Working off the clock

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I'm one of those drivers that "SCREWS YOU". I've only been driving for a year and I come in exactly at my start time (8:30AM). I get EDD, check my airs, then I'm out the door. I have guys next to my truck that laugh and give me **** and call me "junior" for doing it, oh well, I don't hand UPS my time for free.

Like I said....there is nothing wrong with arriving right at start time but it would be nice if everyone was there so we could start early. I used to arrive right at start time for reload until I got behind a wreck one day and was 30 minutes late. I don't see how you guys can stand walking in and having to go right to work. I have to come in a few minutes early and shoot the sh&$ and ge mentally prepared for the day. Even when I don't drive and work reload I try and arrive a few minute early.

I've been reading posts similiar to this one on here and other boards for years where people are complaining about working for free but the funny thing is that most of the people complaining probably work for free themselves. The reason I believe this is because I seriously doubt all of them take the full hour lunch. This is an issue rarely even mentioned in our building but the few guys that mention it are just laughed at because everyone knows they don't take their full hour so whenever they try and complain about someone working off the clock everyone else reminds them of the fact that even though they aren't skipping their lunch they are still working for free by not taking the full hour. I for one can't take the full hour because I get too relaxed. I jut eat and chill for a little while and then go back to work. Therefore I don't complain about others working off the clock. For that reason and the fact that it's not my place to tel others what to do.

 

[Deuce]

ok here is my situation and i dont like it...

i have been an inside part time employee for 5 years, i am driving now as a casual for this xmas and i have finished training already.

my on-car told me that he expects me at work early every day to sort through my air.. look at what packages are where... etc...

i dont want to work off the clock because i know its against the contract and the company will screw me over any chance they get.

but my problem is.... if i dont go through my air and check everything over before i start i will more than likely have service failures and he has already told me that if i cant get it done, then he can find someone who will... and it sucks becuase i know it's not the way things are supposed to be either....

if i file a grievance, would i just be screwing myself?

 

[trickpony1]

Tell your supe to change your start time to an earlier time and you will gladly work as instructed OR request a conference with your supe, a union steward and/or business agent to discuss the supe's instructions.
Whatever you choose to do, be sure to protect yourself and don't jeopardize your job.

 

[jlphotog]

Any driver that works without being paid for it is an idiot.Or they are doing it for personal reasons that may very well be considered important.

I guess I'm an idiot then.

I spend 10 minutes before PCM going through every package on my truck. Although my pre-loader is great, I still like to go through everything.

Plus four out of five days a week (sometimes five out of five) I am asked to take a split. I would prefer to get those packages myself. I know the area and know what I can handle on that day and like to keep it as tight as possible.

All of this just helps me with my day and working before my start time helps me get all my air delivered on time and helps me get everything off my truck before our stupid ass international air meet.

I take great pride in doing my job well.

I show up at the center about 45 minutes before our start time. I spend 15 minutes working and the other 30 socializing with the other drivers. If they would pay me for that time I would gladly accept it. But I wont hold my breath for that.

 

[over9five]

JL, you are stealing work from somebody who could be getting paid to do it! You are stealing money right out of your loaders pocket when you move the work that he should be moving.

Having a proper dispatch and start time (to be able to make service on your airs) is your supervisors responsibility, not yours. Your responsibility is to start at your start time, and let your sup know if you can't make your airs.

Take some pride in yourself, and do the job on the clock!

 

[jlphotog]

JL, you are stealing work from somebody who could be getting paid to do it! You are stealing money right out of your loaders pocket when you move the work that he should be moving.

Technically, no I am not.

Our air has been coming later and later every week. (It sucks not having any flights into this city) So the pre-loaders have to stay on the belt. If my pre-loader was to go get my split for me she would end up missing packages for all four PC she is responsible for. Thus there would be more at the end of the belt and the reverse would take longer and in turn our air would be later. Plus everyday there is an announcement by the pre-load sup telling them to hand the load over to the drivers and for the pre-loaders to get off the clock.

