"If you ain't makin' waves,

you ain't kickin hard enough."

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Affirmations

   There are time when this job is just overwhelming. The pressure to perform, the time comittments, the customer's expectiations, the traffic....it's all just too much. Sometimes, I think I'm going to explode.
        Do you get that way? That's when you need a postive affirmation. Something you can stop and say to yourself that pulls you back to reality. Something that reminds you of who you are and why your doing this. 

•  I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault. 
•    I no longer need to punish, deceive, or compromise myself, unless I want to stay employed. 
•    I honor my personality flaws for without them I would have no personality at all. 
•    I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all the self-righteous bastards around me. 
•    I need not suffer in silence while I can still moan, whimper and complain. 
•    As I learn to trust the universe, I no longer need to carry a gun. 
•  All of me is beautiful, even the ugly, stupid, and disgusting parts. 
•    I honor and express all facets of my being, regardless of state and local laws. 
• A good scapegoat is almost as good as a solution. 
•    I am willing to make the mistakes if someone else is willing to learn from them.

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Safety@Work
A short film

      "I couldn't believe it," said Peisker, 50, who repeatedly had to show up to work with her birth certificate, marriage license and U.S. passport until the confusion was cleared up.

      Not uncommon, such problems with the federal E-verify software system - intended to pluck illegal immigrants out of the work force - have led to proposals for a more wide-reaching solution that could be as culturally transformative as it is controversial. Until recently, it also might have seemed as futuristic as a Steven Spielberg movie thriller.

The E-verify software system checks an employee's identification by matching the documents provided by that worker against Social Security Administration records. In cases where there is a "mismatch," the worker has eight days to prove his or her identity or risk being fired.

But in 4 percent of cases, the system wrongly flags legal workers for potential fraud. And in a January evaluation for the Department of Homeland Security, it failed to flag illegal workers using fake IDs more than half the time.

In Chicago, anger over the system fueled a protest this month in front of UPS' distribution center on the Near West Side. There, workers fired for refusing to submit their IDs to be electronically confirmed were among a small crowd staging a 24-hour "hunger strike."

Company officials wouldn't say how many employees were fired for not cooperating, although union representatives at UPS said the total is at least 90.

Some protestors accused the company of using E-verify only to get rid of workers it can no longer afford in a bad economy.

UPS spokesman Norman Black said the Atlanta-based company of 340,000 employees is required as a federal contractor to use E-verify.

"I had to do (submit to verification) it. Everybody in headquarters had to do it. Everybody in the country had to do it," Black said.
The Columbus Dispatch



             UPS Thinks Out of the Box on Driver Training

LANDOVER, Md.—Vexed that some 30% of driver candidates flunk its traditional training, United Parcel Service Inc. is moving beyond the classroom to ready its rookies for the road.

In the place of books and lectures are videogames, a contraption that simulates walking on ice and an obstacle course around an artificial village.

Based on results so far, the world's largest package-delivery company is convinced that 20-somethings—the bulk of UPS driver recruits—respond best to high-tech instruction and a chance to hone skills.

Driver training is crucial for Atlanta-based UPS, which employs 99,000 U.S. drivers and says it will need to hire 25,000 over the next five years to replace retiring Baby Boomers.

Candidates vying for a driver's job, which pays an average of $74,000 annually, now spend one week at Integrad, an 11,500-square-foot, low-slung brick UPS training center 10 miles outside of Washington, D.C. There they move from one station to another practicing the company's "340 Methods," prescribed by UPS industrial engineers to save seconds and improve safety in every task from lifting and loading boxes to selecting a package from a shelf in the truck.

They play a videogame that places them in the driver's seat and has them identify obstacles. They progress from computer simulations to "Clarksville," a village of miniature houses and faux businesses on the property where they drive a real truck and must successfully execute five deliveries in 19 minutes.

So far, the new methods, designed by UPS and researchers from Virginia Tech, are proving successful, UPS says. Of the 1,629 trainees who have completed Integrad since it began as an experiment in 2007, only 10% have failed the training program, which takes a total of six weeks overall and includes 30 days driving a truck in the real world. UPS is known for promoting within, and many driver candidates began as UPS package handlers or other employees.

By getting out of the traditional classroom and using technology and hands-on learning, "we've enhanced the probability of success of these new drivers," says Allen Hill, UPS's senior vice president of human resources. A second Integrad will open in the Chicago area in the summer, and the training methods will eventually go company-wide, he says.

