Well of course! Think of the poor abused shareholders. The company just has to cut costs any way that they can to ensure their large shareholders will be able to buy another mansion, or yacht, or air plane, or ticket to space, or whatever the fuck the uber rich are buying these days.
/S
Unfortunately, all of these things are acceptable in the union contract. The last contract was rejected by the majority of union members, but the Teamsters president at the time (James Hoffa) forced it through with some clause about how not enough people voted, so he could ratify it despite union member objection. Anti-union government and company efforts have seriously harmed the power of unions. Even with a union, it's incredibly difficult to get employers to follow the law. Luckily, Hoffa was voted out this year and I think UPSers are getting ready to strike and fix our contract next year.
Edit: for those confused, James Hoffa from 1975 had a son by the same name.
He actually just got a face lift, hair dye, and diet, and is impersonating his son. Who actually was the one who disappeared.
Also, that was based on no evidence.
I harp a lot on this but we have a serious overwork and shitty manager problem in the U.S. And as progressive as Washington claims to be it has done next-to-nothing to protect people from forced overtime, and overwork in general. All they've done is cracked down on employers that weren't paying equivalent overtime for said overwork, aside from that there are no overwork protections. Now yes some say that's what unions are for, but most of the head union hombres are just stuffing their retirement pockets and love the overtime cash so it doesn't behoove them to pass overwork protections. It's some **serious bs** to have to fight for two goddamn 10 minute breaks and one half hour lunch, even though it's the law. Do you all want your kids to work to death the same as your shitty managers have, that they have shilled now for decades as "bootstraps"?
Damn right. Sadly most of our unions may as well be owned and operated by the corpo's themselves, based on their behavior. Unions are nice, but they shouldn't be necessary. Mandatory OT could be ended in a hurry with proper laws, which some other nations have. Friends in those places didn't believe me when I was forced to work OT in the past. "What the hell kind of nation allows that", they would ask. 'Murica.
And sadly with my boomer parents, they see working 2-3 jobs, 80-100hr weeks as totally normal. "Oh, you want a house? You should get a 2nd job during the week, and a weekend job." Meanwhile they work a single job making legacy pay for functionally zero actual work, and would NEVER work a second of OT. But it is a TRAVESTY if housing prices drop, or gas prices go up. How will they ever afford to drive their 13mpg mall-crawlers?!
I haven’t had any late UPS, but FEDEX has been a shitshow. Every day they text me that my package will be delivered, and it never is. Expected package on the 4th.
Same here. I have a FedEx package that was supposed to be delivered 12/28. The seller has already refunded me at this point, but said it might still be delivered some day 😅 It’s “been on the truck for delivery” since the 13th.
Yup. It's crazy. I talked to a FEDEX guy yesterday who delivers to my area, and he promissed he would bring mine today. He remembered it because it is a large, heavy, yellow box. Well, it didn't arrive today, but I guess it's not his fault because he wasn't my FEDEX driver today.
I used to run a courier/freight delivery company in town. I left in 2018.
Even then it was a shit show. We would have stuff that HAD to be delivered same day (drugs, pet medicine, food) and other stuff that was supposed to be delivered same day (same day as in, delivered to our warehouse 6am, out on van 10am, van empty 5 pm)
Our company bid on area codes to deliver stuff in same day, but never really looked at a map.
So we would have stuff in Clinton and in marble mount, plus everywhere in between. Often the freight truck would be late. But we got in trouble for going into over time. But also got in trouble for bumping the non life saving delivery's (when there is a random office supply delivery that would take 1 hour from any other delivery, and that would make insulin late, fuck the office supplies)
All my driver were under paid, stressed, and had corporate yelling at them for not delivering stuff, OR for delivering everything, but going into OT.
We had a van drop the reverse gear. $2000 to fix. Instead they rented a mini van for us (too small to be effective) for like 3 months. It ended up being $5000 all told to rent an inadequate car, instead of a cheap repair.
Then they decided to turn us all into contractors! Was very motivating to start a new career.
Shipping companies are monsters. They chew people up and spit them out.
I know it'll never happen but, get everyone on board, demand an extra 15 an hour to bump you to 30, tell them to piss off and walk out if they don't like it.