I understand what you are saying o9f, but that is just the way it works in our center. Wonder what the union thinks of it.

 

[loserupser]

"The teamsters hate it when a driver gets on his vehicle to make sure his load is properly set up and ready to go after the PCM."

Talk like that makes me sick. The Teamsters LOVE when you make sure your load is proper. THEY JUST WANT YOU TO GET COMPENSATED FOR DOING IT, YOU FOOL!
Even your manager DOES NOT want you working off the clock. If they wanted you to massage your load, THEY WOULD PAY YOU TO DO IT!

Most of us professional drivers can do the job just fine without working off the clock. If you can't, you're in the wrong line of work.

I think OVER9FIVE and I think alike!!!
I still dont understand how driver consistently come TWO OR ONE hours EARLY, and work for free!!!!!!!! at time and a half that money adds up, all to look good to mgmt. friend* that i get there at my schedule start time and deal with the garbage they deal me and make it happen!!!
We are proffesional drivers, and we do NOT work for free!!!!!
Just Imagine that while working for free you twist and break your ankle, and of course your mgmt team center manager is not going to classify it as a on job injury,and ineligible for comp. So it would be an off work injury, and there is a HUGE difference in pay.
2/3 of your weekly pay VS couple hundred dollars

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I agree with you guys but I don't feel that I have the right to say any more than that for two reasons:

a) it's not my place to raise hell about what others choose to do

b) it would make me a hypocrite because I don't take my full hour lunch, therefore, I'm working for free every day

So basically....if you don't take your full lunch hour then you have no room to talk. Even if you do take the full hour you still don't have the right to give someone a hard time about it. That's what grievances are for.

 

[rod]

I'm getting this mental picture of every management person reading all this rolling on the ground laughing and high fiveing each other. They are thinking "WE have won"- look at these idiots , they want to work off the clock so let's let them. Next they will dream up a way to send you a warning letter or fire you because you aren't working hard enough- "off the clock".

 

[over9five]

We definately need IE to come in and decide how many PPH these [-]clowns[/-] drivers should have to load before their start time!

 

[browniehound]

Jl, I have to agree with over9five. No offense, but are you freaking nuts working 15 min a day for free? At $41 an hour, and giving 1.25 hours per week = $51 per weekX 52 weeks= roughly $2500 per year you're screwing yourself out of! My question is why would anyone do this to themselves?

 

[jlphotog]

Jl, I have to agree with over9five. No offense, but are you freaking nuts working 15 min a day for free? At $41 an hour, and giving 1.25 hours per week = $51 per weekX 52 weeks= roughly $2500 per year you're screwing yourself out of! My question is why would anyone do this to themselves?

I'm freaking nuts? See my signature line

Apparently I work in the wrong geographical area. I am not making anywhere near $41 an hour. I'm only two weeks into seniority. Even at time and a half I am making just a little over half of that.

Let me explain where I am coming from on this.

UPS is the first company I have worked for that is union. For the past 15 years or so I have been self employed as a photographer. (get my nic now?) During that time, if I didn't show up early to each assignment I would be SOL when the start time arrived. Old habits die hard I guess. Maybe after I have been a good 'ol boy for a while I will be able to change my habits but until then, this is who I am.

I would like to point out that I am nowhere near the only one in our center doing this.



Since this was brought up in another post in this thread let me ask you guys. How do you take your full hour for lunch? For my first 90 shifts I was code 05 so I really didn't care. But since being switched over to code 06 I have tried to take an hour, but have not succeeded at it yet. I start to get antsy at about 20 minutes and bail after about 30 or 40. Even reading a newspaper doesn't work for me.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I'm freaking nuts? See my signature line

Apparently I work in the wrong geographical area. I am not making anywhere near $41 an hour. I'm only two weeks into seniority. Even at time and a half I am making just a little over half of that.