"Are you ready for this? Shake the nerves out! Take a deep breath," cheers Chris Breslin, a graying Integrad instructor, rallying his fresh-faced recruits on a recent day.

As Nick Byrnes, a 23-year-old with a buzz cut and black Ray-Ban sunglasses, drove through Clarksville, a UPS instructor tossed a football in his path. Mr. Byrnes hit the brakes. But then, when he hopped out to deliver a package, instructor Mike Keys sneaked an orange traffic cone in front of the truck.

Mr. Byrnes hopped back in and started up. "Stop! Stop! Ugh!" yelled Mr. Keys. He picked up the cone. "This is a kid who was playing football around your vehicle and went to get his ball."

Mr. Byrnes looked shaken and slapped his forehead. The lesson stuck: At the next stop, he checked for cones.

UPS isn't the only company using new training tools. Food service company Sodexo Inc. has recruited chefs through "Second Life" virtual job fairs and Cisco Systems Inc. has taught programming techniques through videogames. FedEx Corp. says it, too, has moved toward more hands-on learning in the past five years, although it adds the change wasn't prompted by a high failure rate among trainees.

On a recent day, UPS students at Integrad moved through "kinetic learning" modules. In one corner, they practiced loading and unloading packages from a UPS truck with clear sides, timed by instructors.

UPS allows 15.5 seconds to park a truck and retrieve one package from the cargo, which is arranged in order of delivery.

Over at the "slip and fall" machine, an instructor greased a tiled runway in preparation for a regular drill: Students must carry a 10-pound box down the surface—while wearing shoes with no real tread. Luckily they wear a safety harness, as most flail around like drunken ice skaters until they are taught to stand straight and take slow baby steps. (This is the one time UPS relents on its rule that drivers walk at a "brisk pace," or 2.5 paces per second.)

In another corner, Rich Gossman, at 37 the oldest in the group, was slumped at a videogame that tests recruits' ability to find sales leads for UPS, something today's drivers are expected to do. The game puts his avatar in rooms where he has to identify competitors' packages.

Mr. Gossman, a married father, works overnight at a UPS warehouse, unloading packages for $12.50 an hour. Being a UPS driver appeals to him because of the pay and job security.

"This has been the most stressful week of my life," he said. But as he played the game Mr. Gossman got a pat on the back from UPS supervisor, Peggy Emmart. "I saw you identify that competitor package," she said.

"I saw that FedEx package and went, click, let's get 'em," said Mr. Gossman.

Trainees must pay attention to detail and appearance and work as a team. Students whose brown uniforms aren't ironed properly—hanger creases are forbidden— lose points for their teams, as does any trainee caught without his keys. UPS requires drivers to wear keys on their ring fingers to avoid wasting time searching for them.

"Raise your hands," Mr. Breslin ordered one group. Five jingling pairs of hands went up. "Good job," he said, clapping. "See how easy it is to bond with your keys?"
By JENNIFER LEVITZ  WSJ

UPS expands relationship with CBS Sports, NCAA

Atlanta—United Parcel Service of America has expanded its longstanding advertising relationship with CBS Sports and the NCAA to become the official logistics partner of the NCAA.

Under the partnership, UPS will have category-exclusive marketing and promotional rights, as well as opportunities for customer and employee hospitality events at 88 NCAA national championships covering 23 sports.

UPS has been an advertiser on NCAA men’s basketball games since 2001. The new relationship extends to sports such as men’s and women’s ice hockey, baseball, softball and lacrosse. 
Kate Maddox 


   U.P.S. Profit Rises Sharply on Strong Holiday Shipping


ATLANTA (AP) — United Parcel Service said Tuesday that its income nearly tripled in the fourth-quarter, helped by more Internet shopping and increased use of premium services like next day shipping.

U.P.S., based in Atlanta, attributed the strong performance to a good holiday shipping season and solid international business. Significant growth in online retail sales on sites like Amazon.com and BestBuy.com helped domestic results.

Also, in November, Manheim, a vehicle auction company, hired U.P.S. to oversee its entire supply chain for moving millions of used vehicles each year to the wholesale market.