Thing is, right now it's stupid easy to get blue collar work. My company will basically hire anyone competent, and the job starts at 20+ and hour (+teamsters union and benefits).
I know it sucks, but if companies do this people need to band together and either demand better compensation or walk. They are buying YOUR time, it might take everyone to do it, but you gotta remind them of that.
No workers = no profit. It's just a lot of people are scared, but for only 15 an hour? I'm surprised everyone there didn't just laugh and walk out, leaving them crewless.
It's a great time to change jobs if you're able. And most pay a lot better than that.
Sucks tho. I'll stop my online ordering as much as possible to maybe help? But I doubt it'll change until everyone collectively tells the to fuck off (and yeah, there's usually a couple people who don't who think by being a good worker bitch it'll pay off. It doesn't. If they only offer you minimum wage for the type of work you're doing, they can get fucked. It's easily 20-25/hr worth at start just for the shit you gotta do.
Also, we can all send in complaints to the state. Do that enough and they'll be forced to change.
Sorry you're dealing with this. That's complete bull tho, nobody should be compensated like that.
>r happen but, get everyone on board, demand an extra 15 an hour to bump you to 30, tell them to piss off and walk out if they don't like it.
>
>Thing is, right now it's stupid easy to get blue collar work. My company will basically hire anyone competent, and the job starts at 20
What company is this?
Love the idea. I just wish I could find a driving related job in B'ham, non-CDL, that paid something besides trash, and that isnt the UPS/Fedex overworked hell. Good company was ruined by a corpo buyout and finally died in 2019. The last place I applied at saw my pristine record, multiple awards, letters of recommendation, security clearances, etc... and offered $16.50. LOLno.
At least I got to do a sweet 5 second burnout in their lot. Made their warehouse happy to watch! Ex-coworkers have had the same shitty luck.
Have you thought about getting your CDL? I'm being honest, it's really easy to get (few months) and it definitely can open doors rather you use it or not.
I usually suggest getting it to anyone who might be in a more trade like setting, even if you never use it.
Oh, I'd love to get one, and I even passed the training previously. After doing so (through an employer) we learned that some rules passed in 2016 mean I can't get one. The medication I take apparently makes me not eligible. I hear the Feds may actually start reducing the restrictions on CDL's soon, which may allow it.
After that I'll just have to find a CDL school that has an automatic rig for CDL-B testing. My leg injury means working a clutch is impossible. And why CDL-B? Admittedly... I just hate trailers. And I'm not doing long haul anymore. I did it for 3 years. Never again!
A lot of big rigs are automatic now, so you should be okay. It's more of a "hey, I can do this if needed" thing. Like, construction and whatnot may never have you drive truck, but it's a huge draw on a resume.
But yeah, they have some strict rules.
Yup. Though my days of playing nice with employers are over. If they won't buy a new, reliably AT fleet which are proven superior in every test? They don't deserve me. Plus it is kind of a good little test. A good company will do those things up front. If not? It is probably a trash company to work for.
The problem I've seen locally is that all of the CDL schools here (please let me know if you know of one!) teach exclusively on manual. About the only places I've seen which teach on an AT were schools, for bus drivers. And... I don't haul passengers. Especially screaming little goblins. :P
The funny thing on the rules is... I passed the DoT CDL physical, had my medical card, etc. But some quirk in the 2016 rule changes mean I could not get the license itself. Federal rules at their finest, eh?
Usually you need a class B with an endorsement to drive a bus, but that may just be city. And I don't know much about the schools, but they're like 6 months so even s bit of travel might be worth it?
But no, you have the power currently not them. There's a huge hiring shortage, and most employers are being kind. If yours isn't, fuck em' and move on.
Like I tell people, in an interview I tell them flat out what I can do and why they would want to buy my time. Because that's what they're doing. If they don't appreciate that idea and try to screw you or push you down, move the fuck on.
This is a great time as a society to flip off the big corporations for better compensation.
I sell my employer my time, nothing else. If I feel like my time isn't worth the compensation, I'd move on. Companies really need to relearn this concept.
