One time I overheard a manager talking about why UPS drivers get injured at such a high rate, higher than the national average for this type of work. He was saying that one problem was our misuse of our two-wheelers. He said we didn’t secure them in the back of the car properly and then we tried to work around them, sometimes over them and eventually we collided with them and got hurt. He said they roll around the back of the car when we drive and they can be in a different, sometimes surprising, location when we open the doors.
       He blamed us for not securing them with bungee cords right behind the driver’s seat inside the package compartment. He went on to describe in great detail how we struggle getting the wheelers in and out of the car, how we don’t load them properly, and how we don’t keep the tires inflated. 
        He then blamed us for working too fast. He then explained why that is our fault too. He said drivers allow themselves to get behind by not using the methods or talking too much or succumbing to other distractions. Drivers put themselves in the position of having to hurry to catch up. Then they work unsafely and get hurt. If you fall behind and have too much work to do and not enough time to do it, it’s your own fault. And running to catch up is the source of injuries.
        When he launched into his belief that most drivers may not be in as good of shape as they think they are (and may be over-confident of their abilities), I stifled a scream. He said that most drivers quit exercising when they become UPS drivers because they think they get enough exercise on the job. He whined that some drivers don’t eat right and don’t hydrate themselves properly, 
         I think the company needs to take responsibility for its own part in the injury picture.  They still deny that every day they send every driver out with too much work on the car. Overloaded, overworked, overstressed drivers get hurt. That’s where the injuries come from, It’s that simple.

RANDOLPH, N.J. — A UPS driver’s unscheduled delivery in New Jersey has made one retailer very grateful.

 John Piontkowski spotted a bank bag in the middle of the road while he was making deliveries in Randolph. Inside, he found $5,200 and a Bank of America deposit slip showing the money came from Stuyvesant Liquors in Jersey City.

 The driver says the store owner gave him “a very nice reward.”

         My old center got another new manager last month and again, this one was from Atlanta and his head barely fit through the door. Every new manager who comes out West brags that he’s an expert horseman. Fortunately, they had the opportunity to put this one to the test. I wasn’t there, but this is how the story was told to me….

        Arrogantly, the manager mounted the big beast unassisted. As he adjusted himself in the saddle, the horse sprang into action. As it galloped along at a steady, rhythmic pace, the Atlanta Wonder began to slip from the saddle. In terror, he grabbed for the horse’s mane, but couldn’t seem to get a firm grip. He tried to throw his arms around the horse’s neck, but to no avail. As he slid towards catrastophe, the horse continued to gallop along, seemingly unaware of its slipping rider.

       Finally, giving up his frail grip, the new boss attempted to push away from the horse and throw himself to safety. Unfortunately, his foot became entangled in the stirrup, and he was now at the mercy of the horse’s pounding hooves as his head was struck against the ground over and over. 

       Bystanders watched in horror as Mister Bigshot began to lose consciousness. Just as disaster seemed unavoidable, a quick thinking grocery clerk reached over and pulled the cord on the wild stallion.

        United Parcel Service is said to be thumbing its nose at the once much acclaimed DIAD IV. While smaller in size and loaded with gizmos, DIAD IV has proven to be a real honker. In a business where time is money and keystrokes are measured in dollars, drivers are fumbling away the company’s profits.
        Problems first began to arise when engineers, more concerned about size than function, put letters and numbers on the same keys and added a “shift” button. “Size is everything,” design engineer Richard Head explained. “I’ve finally proved that smaller is better.”
        But the shift key has proven to be a real boondoggle, with drivers often having to break, stand off to the side and fumble with the keyboard. What was once a smooth delivery routine has turned into a battle of the thumbs, with some drivers even having to void out their previous work and go back and try it again. Communicating with DIAD IV has become a real challenge, drivers often typing lengthy messages only to accidently erase them with a single keystroke. “It’s a nightmare,” one driver recently complained as he threw his DIAD down, “whoever designed this thing ought to be strung up by his thumbs.”
        Apparantly UPS had the same idea. A recent audit of time being wasted using DIAD IV showed that the placement of the button that turns the signature screen around costs the company over a million dollars in lost time every month. It seems that one out of every 20 customers hits the button when they take the DIAD to sign. That causes the driver to take the board back, punch through the screens to return to the signature mode, and hand it back to the signer with the warning, “Don’t touch that button.” Placing the only active button during the signature process in the exact location where everyone holds the board was the last straw for UPS.
        Following in the Chinese tradition of simply executing anyone who causes emabarassment and financial loss, next month UPS will string up the entire engineering department by their thumbs. “It’s fitting,” a UPS spokesman boasted, “the punishment fits the crime.”

Seasonal drivers make the starting driver wage which in Denver is $16.10/hr. 
        
Driver helpers are paid $12.88/hr.

  The rules for 8-hour days, option days and 9.5 grievances change during the peak months of November and December.
        We cannot request Option Days from Thanksgiving through December 25.
         We cannot request an 8-hour day from Thanksgiving through the week of Christmas.
        We do not have 9.5 language during the months of November or December.