U.P.S. said its capital spending this year would total about $1.8 billion, below the historical range, although up from $1.6 billion in 2009. The company is also cutting 1,800 management and administrative jobs, less than 1 percent of its global work force, as it repositions itself for a gradual economic recovery with improved technology and fewer employees. The job cuts are meant to streamline the company’s domestic small-package segment, which represents about 60 percent of its annual revenue.

“U.P.S. has emerged from a very difficult year leaner, more focused and better positioned to take advantage of improving economic trends,” the chief executive, D. Scott Davis, told analysts during a conference call.

New York Times



         Are You Smarter Than a UPS Driver?

BALTIMORE, MD -- January 21, 2010 - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Joseph Francis Brooks, 46, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pled guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court to a single count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. Judge Michael J. Algeo imposed a five year suspended sentence and 18 months probation.

In June 2002, while living in Baltimore, Brooks conspired with his cousin, Pierre Lamont Taylor to stage an armed robbery of Taylor for the purpose of making a false worker's compensation claim with Taylor's employer, United Parcel Service (UPS). On August 14, 2002, Taylor, while working for UPS in Montgomery County, was "robbed" by Brooks. Brooks and Taylor not only staged a "robbery," but Brooks also actually shot Taylor in his right leg. On August 21, 2002, Taylor filed an insurance claim with Liberty Mutual Insurance, the compensation insurer for UPS. In November 2004, Liberty Mutual Insurance paid a lump sum disability payment of $250,000 to Taylor, who in turn shared some of the money with Brooks. A former friend of Taylor's reported the fraud to Liberty Mutual. Taylor confessed to Maryland State Police that he and Brooks got the idea for the staged robbery from watching television.

When sentencing Brooks, Judge Algeo said he has spent most of his working life as an attorney, a prosecutor and a judge and "this ranks as one of the dumbest things" he has seen anyone do.

The conviction follows a joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration, the Maryland State Police and the Office of the Attorney General.
Cityblitz Philadelphia

Do We Have the Right Stuff?

       All of the good things that we enjoy today in the workplace were brought about by organized labor. Large employers and corporations did not give these things to working people out of benevolence. Men and women fought long and dangerous battles to win the fundamental things we take for granted today.
       I’m talking about things like the 8-hour day, time and a half for overtime, health insurance, paid vacations, safety rules, weekends off, holidays, workers compensation laws, pensions, minimum wage and minimum age laws to name a few. We did not fight for these things ourselves. These battles were fought fifty to a hundred years ago. Our grandfathers fought these battles.
       Do we have what it takes now to keep these rights? Corporations are getting more powerful every day. There are 6 lobbiests for every Congressman and Senator. Corporations control the discussion of what is done or not in Washington. As corporate profits grow, they invest in more politicians to solidify their control.
       Our battle is different than that of our forefathers. Our battle is to keep what we have for our children and our grandchildren. Do we have what it takes to fight and win? Consider this: There is a Teamster credit card which you can get, the application comes in the mail to all Teamster members. You may already have one. Credit card companies can track where purchases are being made with that card, like any other Mastercard.
       A few short years ago, Teamster membetrs and their families spent $22 million dollars at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is a union busting company that pays low wages and undercuts prices at union stores, driving the competition out of business and destroying union jobs. By shopping at Wal-Mart, you support their union busting agenda.
       Do we have the strength of our forefathers to fight for our children. Do we have the right stuff? I can think of 22 million reasons to say NO, we don't.



                                   
 


   

                                    UPS Denies Lobbying is Dirty

U.S. shipping giant United Parcel Service said accusations it was forcing employees to write lobbying letters to lawmakers was ridiculous.

At stake is federal legislation that would force rival shipper FedEx to treat its air express workers on the same terms as UPS.

Currently, FedEx enjoys the status of an airline, which includes union restrictions that do not apply to UPS, The Washington Post reported Friday.

UPS admitted it supplied pens, paper and stamps and time to employees to write letters. But company Malcolm Berkley said any allegations, that the letters were not voluntary are ridiculous.

 The feud, meanwhile, is not cheap. Since June, FedEx has spent about $7 million on lobbying, while UPS has spent about $3 million, the newspaper said.
UPI



                                                Now and Then

     I've been at UPS a long time and you know what...things have changed. They've changed a lot. Sometimes things just happen and when they happen, UPS reacts differently today then they did back when I started. Here are a couple of examples:

 I completed my 30 days probation, when do I reach full pay?
   1980   3 months
   2009   30 months

 I hooked a mirror on a tree branch and cracked it.
   1980   Was told to write it up tonight.
   2009   I meet the safety manager at the exact spot in half an hour, he takes pictures, I'm given a warning letter for an accident.