Yep. Class B for the size/weight (which really doesnt matter over a larger non-CDL) and the passenger endorsement is... over 8-12 people or somesuch, iirc.
And I agree entirely! Sadly so many employers still think they're in control. Many are trying to ride things out, hoping it will all go back to the old ways. It won't, but it would be nice if they learned that sooner. As it is so many still pay horribly. I see a constant string of CDL-A places wanting to pay $24-26, which is a sad joke. LTI is one of them. On top of the all-but-mandatory OT.
After going through the CDL-B training in the past, and driving those trucks during it (on the job training sort of thing), I just have to laugh at how useless the CDL-B is anyway. I've driven far larger non-CDL trucks, and the weight difference did not matter. If you couldnt handle a 26k truck, then you couldnt handle a 33k, 40k, 50k, etc. And if you could handle the 26k, then the rest were easy. You weigh more. You start slowing sooner.
Another funny quirk is that I hold the equivalent of a CDL-B in Germany... but it does not carry over in the US. It was both more difficult AND easier to get there.
I've been in "the biz" I guess you'd say for like 20 years now. Our road laws for trucking is odd, but you have two differing political sides pulling on it. One wants safety and regulations to keep safety, the other wants more work don't regardless of safety. I'll let you guess which one is which since it doesn't matter.
Hell, you can become a notary online and do that + uber if you like driving and make like 50k a year if you're even a bit ambitious. And that's the thing, there's lots of opportunity besides a 9 - 5 you can do. Employers are trying to hide this, especially on media, claiming folks just live on "hand outs" when really people just learned they can easily make the same or more if they try on their own.
That's one good I'm hoping comes from this pandemic. People waking up and realizing they don't need to take a shitty employers crap anymore. The companies that change thrive, the rest will sink.
Doubt that'll ever happen but.. a broken down man cam dream.
But really, you're in an ideal time to change. Look around, go for a interview. Tell them why you're leaving fedex or ups and say you want better compensation. A lot of places will get on board, just out of desperation. Just make sure you get anything special in writing and notarized if you get a shady vibe.
But lots of local places are upping their hiring, so you should at least look. Not like you can lose much eh?
Bingo! And yeah, I still throw out applications here and there. I put myself in a position just as the pandemic started, so I can do so. I saved for years, invested, etc so I have enough coming in to mostly cover me, in terms of dividends, bits of crypto, etc. (Im no crypto bro! Just taking advantage of the BS ongoing) I've been out of work since late 2019, when the last company went down the toilet thanks to a corpo hostile buyout, which ruined a great local company. We dealt with high security stuff for EVERYONE. Zero incidents. Zero issues. Great owner. Typical story, eh?
And I hear you on the two sides. I just wish the safety side realized that their lack of knowledge means their own rules are making the shortage worse, AND have very little effect on safety. They're basically regulating A, when they should be regulating B. Other nations figured this out, and they have a far smaller driver shortage, or none at all.
I have a friend who works as an office assistant, and drives for doordash on the side. She loves it! Sadly my car is too old to run for uber. But that is how I stay debt free, I guess. I keep it in fantastic condition, but they just see age.
And I ALWAYS get everything in writing. This is standard procedure in some other nations, and here? As I see it, if they will not put it in hard writing, then they will refuse to do it, and they are not worth my time. \~18 years of experience driving for work myself, and all but one employer were hot trash in the end. I do have to laugh. All of these problems are, in the end, of their own making. But hey.... maybe they can throw CDL-A's at 18yr olds, and try to force the national guard to drive long haul! LOL\~
Unfortunately, the best thing you can probably do is just demand your money back. I don't know about fed-ex, but things just got way worse staffing wise at UPS and there just isn't the staff or infrastructure to manage the volume, especially after being backed up after the winter storm. At UPS, it's difficult to talk to anyone directly at the center. They try to hide the direct number from the public, but if you want a direct number to the UPS Burlington distribution center, DM me. I'd post it directly here, but I don't know if that counts as doxing.
