels. Especially when the company is not even hurting! The policy book states:

We Compensate Our People Fairly. Our compensation programs keep pace with todays changing business needs and compare favorably with those programs in other companies. (UPS Policy Book p. 17)

Our compensation program is anything but fair and do not compare favorably with those programs in other companies. Why go the extra mile when company will not do the same for you?

As others have stated, management has MIP, operations employees have the union, and we get the shaft. I'd vote in a union if it came to a vote, but I also have no desire to deal management versus employee atmosphere that one creates. Like I said before, I'll likely leave when the economy improves.

 

[internaltech]

I just want to see how everyone feels about that supposedly mandatory 3% cap on tsg raises last year. I totaly think that it was bs, and only having to do with UPS knowing that the teamsters were going to renegotiate their contract very soon. Hey they have to cut costs somewhere right? And they definately are not going to cut the managers salarys and mip are they?

 

[upscorpis]

I just want to see how everyone feels about that supposedly mandatory 3% cap on tsg raises last year. I totaly think that it was bs...

The reality is it reflected the change in the IT marketplace coupled with a slow economy. Salaries were held down across all of IS, not just TSG.

And they definately are not going to cut the managers salarys and mip are they?

Management salary increases were not exactly robust either. There was grumbling everywhere. MIP was in fact down last year due to sliding profits. You really should spend some time getting the facts. It could save you some consternation. TSG is not the target you make it out to be. It's just one of many things going on at UPS.

 

[ups_tech_guy]

The company has capped this year's raises at 3.5%. The following snippet was published by the Wall Street Journal. It's nice to hear that Mike Eskew leads by example... You won't be seeing this article anytime soon on ups.com.

****************

UPS Increased the Salaries
Of Top 5 Executives in 2002

Parcel-Delivery Company Calls for Probe
Into DHL Acquisition of Airborne Business
By RICK BROOKS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


ATLANTA -- United Parcel Service Inc., which saw its profit surge last year despite a slip in delivery volume as the economy struggled, increased the salaries of its top five executives in 2002, with Michael Eskew, its chairman and chief executive, getting a 27% salary boost.

Separately, UPS called for a federal investigation of the proposed acquisition of Airborne Inc.'s ground-delivery operations by DHL Worldwide Express Inc., saying the U.S. Department of Transportation "should require a full disclosure of the source of the funds being used to finance" the deal.

Mr. Eskew, 53 years old, received a salary of $792,000, according to proxy materials filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, up from his 2001 salary of $625,500. The average salary increase received by the four other UPS executives whose compensation was disclosed in the proxy was 5.5%.

Four of the five executives received a slightly smaller bonus last year, reflecting the price of UPS's shares "on the dates the awards were granted," according to the proxy. UPS's shares climbed 16% in 2002. Mr. Eskew's bonus rose 5.6% to $330,753 from $313,140 in 2001.

The compensation committee of the UPS board said Mr. Eskew's salary increase reflected his "strategic vision and leadership" and his "ability to position UPS as the premier enabler of global commerce," as well as the company's operational results.

The five top UPS executives were awarded options to acquire a total of 190,154 shares with an exercise price of $60.22 each and potential realized value of $7.2 million if UPS's stock price climbs at an annual rate of 5%. UPS's shares traded at $58.35 in 4 p.m. composite trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday.

UPS saw its net income jump 35% to $3.18 billion, or $2.81 a share, last year, from $2.4 billion, or $2.12 a share, in 2001. The 2002 results got a big boost from the settlement of a tax dispute that essentially reversed a charge taken by UPS three years ago after the Internal Revenue Service claimed the company had restructured a unit to avoid paying taxes.

Excluding what it called "nonrecurring transactions," profit at UPS slipped 2% last year to $2.35 billion, or $2.14 a share. Revenue rose 3.1% to $31.27 billion from $30.32 billion, but delivery volume fell 1.6% to an average of 13.3 million packages a day in 2002 from 13.6 million in 2001.

Opposition by UPS to the proposed takeover of Airborne's ground-delivery operations, valued at slightly more than $1 billion, was expected. UPS and FedEx Corp. already contend in an ongoing DOT proceeding that DHL's complicated ownership structure violates federal laws, and the agency's Office of Inspector General has recommended a probe of arrangements between various DHL entities and Deutsche Post AG, the parent of Brussels-based DHL Worldwide Express.

UPS said DOT officials should determine by scrutinizing the Airborne-DHL deal whether "government sanctioned monopoly revenues are financing the transaction," adding that it "would be contrary to the public interest to allow such unfair competition," according to a filing submitted to the agency Wednesday. Deutsche Post has a monopoly on letter deliveries in Germany and is owned mostly by the German government.

A DOT official said the agency is reviewing comments filed on the matter but declined to comment further.

Airborne and DHL officials have repeatedly said their deal is structured to satisfy federal laws that prohibit foreign control or ownership of more than 25% of any U.S. carrier. As reported, terms of the transaction call for DHL to get the pickup-and-delivery facilities, customer-service functions and sales force of Airborne. Planes used by Airborne to transport overnight shipments would be spun off into an independent, publicly traded company that has "arms-length commercial agreements" with DHL, according to both companies.

An Airborne spokesman said the comments by UPS "are a predictable attempt to distract attention from the real issue, which is that the DHL/Airborne transaction will create additional choice for customers and increased opportunities for American workers." UPS and FedEx have a "stranglehold" on the U.S. market, so "it is no surprise that they will attempt to prevent real competition in any way they can," he added.