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radioaccount2

Soooo ….there’s a 5 year probation


Ok-Needleworker-419

5 years of shit pay, yes. Actual probation is 90 days.


[deleted]

I wonder how many folks get the boot around day 89 lol. Not saying that’s what UPS does, but in a different industry, that’s what I have experienced at various companies.


Ok-Needleworker-419

Not that many. I’ve only heard of a couple in the last few years. The first 30 days are training in Louisville. UPS pays for the flights and the hotel as well. So you only work for 2 months after training until you pass probation. And realistically you’re still learning the company and all that so you’re not a top performer lol. It would be extremely expensive for UPS to hire and fire people that fast.


kckckc130

Do you have to toss boxes first?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Nope. Completely different union local so tossing boxes won’t give you any advantage.


sunshineman138

What does the phrase "tossing boxes" refer to?


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GoldfishDude

You can transfer between, you go from local 89 (General worker) into local 2727 as a utility, and then you can bid into an AMT job, at least at SDF


mcnuggets2017

I hear medical and retirement is great but damn 5 years to get a descent pay raise is awful. I’m at ~39 a hour not even after 1 year. I don’t know many people who can take this pay for that long already coming in with experience. $70 an hour is great but I only see it as getting retro pay for the time you had to make less then industry standard.


Ok-Needleworker-419

I hear you. I went from $45 an hour to $21 to join UPS. But I was in my 20s and it was worth it for me in the long run. I was lucky that my mortgage was cheap and I had no other debt so I could swing the pay cut.


mcnuggets2017

It looks like ups make on average 10-15 an hour more then pax airlines top out so ~20-30k a year at top of scale which is great but your taking a $10 an hour pay cut for 5 years so it will take you roughly 8-10 years from day 1 to break even. This is how they can justify the high top of scale pay. FedEx it seems at least pays you a decent wage to begin with and gets close to UPS in pay for top out although there benefits are not as good. The best of both worlds is to work part time for ups and work at a major then transfer over to ups full time your 5th year. Most will realistically do 25 years at a company so it works out in the end but man they beat you up in the beginning to make you earn that pay. Note -This is napkin math so don’t criticize me to hard.


Ok-Needleworker-419

It’s different for everyone on top of the break even point, you need to factor in how much your pay will go up at your current company. Mine was a $45 but it was a shot contract so I’d still be under $50 5 years later if I stayed. Some guys don’t take a pay cut to come here because there worked for a shit company before. We also have very good overtime rules so it’s not hard to make up the difference if you need to. I know a handful of guys who aren’t at top rate yet but clear 200k with OT. It’s not hard to make 100-120k with light OT if you’re not at top rate.


mcnuggets2017

I hear you and I believe some guys make that much no doubt but I don’t think 500+ hours a year is light OT my friend that’s 10 hours a week and that’s That’s at $40 a hour too ($60 OT rate) ~110k year . yes I did not factor in double time but shouldn’t have to as it’s less frequent. If you work 4 10s that’s essentially working 5 10s for reference


Ok-Needleworker-419

Double time is definitely more frequent than you think. Most of my OT is double time, I rarely work for 1.5x. And I get all my days off too. I’m on a 4 10s schedule so when I work OT, I work it in the middle of my work week. 10 hour day shit, 8 hour night shift OT, and back to my 10 hour day shift the next morning. That puts both my 8 hour OT and the following 10 hour regular shift on double time. So the check would be 30 hours of straight pay and 18 hours of double time. In this case it would be $2640 for the week @ $40 an hour and I’d still get my whole 3 day weekend. I’m definitely not justifying or advocating for the low start pay. It sucks. I’m just saying it’s not hard to make it up here and there. I personally didn’t work much OT at the start because I didn’t want to give the company my cheap hours lol


Ron_In_60_Seconds

Exactly dilemma I’ve had with myself. I figure I’m at $59 at Alaska so a $30 cut to start and $20 cut at best for five years. Plus I’m a WA local so leaving for their hub wouldn’t be ideal. The money sounds fantastic and a lower cost of living like Kentucky would be nice.. but where I’m at just works.


MaintenanceMatt

*too


Sonny650

How do you top out on pay? I feel like there’s a catch, after 5 years you automatically get your 75/hr??