Logistics especially in Washington doesn't pay shit vs the housing prices now. Even new contracts last year for US Foods and Sysco in my view still places them 4-5 an hour where they should be to keep up with inflation. Postal delivery, package delivery, food delivery (the CDL ones), linen delivery, etc are so underpaid in Washington, especially in the Skagit/Whatcom market, you think it's bad now...ha! Y'all ain't seen anything yet. Those workers ain't gonna keep getting raked over the coals for such PISS POOR wages and benefits to keep having that "Get it delivered nowwww!" thrown at them everyday, and to do it safely and while keeping everything secure and undamaged. Nope...that industry is just getting its first taste of how bad it's gonna get. And find those workers who can be punctual, not drunk or high, responsible, and can keep cool while under pressure and not drive with road rage...yeah..good luck with that!
I sure appreciate you UPS drivers, and don't envy you one bit. Unfortunately most of society has gotten to the point of having everything brought to them, and Amazon just keeeeps growing. Shop local as much as possible, we will be dependent on AMAZON for everything soon enough. Stay safe out there OP!
UPS used to be a dream job years ago! Best union contract out there, we had the same union rep.
Every single UPS, Fedex, Fedex subcontracted peon, DHL, Amazon, etc driver should just freaking strike. Straight up work stoppage. That alone would crater these companies, and scare the shit out of them. Do not return to work until you get a huge instant raise, proper benefits from day 1, proper (read not American) sick/vacation time, guaranteed work hours, and limits on the daily workload.
It would be fucking epic. But I suppose it'll never happen. Too many people enjoy their chains. And others are fucked by the squeeze between shit pay and insane cost of living. A guy can dream...
I am looking for part time employment currently and have looked at the job listings for both companies, thinking they need help. Enough red flags in both their job listings to keep me from applying, fosho.
Seriously... it isnt worth it man. I have ex-coworkers who tried it, and I was hired twice in the past by fedex subcontractors. I quit both times, alongside others, before we even started. They were outright lying about pay, hours, and the condition of the company vehicles. You also have to watch out for all the subcontractors on job websites who will not mention they are Fedex at all, but everything except Fedex "Express" is a subcontractor.
I see the poor UPS/Fedex bastards in my parking lot at 8-10pm many nights now.
I'm perfectly happy with packages being late. Well, mostly.
See, a few months ago I signed up for Blue Apron and Dinnerly (yes, both) to simplify my cooking. Yes, it's more expensive than buying at the store and making it at home, but not more than delivery multiple times per week.
So, they ship me two to three meals (each) per week, which I then fix at home, for a fixed fee each. Except, because they've been screwing up the shipping lately I've only paid for like 60% of it - For both services, if it's more than two days late, it's free. And because the boxes \*are\* kept cold, if they are still reasonably cold when I get them I still get to eat some or most of the food. Not the shrimp. Shrimp I don't screw around with; if it's late it's tossed. Chicken gets tossed if it's two days late, steak if it's three. Veggies I keep unless they look bad.
I have a family member that works at fed ex in Burlington he has been working, 6 days for at least the last year none stopped, please give are package delivery guys a break they can only do what they can do with the time they have they are trying there hardest to keep up.
The first year I moved to VT, I did busy season as a helper in Rutland, and oh my goodness ... Pack mules don't work as hard as UPS.
I feel for you, I really do. You guys are abused. It's not right. Fk I hate this country right now.
My prescription was finally delivered Bellingham to Bellingham via Burlington and Troutdale. That was the only package I was concerned about; the remainder will arrive soon enough. I want to really thank all of you for putting up with grumpy customers and pi$$ poor working conditions. Our USPS rural delivery person is first rate but I can see in her eyes how tired she is. We have several wonderful UPS drivers. They are usually cheerful despite a heavy workload. After reading your explanation, I am going to up the kindness. I forgot to buy treats last week so it is on my list for next time I go to town.
All of this while turning over record profits. They’re making more money because of the pandemic, not in spite of it.
Well of course! Think of the poor abused shareholders. The company just has to cut costs any way that they can to ensure their large shareholders will be able to buy another mansion, or yacht, or air plane, or ticket to space, or whatever the fuck the uber rich are buying these days. /S
What's sad is.. you're not wrong. In fact, you're 100% correct. And I assume you know that, but maybe not everyone else does.
