Of course the natural reaction for most people is to take the package, and see if it’s something you could help with, of course assuming that if you could not do anything with it, the person handing it to you would then take it away. Not at UPS. You touched it, it’s yours.
When the end of the sort came, you could count on the Supervisor running the primary to kick all of the trash, open boxes, damages, etc. onto the belts, sending them to the outlying belts for those people to deal with. Happened every night. Probably still happens.
That’s the wonderful thing about UPS. Pass off the problems to someone else. The hope is that, if you are slippery enough, you won’t get stuck with it. It happens in every aspect of the company. Drivers dump on the drivers next to them. Supervisors dump on the drivers. Managers dump on the supervisors. Division managers dump on the center managers. The “Lord and Master” dumps on everybody.
To keep out of the fight, just remember one thing. Keep your hands by your side!
Category Archives: UPS
Peak Planning
With the end of summer waning softly away, comes the cool evenings, the turning of the leaves, the thoughts of warm fires, and
The “ball of fire” driver will find out that “yes”, the company has no heart, and “yes”, the company can have unreal expectations during the peak season. Even the average performing driver will find out the craziness the company can expect during the Christmas season.
With the implementation of Telematics, the company expects to make huge gains in performance, not only year round, but during the peak season. Routes will be planned down to the “Nth” degree, and volumes will be put in place, regardless of the reality of the area.
After all of the plans are made, in comes the “Lord and Master” with his magic marker, ready to slash and burn what would otherwise appear to be reasonable expectations. The company spends a huge amount of money during peak season on helpers, and temporary drivers. You can expect to see huge cutbacks in the hiring levels for peak. They are still all about the “bottom line” these days. They have to keep the stock holders happy, even through Christmas.
Lettuce not forget an annual “right-of-passage” for the late fall, into the winter. That right is the devastating termination of a very senior employee for some “trumped up” charge. The point of the termination is to set every other driver into “fear mode” for the upcoming peak season. Management is all about intimidation, and loves to keep the fear level up when maximum performance is needed.
Experience as a steward has shown, that most major terminations occur in late September, or October. With Telematics the head hunting will be easy, especially for the “Lord and Master”. They may have their target in their sights as we speak, so be sure you are doing the job as they require, and do not leave any doubt as to what you are doing, and why you are doing it.
In other words, “Cover your ass“.
Do You Like Your Job?
People used to ask me what I liked most about my job and I would say I liked 4 things. I liked the money, I liked the challenge and I liked being on my own all day and I liked interacting with my customers. Today if someone asked me what I liked about my job, I say the money. PAS and Telematics have removed the challenge, I’m never really on my own anymore and I’m only supposed to talk if I’m making a sale.
I read an interview with a UPS IE person who said that PAS and Telematics will tell every driver the most efficient way to run the route everyday. He said that drivers had always “customized their routes” on a daily basis to accomodate their customers or to get the bulk off first, and often these decisions were not good decisions. Allowing the drivers to customize their routes was driving the company into the poor house.
So I was told not to think of my route as my route. It didn’t even bear my name anymore. It was 31A and I just happened to be the person who was running it. The personal reward that I got each day by taking the route out and getting it organized, satisfying my customers and getting back in safely and successfully is gone. I ran the route the way the computer told me to, I couldn’t customize it to satisfy a customer and I didn’t think about a better way to do it, even though years of accumulated area knowledge told me that there was a better way. I did as I was told. That’s how you survive now at UPS.
And, you’re never alone. Management has the technology now to watch every move you make. They have reports on everything you do and what time you did it. They know the service class of every package you handle, what time you delivered it, where the truck was sitting, if it was turned off, if you backed in first, how many stops you have off and how many you have left. They might as well be sitting in the seat next to you all the time.
I was on the same route for over 25 years and I knew all of my customers. I knew them because I took a moment here and there to show them that I cared about them as people and as customers. That kind of caring is what UPS built it’s reputation on. UPS’s own surveys show that what customers like best about the company is usually the driver. But with PAS and now Telematics, you are required to just grab and go, do more stops, no talking, hurry up, run and gun. But that’s not what made UPS special. It’s not our efficiency that the customer likes about UPS, it’s that the driver takes the time to address them by name and even learn their kids’ names. But IE puts no value on what has endeared the UPS man to his customers and that is; taking a moment to show you care.