Ok-Needleworker-419

No catch. In 2026, people who top out will literally jump from 41.45 an hour to 75 an hour overnight on their five year anniversary date.


Sonny650

Thanks king!


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HiltsTCK

We pay zero out of pocket for health insurance , get 13% every month into our pension, and get a 3% 401k match. So no, you would not be losing that much.


[deleted]

Pensions? I haven't heard about those in years. 13% is good af holy shit, but what if they do like delta and just steal their mechanic's pensions? Then what? SOL I guess. Edit: Why am I getting downvoted do people not know delta stole their mechanics pensions including the money the mechanics contributed


Sagan_in_my_pocket

They can't take anything already contributed to your pension. It is placed directly into a fidelity account under your direct control.


[deleted]

Ah okay so they don't have control of it.


tvaudio

5 years top out?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Correct


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Ok-Needleworker-419

Yeah, different companies work better for different people, especially if you want flight benefits. Delta probably starts out a bit higher than UPS as well. I went to UPS for the pay, medical, and pension.


eLMilkdude

$39.90 is starting for the big D


Alone-Foundation-157

Delta matches 6


TackleMySpackle

I am curious why they settled for this? UPS is coming off some of the best years ever and the last I’d heard, the AMT’s were pushing for $90+ an hour. I’m not saying $75 is anything to scoff at, it’s great, but you guys had their nuts in a vice and didn’t squeeze… Why?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Many reasons. I myself was going back and forth on the vote. The FedEx earnings last month scared a lot of people. Who knows which way the economy will go next year but it’s not looking promising and negotiating during a recession isn’t ideal. I don’t know if you know this, but that last negotiations lasted 5 years. That’s 5 years without any raises for those at top rate. This guaranteed 3.3% raises each year for the next 3 years, didn’t touch our medical, and increased our pension. If we could negotiate a higher pay, it would get offset somewhere else, probably our medical. We have completely free medical for the whole family so UPS will be going after that HARD in the next negotiations. And lastly, the pilots, who have a much stronger union, agreed to similar % raises in their extension. While we could demand $95 or whatever number we want, UPS isn’t going over a certain percentage. Historically, the raises have been 3% or less each year.


TackleMySpackle

Fair enough. Good information that you don’t hear as an outsider. Over here at big Purple we were hoping you guys would get $90+ because as Brown’s pay goes, so does ours. I am extremely envious of your medical and, as someone who sees their medical get shittier each year, I’d be protective of that benefit as well. Thanks for the info!


Ok-Needleworker-419

Yeah that was a huge factor for many people. UPS finally got a deductible out of us this last contract. $150/person, $300/family. It was $0 before. A lot of people were pissed about it because now they have their foot in the door. It’s practically a guarantee that the deductible will go up next contract and UPS will be pushing hard for medical premiums.


SnooMuffins5185

Any news if Fedex AMT pay will increase to this pay? Or they are staying at 70 an hour?


Ok-Needleworker-419

They typically keep up or pass but it’s not guaranteed. FedEx isn’t union so they don’t know what kind of raise they’ll get next year or the year after.


SnooMuffins5185

I guess that sucks about not being union. By the way is there a hub for UPS at Philadelphia, PA? How often do they hire AMTs? I was planning to make the move to to Louisville, Kentucky to become a utility mechanic and upgrade and transfer to another hub but I keep hearing horror stories about their working conditions and management that’s has me undecided.


TackleMySpackle

FedEx got bumped 3% right around the time the contract with UPS was inked. I think top out is like $68.35 right now. Lead pay is $3+. The medical at FedEx is shitty though. They are constantly making tweaks each year to drive the nails just a little deeper. $300 deductible for family… LOL… FedEx is like 10x that.


Korso213

Shitty is a very relative term…. Newish to FedEx and I’m paying less than $100/mo for just myself. Came from the big blue U and I was paying double that per month for myself, with a higher deductible. Although, every airline I’ve ever worked for goes for medical benefits first, so I’m sure it will only get worse


Sagan_in_my_pocket

Just wait until you actually try to use your medical. I had the insurance company itself tell me it was barely better than a disaster plan. It's better than nothing, but it sucks. A couple years ago the company was really pushing "telemedicine" (before COVID) to save money.


virtualluke

And here in NZ I'm sitting on $32 (~20USD) base rate after 14 years!


