Were we duped or is there hope?

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
sortaisle said:
DO NOT CALL IN THE AM! Tell him to just show up. Trust me...people will take the day off and go home. He may have to do a route cold, but hey...it's the money you need right?
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This is what I did as a casual-----it was amazing how many of the senior guys would look for me so they could take the day off.
 
UPSwife0174

UPSwife0174

Well-Known Member
PiedmontSteward said:
I think there's some confusion here on PT/FT.

Are you sure your husband was actually brought on as a FT Package Delivery Driver or as a PT Cover Driver/Regular Temporary Driver? The rules for RTDs (I've only heard the term "swing driver" used by FedEx guys but it might be used in your area)

Seeing as how your husband only received 4 hours for holiday pay (FT'ers receive 8 hours for holiday and 45 hours for vacation vs a PT'ers 4 & 20), that makes me think he's not a FT Driver and he's a PT Cover Driver.
Your husband (at the very least) needs to be working his guarantee (whether driving or in the building) every day he works.
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Yup, the air driver job was classified as full time because the job itself was a full time listing, even though the air driver side was part time. That's why the 3 year pay freeze was enacted. To us it felt like a penalty for going from part to full time, but the extra hours meant extra pay, so we dealt with it. Plus it put him one step closer to a FT driver position. The position he has now IS full time as well. Another driver told him today to make sure he gets his 8 hour guarantee. Problem is, he's a nice guy, and he thinks if the pushes for the 8 hour guarantee, the 2 people hired after him with less seniority will get laid off. He is learning the ropes still, and I guess his name is on a route for next week, and if no one with more seniority puts their name it, it's his for the week. He wasn't doing that before....Honestly, no one there tells him anything. It's very much learn by trial & error.
 
UPSwife0174

UPSwife0174

Well-Known Member
IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U said:
I missed alot of things, while my kids grew up.
Many days I barely got to say goodnight to them.
On the other hand, I made enough money,so that my wife could stay home.
And raise them to besmart and well behaved.

Everything has a trade off
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Really I would not in a million years trade off our past situation; unlike many kids out there, our girls got to spend a LOT of time with their dad while he was working the crazy night part time hours. They are 7 and 11 and just now having to deal with daycare/babysitters/afterschool care.
 
UPSwife0174

UPSwife0174

Well-Known Member
toonertoo said:
The first yr, sucks. On call and all is the price you pay to have. Tighten the purse strings, Enjoy the time together, soon it will be a distant memory. It happens to everyone.
Oh, and I am a great cook. I make more than my husband, and who cares. . Neither of us care, its a marriage, its a joint venture, it all goes into one pile, we enjoy life, and each other, and thank God for each and every day, whether we are broke or living large.
Things can change in a blink of an eye, this job is only an adventure on the journey.
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We can make do for now, it's just the addition of really expensive child care (for the first time) and him bringing home LESS 3-4 weeks now is killing us. We essentially took a huge step backward. Never said I cared who made more, not sure where you got that from. It has been stressful is all being the breadwinner and feeling STUCK at my job; the seniority I have reached makes it ridiculous for me to go elsewhere right now even though I hate my job. The prospect of him earning as much or more than me has made me realize I can go back to school for a different degree, and then afford to take a $10-15K year pay cut and be happier. Until he reaches that point though, I can't possibly take that kind of pay cut.
 
toonertoo

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
UPSwife0174 said:
We can make do for now, it's just the addition of really expensive child care (for the first time) and him bringing home LESS 3-4 weeks now is killing us. We essentially took a huge step backward. Never said I cared who made more, not sure where you got that from. It has been stressful is all being the breadwinner and feeling STUCK at my job; the seniority I have reached makes it ridiculous for me to go elsewhere right now even though I hate my job. The prospect of him earning as much or more than me has made me realize I can go back to school for a different degree, and then afford to take a $10-15K year pay cut and be happier. Until he reaches that point though, I can't possibly take that kind of pay cut.
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Post 18, 19, but maybe you were just trying to get a point across as was I. No offense meant. Those weeks where he got 56+, etc, will soon become rote. The one thing many of us always notice is many of us in the ups ranks always want what we dont have. I could be speaking for myself. When I was pt I wanted ft, now Im ft, and I would love pt.
Sounds like you have a wonderful thing going, and a great family. Just hold on tight, it will hit like a hurricane. And dont feel bad about knowing nothing about your rights regarding the contract. Many people do not, that why people come here, more info to weigh than just from a local ba, or the guys he sees at work. Lots of stewards and people who have knowledge of the contract and have actually seen it work, and make it work. What you are seeing happens everywhere, but trust me it will be over soon.
 