It’s not that I didn’t like my job, it’s that the things I liked about my job disappeared. Now when people ask me what I liked about my job, I say “the money”. The challenge is gone once you surrender yourself to PAS and Telematics. You are never on your own and you’re not supposed to talk unless you can make a sale.
That’s a shame. Thank God for the money or there wouldn’t be anything to like about the job.
Never Go First
A preloader, a driver and a manager in Denver were taping up damaged boxes when they found an antique oil lamp. They rubbed it and a Genie came out in a puff of smoke.
The Genie said, “I usually grant three wishes, so I’ll give each of you one.” 
“Me first! Me first!” yelled the preloader. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.”
Poof! ………He was gone.
Astonished, the driver quickly stepped forward. “My turn,” she beamed. “I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life in a beach chair right beside me and not a package in sight,.”
Poof! ………. gone.
“OK, you’re up,” the Genie said to the manager.
The manager just grinned, “I want those two back to work RIGHT NOW.”
Moral of the story:
Never let your boss have the last word.
UPS Doesn’t Reimburse for Socks, Class Claims
LOS ANGELES (CN) – A United Parcel Service worker says in a new class action that she and her co-workers weren’t reimbursed for socks bearing UPS’ logo, which is a required part of their uniform.
Laura Gallardo says in Los Angeles Superior Court that she regularly purchased the required socks during her five years as a driver at the delivery company’s Cerritos, Calif. location.
But she says she and other workers were never reimbursed for the socks.
She seeks class certification and unspecified damages for labor law violations, and is represented by Michael Nourmand.
Courthouse News Service
Hey Republicans, Thanks for Throwing American Workers Under the Bus
The New Monopoly “Free Market”
Is that what you want?
Todays corporations are all about the “Bottom Line”. Part of achieving an improved “bottom line” is about re
When you only have one or two big corporations to chose from, you are forced to deal with them on their terms. In other words, “you, the customer, don’t mean sh-t”.
Monopoly capitalism means you, “the customer” loses. You have no where else to go. You have no one else to complain to. Look at the airline industry. Is it a better experience today when you fly as it was 10 years ago? No f’in way. Pay for bags. Canceled flights. Major delays. Today we have about 20% of the companies to chose from we had 10 years ago. They only give you what they have to to compete, but they only compete with one or two other corporations.
These huge corporations have attacked the unions, done away with the pensions, and eliminated the competition. Now they are attacking the customer. Pay it, or blow it out your ass. That is their attitude. They know you have to come back, because you have no where else to go.
The Corporations have manipulated the legal system to the point where the customer has no power to sue. They have eliminated the competition so the customer has no where else to go. Now they are attacking the people from a political standpoint so you have no options at all.
They also continue to attack small business. The success of these United States is based on the success of small business. Their intent is to totaly control their competition, and in the process, small business in our country will not exist. They will sue them out of business, and if that doesn’t work, they will get the politicians to legislate small business out of existence.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Corporate Control of the world.
Providing a Written Statement
Should a steward advise a member to provide a written statement of events when the company asks for one? At the time, it may seem like a good idea because it allows the worker to explain his actions, but my advice is always NO.
Let’s say a driver has been accused of being unprofessional with a customer. The customer has called in a complaint. What happens now? The company has the right to conduct an investigative interview. They have the right to ask questions and hear the driver’s side of the story. As a steward, I would advise the driver to be honest, but cautious. There is no need to elaborate on every answer. Do not feel that a lull in the questioning needs to be filled with elaborations.
Often, the investigative interview is concluded with a request for the member to write down the events in question and provide the written statement to the company as soon as possible. Sometimes they want the member to write the statement on the spot. That’s not a good idea.
The company has the right to take notes during the investigative interview. The driver’s oral answers to the company’s questions will constitute the driver’s statement. But a written statement almost always works to the detriment the member. The company compares the written statement to the facts provided in the interview and invariably finds a discrepancy. Then they accuse the driver of dishonesty.