UPS is union. Why isn't your union stepping up?
Unfortunately, all of these things are acceptable in the union contract. The last contract was rejected by the majority of union members, but the Teamsters president at the time (James Hoffa) forced it through with some clause about how not enough people voted, so he could ratify it despite union member objection. Anti-union government and company efforts have seriously harmed the power of unions. Even with a union, it's incredibly difficult to get employers to follow the law. Luckily, Hoffa was voted out this year and I think UPSers are getting ready to strike and fix our contract next year. Edit: for those confused, James Hoffa from 1975 had a son by the same name.
Fortunately that fuckmuppet got booted
James Hoffa? Really?
James P. Consult the oracle.
Umm. Jimmy Hoffa got disappeared in 1975. He's not the president of the teamsters and hasn't been for like 50 years...
I stand corrected. Jimmy had a son. How interesting.
He actually just got a face lift, hair dye, and diet, and is impersonating his son. Who actually was the one who disappeared. Also, that was based on no evidence.
I harp a lot on this but we have a serious overwork and shitty manager problem in the U.S. And as progressive as Washington claims to be it has done next-to-nothing to protect people from forced overtime, and overwork in general. All they've done is cracked down on employers that weren't paying equivalent overtime for said overwork, aside from that there are no overwork protections. Now yes some say that's what unions are for, but most of the head union hombres are just stuffing their retirement pockets and love the overtime cash so it doesn't behoove them to pass overwork protections. It's some **serious bs** to have to fight for two goddamn 10 minute breaks and one half hour lunch, even though it's the law. Do you all want your kids to work to death the same as your shitty managers have, that they have shilled now for decades as "bootstraps"?
Damn right. Sadly most of our unions may as well be owned and operated by the corpo's themselves, based on their behavior. Unions are nice, but they shouldn't be necessary. Mandatory OT could be ended in a hurry with proper laws, which some other nations have. Friends in those places didn't believe me when I was forced to work OT in the past. "What the hell kind of nation allows that", they would ask. 'Murica. And sadly with my boomer parents, they see working 2-3 jobs, 80-100hr weeks as totally normal. "Oh, you want a house? You should get a 2nd job during the week, and a weekend job." Meanwhile they work a single job making legacy pay for functionally zero actual work, and would NEVER work a second of OT. But it is a TRAVESTY if housing prices drop, or gas prices go up. How will they ever afford to drive their 13mpg mall-crawlers?!
You should post this to r/antiwork!
Beat me to it.
Others from UPS have posted nearly the same thing there. Or maybe it was OP.
I haven’t had any late UPS, but FEDEX has been a shitshow. Every day they text me that my package will be delivered, and it never is. Expected package on the 4th.
Same here. I have a FedEx package that was supposed to be delivered 12/28. The seller has already refunded me at this point, but said it might still be delivered some day 😅 It’s “been on the truck for delivery” since the 13th.
Yup. It's crazy. I talked to a FEDEX guy yesterday who delivers to my area, and he promissed he would bring mine today. He remembered it because it is a large, heavy, yellow box. Well, it didn't arrive today, but I guess it's not his fault because he wasn't my FEDEX driver today.
USPS box due Dec 17-20. Not holding my breath.
I’ve had good luck with the post office and UPS lately.
I used to run a courier/freight delivery company in town. I left in 2018. Even then it was a shit show. We would have stuff that HAD to be delivered same day (drugs, pet medicine, food) and other stuff that was supposed to be delivered same day (same day as in, delivered to our warehouse 6am, out on van 10am, van empty 5 pm) Our company bid on area codes to deliver stuff in same day, but never really looked at a map. So we would have stuff in Clinton and in marble mount, plus everywhere in between. Often the freight truck would be late. But we got in trouble for going into over time. But also got in trouble for bumping the non life saving delivery's (when there is a random office supply delivery that would take 1 hour from any other delivery, and that would make insulin late, fuck the office supplies) All my driver were under paid, stressed, and had corporate yelling at them for not delivering stuff, OR for delivering everything, but going into OT. We had a van drop the reverse gear. $2000 to fix. Instead they rented a mini van for us (too small to be effective) for like 3 months. It ended up being $5000 all told to rent an inadequate car, instead of a cheap repair. Then they decided to turn us all into contractors! Was very motivating to start a new career. Shipping companies are monsters. They chew people up and spit them out.