Let me explain where I am coming from on this.

UPS is the first company I have worked for that is union. For the past 15 years or so I have been self employed as a photographer. (get my nic now?) During that time, if I didn't show up early to each assignment I would be SOL when the start time arrived. Old habits die hard I guess. Maybe after I have been a good 'ol boy for a while I will be able to change my habits but until then, this is who I am.

I would like to point out that I am nowhere near the only one in our center doing this.



Since this was brought up in another post in this thread let me ask you guys. How do you take your full hour for lunch? For my first 90 shifts I was code 05 so I really didn't care. But since being switched over to code 06 I have tried to take an hour, but have not succeeded at it yet. I start to get antsy at about 20 minutes and bail after about 30 or 40. Even reading a newspaper doesn't work for me.

I feel ya man. I can't take the full hour either. I've tried it many times and it was always the same. First get antsy after 20-30 minutes and then so relaxed that when I did go back to work I was pretty much worthless. It was actually easier to get started in the morning than it was after taking an hour for lunch. Try breaking up you lunch into 20 min breaks. My favorite is eating and chilling for a few minutes and then going out to the PC and sorting and taking my time while doing so. If there is any time left in the hour I MIGHT chill out. The interesting days are when I'm on the route where I can go home for lunch.

 

[outta hours]

Manager to driver " I'm sorry but your stops per on road hour off the clock were down yesterday and you ran over. Your pieces per hour loading off the clock were also down. What happened?"

 

[satellitedriver]

Jl, I have to agree with over9five. No offense, but are you freaking nuts working 15 min a day for free? At $41 an hour, and giving 1.25 hours per week = $51 per weekX 52 weeks= roughly $2500 per year you're screwing yourself out of! My question is why would anyone do this to themselves?

I would do it to get home earlier, but I load my own truck and have the benefit of knowing exactly what is in package car and where it is loaded. 10 minutes in the morning equals 25 minutes getting finished in the PM. The decision would be the trade off between making an extra $ or spending time with your family. You can make money but you cannot make time.

 

[my team]

Why doesn't UPS hire more preloaders, much less $$ than paying a driver OT and would boost moral of all involved. Please ask your supervisor why this hasn't happened over the past 5-10 years. Preloaders should load 1-2 cars not 3-4 cars and have all the air sorted and 1/4 the ground. The only reason I see is that UPS doesn't give a crap about the preloaders because they are PT and they also have there lead drivers doing there job.

Good luck to all those who think beyond the brown world.

Ask your supervisor or manager why they haven't hired more preloaders?

This is only for the drivers who don't work for free, follow the rules, aren't brownies and don't get paid ot for preload work.

It's an easy fix but then again brown is original.

Ciao

Getting out!!!!

 

[guzzi71]

Whooa Baby!!! I could make a weeks pay, every week on Griv's. Just on these guys.Dude does UPS do anything for free???? So Why should you,and sorting during lunch is still work.They will never know there is a problem if you do 40 mins of work for free and run 2 under.Run the route take your lunch and whats left over is there problem.Nothing wrong with a few missed it serves as sort of a window for them.If they can't see the problem then there is none.But do your job as if they were on the truck and let them see the problem over and over the work WILL come off.

 

[over9five]

I, too, will exit this thread after one more point:

7 or 8 drivers starting early or running their lunch equals one additional route.

Thats one preloader or inside person who wants to drive Full Time but CANT.... because certain losers work off the clock.

It's not all about YOU. Your decision to work for free affects a lot of people. Think about those other people.

 

[yeldarb]

Why would anyone get to work 45 minutes early without being able to punch in? I take pride in my job. I run my misloads, I meet my customers needs. All while doing my work ONLY when I am on the clock.

 

[upsman415]

You never touch a package off the clock. If you get hurt UPS will not pay you because youre off the clock. And your union might fine your for doing it.