If the company chooses to pursue the complaint, than it is reduced to writing. This means that the company gets the complaint in writing. The contract says that in this event, than the driver has the right to respond in writing. This response should address the concerns raised in the written complaint. Again, there is no need to elaborate. It’s always better to say too little rather than say too much.
Know your contract language concerning formal complaints and member statements. Providing a written statement is more likely to cost a member his job rather than save it. Be aware of the dangers.
Thank God for Good Samaritans
There are times when UPS drivers need a little help. Here is one such time.
Passerby Helps Police Capture Suspects in Attack on UPS Driver
Burlington, Vermont – July 8, 2010
Nathan Noble’s work day was anything but mundane last Monday.
“It was pretty bad. I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.
The 23-year-old Hilton Hotel employee had just dropped some guests off at the airport and was driving back to the hotel when he saw something out the ordinary; a UPS driver being pulled out of his truck and beaten to a bloody pulp.
“Yep, threw him up against the fence and all I saw as his head getting smashed in,” Noble said.
The driver tells police he was ambushed. He claims he was driving down Grove Street in Burlington when two strangers suddenly threw a large tree branch in front of his truck. When he stopped to confront them– he says he was attacked.
“Just stupidity; sheer, plain stupidity,” Burlington Police Lt. Emmet Helrich said. “I literally think they just threw the log in front of the truck to be wise guys.”
Nathan Noble was one of several drivers that watched the attack unfold, but to his amazement he was the only one to stop.
“They literally slowed down and then just kept driving,” he said of the other motorists.
Noble called 911 and then picked up the branch and went after the two guys. And when they took off he continued to follow. Soon after, police arrested 19-year-old Jason O’Reilly and 18-year-old Nicholas Gardner. Something they say they couldn’t have done without Noble’s help.
“This kid just saw it and he knew he had to do something. So he ran out, which is pretty cool,” Helrich said.
UPS officials here in Williston would not comment on the driver’s injuries, other than to say he’s doing OK, but is still recovering.
Gardner and O’Reilly are being charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct and could receive jail time if convicted.
Telematics=Management Scam
Telematics is the new management scam. The company spent millions to implement Telematics just so they can keep the fear of the “Lord and Master” in all the drivers. When they implement Telematics in a center, they usually make a big scene singling out offending drivers for seat belt issues, or excess breaks in their day. The idea being the drivers will cower in fear, and keep the idea that the “Lord and Master’s” constantly watching.
Usually the end result is a major drop in “stops per on road”. When they feel that the drivers are sufficiently fearful, the managers go back in to their hot doggers and whisper, “don’t worry”, I’ll look after you. “Do it the way you always have!” The driver will breath a sigh of relief, and return to their humping and dumping ways, thinking they are immune from prosecution under Telematics. The managers breath a sigh of relief because their production shows a steady increase.
But Wait!
What most managers, and drivers forget is the trusted Minion of the “Lord and Master” can watch the Telematics printouts of any center, anywhere. They constantly look for gaps in time, excessive break, no seat belts, excessive backing, all the things that Telematics can report. A report is e-mailed to the center manager with a demand for the driver to be disciplined. The Minion has no “deal” with the driver, and doesn’t care if he or she is the “hotdog from hell” of a delivery person.
The Minion of course is on his own “death watch” and has a “MAR” requirement issued by the “Lord and Master” to kill off a certain number of drivers a week. The center manager, who is also under “constant death watch”, must also respond to the Minions demands for discipline, or he will be removed for lack of management ability, and ineffective management.
Usually it’s the hotdoggers that get caught under Telematics because they are playing games with the system. They often will split stops to improve performance, or play games with air commit times, or throw packages anywhere to speed up the delivery process, along with driving like idiots, and failing to use their seat belts, etc.
After the implementation of Telematics in our building, 5 drivers were Terminated, and 3 never returned. All were humper dumper’s, one was even a scab from the strike days.
The drivers that follow the methods fall from view of the Minion and live “happily ever after”. Of course that’s happily ever after with brown, where you never are “happily”, and “ever after” never seems to come.
“Ever after may never come to the hot dogging, humper dumper, now with Telematics!