 I had a COD for $5000 cash only.
   1980   I will carry $5000 cash in my pocket all day and turn it in tonight.
   2009   I will carry ten $500 cashiers check in my pocket all day.

 A customer called in on me and claimed I was rude.
   1980   My manager called them back and told them to use another carrier next time. (There were no other carriers.)
   2009   I was written up, my job was threatened, the company believed the customer more than they believed me.

 My truck didn't get washed last night.
   1980   Take it through the car wash, we never put a dirty truck out on the street.
   2009   We don't wash the trucks every night, shut up and drive.

 I forgot to run a call tag.
   1980   Do it tomorrow.
   2009   I get written up.

 I asked if I could bring my family in to tour the building.
   1980   My boss said it was OK, be careful, have fun.
   2009   Don't even think about it, too risky, someone may get hurt or besides, my family could be a security threat.

 I swing home for lunch for my son's birthday party.
   1980   My boss doesn't care as long as I get my route done.  
   2009   I get fired.

 I bring back 20 stops because I was overdispathed.
   1980   The manager says to keep quiet about it and do them tomorrow.
   2009   Upper management is aware of it before the rooster crows and I'm  fired.

 I ask my manager for advice on a company related problem.
   1980   We go in the office and have a heart to heart.
   2009   He can't give me any advice until he checks with his boss who has to check with his boss also.

 I go help the driver beside me because he asked me to before we left the building. 
   1980   We operate as a team. 
   2009   I'm disciplined for helping without it being managements' idea.


 I joined the 401 (k).
   1980   UPS has a Thrift Plan for all employees and matches my contribution and puts in a percentage of the profits at the end of the year.
   2009   UPS does not match hourly employee contributions to the 401(k).

        Yes things have changed over the years at UPS. I'm sure you have a few examples too.  




 


  
   FedEx Begins Campaign Against Labor Bill

FedEx Corp. is starting what it describes as a multimillion-dollar campaign to derail proposed federal legislation that would make it easier for the company's workers to unionize.

FedEx contends approval of the legislation would increase customer costs by as much as 30%.

The effort targets chief rival United Parcel Service Inc. in particular, reiterating FedEx's recent criticism of the bill as a federal bailout for UPS.

Among other things, FedEx refers to the bill as "a Brown bailout" in its new campaign, a play on UPS's high-profile "Brown" marketing slogan.

UPS has applauded the bill, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives last month.

FedEx spokesman Maury Lane characterized his company's effort as a full-court press to defeat the legislation, saying the effort will include a Web site -- BrownBailout.com, scheduled to go live Tuesday, as well as television and radio spots.

UPS spokesman Norman Black said the FedEx argument is based upon faulty logic.

"It would appear that FedEx is preparing to spend millions of dollars trying to convince Congress that a FedEx driver delivering a package is different somehow than a UPS driver delivering a package," Mr. Black said in a prepared statement.  

If the bill becomes law, it would remove FedEx Express drivers from the jurisdiction of the Railway Labor Act and put them under jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act. The change would allow FedEx drivers to organize on a location-by-location basis, rather than be required to hold a national election.

UPS already is governed by the National Labor Relations Act and is heavily unionized.

Wall Street Journal

     "Looks like we need to come out," my manager used to threaten, "Looks like you need an OJS ride." The 3-day OJS ride has always been the number one intimidation tool used by management to harass a driver into going faster. "We're gonna come out there and nail down some numbers and you aren't gonna like it." But we always knew they didn't have the manpower to do a 3-day ride anymore and the threat became hollow. But now it's back and they don't need to come out. They can do it right from their office chair. It's the Paper OJS Ride.
        The Paper OJS Ride is like the Sparks report. It lists every stop you do in order, and shows the time you spent at the stop and the time in between stops. But the Paper OJS takes it a step further. It assigns the time allowance to each function and keeps a running total of your over and under minute by minute.
        If you take 20 minutes to pre-trip and leave the building and the allowance is only 17, then you are 3 minutes overallowed as you pull out. If you take 5 minutes longer than allowed to get to your first stop and scan a package, then you are 8 minutes over coming out of your first stop. And it goes on like this all day long.
        Of course, the paper OJS only sees functions you record in the DIAD. So things you may be doing that there is no time allowance for should be halted. Shuttling, sorry, not in my allowance. Cleaning a letter box, no time for that. Sorting, nope. Meet point to exchange misloads, not allowed. Going to the bathroom, sorry can't be documented. Drinking water, can't you do that on your own time? Sales lead, sorry. The paper OJS only sees things that are recorded in the DIAD. If it isn't recorded in the board, don't do it.
        The people who should really be scared by the Paper OJS are the supes and managers. More and more, their jobs are being done by computers. I'm not worried because the computer can't drive the truck or deliver a package, but it can do an OJS ride. The question that needs to be asked is; "Why do we even pay supervisors and managers anymore?" With fuel so high and the stock so low, isn't it time to thin the ranks again?   