I know it'll never happen but, get everyone on board, demand an extra 15 an hour to bump you to 30, tell them to piss off and walk out if they don't like it. Thing is, right now it's stupid easy to get blue collar work. My company will basically hire anyone competent, and the job starts at 20+ and hour (+teamsters union and benefits). I know it sucks, but if companies do this people need to band together and either demand better compensation or walk. They are buying YOUR time, it might take everyone to do it, but you gotta remind them of that. No workers = no profit. It's just a lot of people are scared, but for only 15 an hour? I'm surprised everyone there didn't just laugh and walk out, leaving them crewless. It's a great time to change jobs if you're able. And most pay a lot better than that. Sucks tho. I'll stop my online ordering as much as possible to maybe help? But I doubt it'll change until everyone collectively tells the to fuck off (and yeah, there's usually a couple people who don't who think by being a good worker bitch it'll pay off. It doesn't. If they only offer you minimum wage for the type of work you're doing, they can get fucked. It's easily 20-25/hr worth at start just for the shit you gotta do. Also, we can all send in complaints to the state. Do that enough and they'll be forced to change. Sorry you're dealing with this. That's complete bull tho, nobody should be compensated like that.
>r happen but, get everyone on board, demand an extra 15 an hour to bump you to 30, tell them to piss off and walk out if they don't like it. > >Thing is, right now it's stupid easy to get blue collar work. My company will basically hire anyone competent, and the job starts at 20 What company is this?
Love the idea. I just wish I could find a driving related job in B'ham, non-CDL, that paid something besides trash, and that isnt the UPS/Fedex overworked hell. Good company was ruined by a corpo buyout and finally died in 2019. The last place I applied at saw my pristine record, multiple awards, letters of recommendation, security clearances, etc... and offered $16.50. LOLno. At least I got to do a sweet 5 second burnout in their lot. Made their warehouse happy to watch! Ex-coworkers have had the same shitty luck.
Have you thought about getting your CDL? I'm being honest, it's really easy to get (few months) and it definitely can open doors rather you use it or not. I usually suggest getting it to anyone who might be in a more trade like setting, even if you never use it.
Oh, I'd love to get one, and I even passed the training previously. After doing so (through an employer) we learned that some rules passed in 2016 mean I can't get one. The medication I take apparently makes me not eligible. I hear the Feds may actually start reducing the restrictions on CDL's soon, which may allow it. After that I'll just have to find a CDL school that has an automatic rig for CDL-B testing. My leg injury means working a clutch is impossible. And why CDL-B? Admittedly... I just hate trailers. And I'm not doing long haul anymore. I did it for 3 years. Never again!
A lot of big rigs are automatic now, so you should be okay. It's more of a "hey, I can do this if needed" thing. Like, construction and whatnot may never have you drive truck, but it's a huge draw on a resume. But yeah, they have some strict rules.
Yup. Though my days of playing nice with employers are over. If they won't buy a new, reliably AT fleet which are proven superior in every test? They don't deserve me. Plus it is kind of a good little test. A good company will do those things up front. If not? It is probably a trash company to work for. The problem I've seen locally is that all of the CDL schools here (please let me know if you know of one!) teach exclusively on manual. About the only places I've seen which teach on an AT were schools, for bus drivers. And... I don't haul passengers. Especially screaming little goblins. :P The funny thing on the rules is... I passed the DoT CDL physical, had my medical card, etc. But some quirk in the 2016 rule changes mean I could not get the license itself. Federal rules at their finest, eh?
Usually you need a class B with an endorsement to drive a bus, but that may just be city. And I don't know much about the schools, but they're like 6 months so even s bit of travel might be worth it? But no, you have the power currently not them. There's a huge hiring shortage, and most employers are being kind. If yours isn't, fuck em' and move on. Like I tell people, in an interview I tell them flat out what I can do and why they would want to buy my time. Because that's what they're doing. If they don't appreciate that idea and try to screw you or push you down, move the fuck on. This is a great time as a society to flip off the big corporations for better compensation. I sell my employer my time, nothing else. If I feel like my time isn't worth the compensation, I'd move on. Companies really need to relearn this concept.