K

keeb86

Well-Known Member
UPSwife0174 said:
I'm starting to really question the way UPS operates. My husband has been at UPS since 2000. He worked part time while finishing college. The plan was for him to then try to get on full time at UPS since his major is more of a hobby than a living (that's a whole other thread). Fast forward many many years (he graduated, we bought a house, had two kids, etc) and FINALLY he got a crappy full time position (but hey, it was full time!); air driver for 25 hours/week, then sorting from 10-2am Mon-Thur. It wasn't ideal, but it was full time, and being opposite my shift, we saved a lot on childcare. He worked that job for 2.5 years and this April put his name on a list to become a swing driver. We were a little leery of the fact he could be sent home any given day, but talking to some other swing (cover) drivers, they said they had only missed a handful of days. Sooo....it's now July. He made it past the 30 day period, taking two months since they kept sending him home, and now that he is legit, his hours have been crappy. The week of 4th of July he worked 18 hours, then got paid 4 hours only for the holiday. Last week he worked maybe 25 hours. Yesterday he was sent home, and today he worked 5.5 hours.

It seems like part of the problem is they hired 4 drivers, same position, at the same time, and now there is not enough work to keep them all busy. But on the financial front, this is killing us. We have to pay for childcare now that we're on the same shift, and that doesn't change if he gets sent home; we have to pay regardless.

He is a hard worker, no issues with anything ever at UPS, but at this point he doesn't even know who to talk to about this (supervisors being how they are...and the union steward not exactly available at convenient hours). Was it just a stupid naive mistake to think a cover/swing driver position would pay off??? I mean he's been at UPS for 14 years now and STILL PAYING HIS DUES. Going to full time from part time meant a mandatory 3 year pay freeze, which is finally over November 1, but an hourly pay increase doesn't mean dick if there are no hours to work. :/

Anyone have any idea how long this usually goes on, or if this is normal? Obviously peak season will be better, but in the meantime, he's essentially taken a pay cut (thanks, brown)
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Most new "cut/swing" drivers will get the shaft right away and not get much work because they don't know any areas but the training route they were on for 5 weeks, the original driver gets his route back so it leaves the new guy with no knowledge of other areas to deliver. The supervisors don't want to send a new guy out on a 11-13 hour planned day with 220 to 300 stops in 1-4 cities where they will be freaking out and only getting maybe 80 stops done by 5 o'clock pm only for the sups to have to call 5 drivers to come help the poor guy.

It's sink or swim time for your husband, hell get the chance to do cut cars and once he figures those out and knows residential cuts to 3-4 different cities the supervisors won't hesitate to throw him in cut cars everyday with at least 12 hours of work every day.

And then there are the routes you can do blind when the drivers want days off or go on vacation, because the sups don't always have time to train you on routes you have to go figure them out on your own... That's how I found work when I was a new driver after my 30 days.




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UPSwife0174

UPSwife0174

Well-Known Member
toonertoo said:
Post 18, 19, but maybe you were just trying to get a point across as was I. No offense meant....
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Gotcha. I'm just in a bit of a panicky place because we went from paying my mother in law a few bucks a week for the small 6 hours our schedules used to overlap to paying $200/week for childcare, and when his check has been LESS than expected for 3 weeks, well, it's killing us. I knew summer would be hard, but I also thought his checks would be at least what they were before.
 
UPSwife0174

UPSwife0174

Well-Known Member
keeb86 said:
Most new "cut/swing" drivers will get the shaft right away and not get much work because they don't know any areas but the training route they were on for 5 weeks,
Sent using BrownCafe App
Click to expand...

Yes, he's learning this slowly but surely. He bid on a route for next week that not many people know, and so far he's the only name on it. He HATES being unsure of what he's doing, but just took the leap and figured it's sink or swim time. Aside from one horrible day during his first week, he's done just fine wherever they've thrown him. I can can be patient if I know this is just temporary; right now he's feeling like he made a huge mistake. Honestly I've never seen a company put you through the wringer like UPS does. Drivers make great money, but good grief you have to jump through so many hoops to get there.
 

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