      

               Independent Contractor  vs.  Employee

Labeling its drivers as independent contractors has proven to be an effective strategy for FedEx Ground.  Lowering its labor costs by avoiding payroll taxes and benefits gives the company an unfair and unethical advantage over competitors such as UPS and DHL, who classify their drivers as employees, many of which have union representation.

An Orlando Sentinel article compared the benefits of a FedEx Ground driver (a so-called independent contractor) and a union-represented UPS driver (an employee). Although the jobs are nearly identical, the comparison reveals how a little label makes a huge difference:

Welcome 

     My name is George Kieffer and I'm a UPS survivor. I drove a package car for the crazy brown giant for over 30 years before hanging up my browns last September. I've watched my 401(k)  roar downhill like an avalanche and I'm paying for my health insurance for the first time in my life, but I'm happy to be out. 

      In all my years of driving, I’ve never seen a workplace quite like UPS. It’s hard to remain neutral when you talk about UPS, most people either love it or hate it. It’s truly the good, the bad and ugly.

    You can’t talk about UPS without talking about the Teamster Union. The Union brings much needed work and safety rules, job description, and the grievance procedure to the workplace as well as good wages and benefits. 

    And you can’t talk about the workplace today without talking about politics. It affects every aspect of our jobs. Laws passed in Washington today will determine our pay and benefits tomorrow. Your health insurance, your pension, your Social Security and even your rights on the job are being discussed and dissected right now by your elected officials. 

    Some people say politics is just a game. But it's the most important game in town. For our own future and our children’s futures, we’ve got to play the game and we’ve got to play to win. 
    
  This website will be similar to the old Denverbrown but with one important difference. The Blog. The Blog page will be the page I update most frequently and I encourage you to use it also. Speak your mind, it feels good. What's it like where you are? The Blog page will be where we can all tell our stories; the good, tha bad and the ugly. 

Thinking About Quitting Your Job??

These 4 minutes may just change your mind

I'm Stressed Out!!!

Burnout is created by an environment with too many pressures and not enough support. 
        People who burn out develop negative self-concepts and job attitudes, while becoming detached, apathetic, angry or hostile. Jobs that promote burnout include ones in which workers do repetitive or routine tasks, never get much positive feedback or have a lot of responsibility but very little control.
        Employees who are suffering from burnout feel they are answerable for everything that happens. They feel they receive very little understanding from management, and they personally feel powerless to change things. These feelings tend to make them assume a martyr-like position, become resigned and apathetic, and focus on the worst aspects of the job.
        Does this sound all too familiar?
        Many people learn to deal with job-related stress. Those who burn out don't. Often, the types of people who burn out are those who show the most promise at the beginning of their careers. They are perfectionists, idealists and workaholics. They start out enthusiastic about their work, dedicated and committed to doing their jobs. They typically have high energy levels, positive attitudes and are high achievers.
        Over time, stress and the inability to cope with it lead to pessimism and job dissatisfaction. Workers in the early stages of burnout feel fatigued, frustrated, disillusioned and bored. As burnout progresses, work habits begin to deteriorate. Productivity drops. They become increasingly angry, hostile and depressed.
        Burnout doesn't happen overnight, and it can be reversed with the right steps. UPS, if they really cared about their workers, could help by:

•          Involving employees in decision-making and allowing them to use their skills and abilities. Employees need to feel needed and important. 
•         Giving positive feedback and recognizing achievement. Praise and encouragement are vital to job satisfaction. 
•         Developing a supportive management style. The most stressful management styles are: intimidating; overly ambitious; cold and arrogant; or demanding and unfair.

          Does this sound like UPS?