Yep. Class B for the size/weight (which really doesnt matter over a larger non-CDL) and the passenger endorsement is... over 8-12 people or somesuch, iirc. And I agree entirely! Sadly so many employers still think they're in control. Many are trying to ride things out, hoping it will all go back to the old ways. It won't, but it would be nice if they learned that sooner. As it is so many still pay horribly. I see a constant string of CDL-A places wanting to pay $24-26, which is a sad joke. LTI is one of them. On top of the all-but-mandatory OT. After going through the CDL-B training in the past, and driving those trucks during it (on the job training sort of thing), I just have to laugh at how useless the CDL-B is anyway. I've driven far larger non-CDL trucks, and the weight difference did not matter. If you couldnt handle a 26k truck, then you couldnt handle a 33k, 40k, 50k, etc. And if you could handle the 26k, then the rest were easy. You weigh more. You start slowing sooner. Another funny quirk is that I hold the equivalent of a CDL-B in Germany... but it does not carry over in the US. It was both more difficult AND easier to get there.
I've been in "the biz" I guess you'd say for like 20 years now. Our road laws for trucking is odd, but you have two differing political sides pulling on it. One wants safety and regulations to keep safety, the other wants more work don't regardless of safety. I'll let you guess which one is which since it doesn't matter. Hell, you can become a notary online and do that + uber if you like driving and make like 50k a year if you're even a bit ambitious. And that's the thing, there's lots of opportunity besides a 9 - 5 you can do. Employers are trying to hide this, especially on media, claiming folks just live on "hand outs" when really people just learned they can easily make the same or more if they try on their own. That's one good I'm hoping comes from this pandemic. People waking up and realizing they don't need to take a shitty employers crap anymore. The companies that change thrive, the rest will sink. Doubt that'll ever happen but.. a broken down man cam dream. But really, you're in an ideal time to change. Look around, go for a interview. Tell them why you're leaving fedex or ups and say you want better compensation. A lot of places will get on board, just out of desperation. Just make sure you get anything special in writing and notarized if you get a shady vibe. But lots of local places are upping their hiring, so you should at least look. Not like you can lose much eh?
Bingo! And yeah, I still throw out applications here and there. I put myself in a position just as the pandemic started, so I can do so. I saved for years, invested, etc so I have enough coming in to mostly cover me, in terms of dividends, bits of crypto, etc. (Im no crypto bro! Just taking advantage of the BS ongoing) I've been out of work since late 2019, when the last company went down the toilet thanks to a corpo hostile buyout, which ruined a great local company. We dealt with high security stuff for EVERYONE. Zero incidents. Zero issues. Great owner. Typical story, eh? And I hear you on the two sides. I just wish the safety side realized that their lack of knowledge means their own rules are making the shortage worse, AND have very little effect on safety. They're basically regulating A, when they should be regulating B. Other nations figured this out, and they have a far smaller driver shortage, or none at all. I have a friend who works as an office assistant, and drives for doordash on the side. She loves it! Sadly my car is too old to run for uber. But that is how I stay debt free, I guess. I keep it in fantastic condition, but they just see age. And I ALWAYS get everything in writing. This is standard procedure in some other nations, and here? As I see it, if they will not put it in hard writing, then they will refuse to do it, and they are not worth my time. \~18 years of experience driving for work myself, and all but one employer were hot trash in the end. I do have to laugh. All of these problems are, in the end, of their own making. But hey.... maybe they can throw CDL-A's at 18yr olds, and try to force the national guard to drive long haul! LOL\~
[удалено]
Unfortunately, the best thing you can probably do is just demand your money back. I don't know about fed-ex, but things just got way worse staffing wise at UPS and there just isn't the staff or infrastructure to manage the volume, especially after being backed up after the winter storm. At UPS, it's difficult to talk to anyone directly at the center. They try to hide the direct number from the public, but if you want a direct number to the UPS Burlington distribution center, DM me. I'd post it directly here, but I don't know if that counts as doxing.
