Grats!
Follow the methods, speed comes in time and even then it's mostly if you feel like busting your ass. They likely wanted you to write the SPA or pick-n-stick the label when you were seasonal, but as volume dies down a bit it's much easier to load stuff in order without any of that bull
. I still pick-n-stick the SPA when I have time, but if I don't I just keep it all in my head.
A trick I do, which may not work for everyone, is leaving out all the letters and bags until most of the boxes have stopped coming down the slide. Means I can focus on fitting all the cardboard in as they come and then fit the smalls in between them nicely at the end instead of moving them all about throughout. I only do this if I can find some spare totes, though, and that's often difficult.
You are "permanent" after working through your probationary period. The length of it varies depending on where you are. It is in the regional/local supplement portion of the union contract. It could be 30, 40, or 70 working days (or something else I haven't heard of). That's 6, 8, or 14 calendar weeks (if you work all 5 days of every week).
Congratulations on zero misloads! Great job!
Yeah, I was hired as a preloader (permanent part-time) on 10/21/14, then laid off on 12/24/14 because I didn't have "30 working days". Now, I did, but they said December didn't count. It was pretty shady. But it was my first job and I didn't know better so I turned in my ID and went home. Was told to reapply, so I did, and I rejoined UPS on 6/9/15. I've been trying to educate myself about the union and my rights since then.
As I'm sure people have told you before, I'll reiterate: they'll try to take advantage of you. Once you make seniority, or book, or whatever you call it--when you're no longer on probation--it's very hard to lose your job.