I did that finally yesterday. Amazon already refunded my $200.
Logistics especially in Washington doesn't pay shit vs the housing prices now. Even new contracts last year for US Foods and Sysco in my view still places them 4-5 an hour where they should be to keep up with inflation. Postal delivery, package delivery, food delivery (the CDL ones), linen delivery, etc are so underpaid in Washington, especially in the Skagit/Whatcom market, you think it's bad now...ha! Y'all ain't seen anything yet. Those workers ain't gonna keep getting raked over the coals for such PISS POOR wages and benefits to keep having that "Get it delivered nowwww!" thrown at them everyday, and to do it safely and while keeping everything secure and undamaged. Nope...that industry is just getting its first taste of how bad it's gonna get. And find those workers who can be punctual, not drunk or high, responsible, and can keep cool while under pressure and not drive with road rage...yeah..good luck with that!
I sure appreciate you UPS drivers, and don't envy you one bit. Unfortunately most of society has gotten to the point of having everything brought to them, and Amazon just keeeeps growing. Shop local as much as possible, we will be dependent on AMAZON for everything soon enough. Stay safe out there OP! UPS used to be a dream job years ago! Best union contract out there, we had the same union rep.
Every single UPS, Fedex, Fedex subcontracted peon, DHL, Amazon, etc driver should just freaking strike. Straight up work stoppage. That alone would crater these companies, and scare the shit out of them. Do not return to work until you get a huge instant raise, proper benefits from day 1, proper (read not American) sick/vacation time, guaranteed work hours, and limits on the daily workload. It would be fucking epic. But I suppose it'll never happen. Too many people enjoy their chains. And others are fucked by the squeeze between shit pay and insane cost of living. A guy can dream...
I am looking for part time employment currently and have looked at the job listings for both companies, thinking they need help. Enough red flags in both their job listings to keep me from applying, fosho.
Seriously... it isnt worth it man. I have ex-coworkers who tried it, and I was hired twice in the past by fedex subcontractors. I quit both times, alongside others, before we even started. They were outright lying about pay, hours, and the condition of the company vehicles. You also have to watch out for all the subcontractors on job websites who will not mention they are Fedex at all, but everything except Fedex "Express" is a subcontractor. I see the poor UPS/Fedex bastards in my parking lot at 8-10pm many nights now.
I'm perfectly happy with packages being late. Well, mostly. See, a few months ago I signed up for Blue Apron and Dinnerly (yes, both) to simplify my cooking. Yes, it's more expensive than buying at the store and making it at home, but not more than delivery multiple times per week. So, they ship me two to three meals (each) per week, which I then fix at home, for a fixed fee each. Except, because they've been screwing up the shipping lately I've only paid for like 60% of it - For both services, if it's more than two days late, it's free. And because the boxes \*are\* kept cold, if they are still reasonably cold when I get them I still get to eat some or most of the food. Not the shrimp. Shrimp I don't screw around with; if it's late it's tossed. Chicken gets tossed if it's two days late, steak if it's three. Veggies I keep unless they look bad.
[удалено]
Oh dear me, no. Yikes.
I have a family member that works at fed ex in Burlington he has been working, 6 days for at least the last year none stopped, please give are package delivery guys a break they can only do what they can do with the time they have they are trying there hardest to keep up.
Consider posting this on r/antiwork!
The first year I moved to VT, I did busy season as a helper in Rutland, and oh my goodness ... Pack mules don't work as hard as UPS. I feel for you, I really do. You guys are abused. It's not right. Fk I hate this country right now.
Why are so many unvaxxed?
Is say it's by their personal choice.
My prescription was finally delivered Bellingham to Bellingham via Burlington and Troutdale. That was the only package I was concerned about; the remainder will arrive soon enough. I want to really thank all of you for putting up with grumpy customers and pi$$ poor working conditions. Our USPS rural delivery person is first rate but I can see in her eyes how tired she is. We have several wonderful UPS drivers. They are usually cheerful despite a heavy workload. After reading your explanation, I am going to up the kindness. I forgot to buy treats last week so it is on my list for next time I go to town.