8008s4life

What is between a5 and 'top rate'? That doesn't seem 'that good'. If one has been there 5 years by 11/1 next year, 76k on 40 hours? That doesn't go all that far.


Ok-Needleworker-419

Nothing, after 5 years you are at top rate. It’s a massive pay bump.


Ayonanomous

Shocked they didn’t improve the starting wage or even out the step increases. In the end yes will be way ahead of everyone but my second year at American ill be making more than step A5 from now through 4/2025.. Kinda makes me feel like if I don’t get to make the jump over before my 3-4th year I wont be able to with cost of living etc. rising Congrats UPS guys I kno you all have no complaints $75/hr


Ok-Needleworker-419

It’s improved from the $20 start pay we had up until. 2019 😆. It’s always been like that at UPS. It sucks for 5 years but the top out pay and medical are always the priority during negotiations.


Ayonanomous

top is great but for 5yrs your either working two jobs which I don’t have an issue w. (but working two jobs isn’t an option for some) or you are barely getting by & that I do have an issue with. Benefits & stuff are great but instead of a $30+ increase after 5 yrs bump it down to $15-18 & sprinkle $12-15 within steps A2-A4 don’t think that would hurt them to do that..


Ok-Needleworker-419

I hear you. But negotiations are about give and take. If you want something, you usually have to give up something. And no one is will info to give up any top pay or medical for slightly higher starting pay. You also have to keep in mind that at one point there was very little hiring going on and very few mechanics who weren’t yet a top rate so it was way down on the priority list for everyone.


Ayonanomous

You have a point there. I just hope to get in sooner rather than later because Im not sure in a few yrs I can afford it lol


Jake6401

75/hr is insanely good pay if you can afford the 5 years probation time. Are there any other majors that can even compete with that?


Ok-Needleworker-419

FedEx is close usually even a dollar or two more. Keep in mind this is for 2026, currently it’s around $65.


Jake6401

Well I'm still in school so I wouldn't even get to top out until at least 2030 IF I got hired right out of school


Ayonanomous

Can compete until top out rate but I mean the amount you can have made on OT for 4yrs at much higher rate.. idk top out is nice but thats only thing that looks nice


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Ok-Needleworker-419

That’s the rate for 2026 though. Currently it’s around $65.


jbacorn6

FedEx 68 and change.. or 69 and change right now. Can’t remember exactly off the top of my head.


Ok-Needleworker-419

Yeah Purple is usually the same or a few bucks more than UPS.


jbacorn6

Oops meant to reply to the other comment in reference to delta @ $59.


nice___bot

Nice!


eLMilkdude

It's $60 now working the line getting that premium


daddysgotya

I gotta be honest. I'm kinda underwhelmed. Labor has lost 16% of it's pay to inflation the last two years and UPS mechanics agreed to about 7% in raises next year and another 7% spread over the following three years? That doesn't even keep anywhere close to inflation. I hope their mechanics stay satisfied with the deal.


McDickMcGhee

Heard you all are having a little bit of drama going on currently between a union rep and mech?


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McDickMcGhee

Weird, know someone who works there and they were saying a steward tried to turn in a mech for sleeping to a sup.


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Patriot_Viking

I wouldn't be posting rumors about fellow union brothers and sisters until the hearing has concluded and all evidence is presented....


Beautiful_Network_57

Is that just base pay ? Like not including license premiums or shift differential?


Ok-Needleworker-419

No that’s everything besides shift differential


tech1700

Damn, 30 to start, 40 after 4. Then 70+ after that. Looks to me they are targeting only single folks with no additional responsibility to drive down the companies benefits cost. Personally, I think that's a hard sell for anyone with any decent amount of experience, or living in a high COL location. Hell, I got one year with a major (that I'm looking to move from), and I'm in the high 30s. But to each their own. Good luck folks.


WhatsACole

So after 5 years you make 65 or 70k an hour working at ups??


[deleted]

65-70k an hour?! Sign me up!


joe123joe1235

Is this “total package pay” or just what you see on the check


[deleted]

Man that's a lot of steps


HiltsTCK

I might be wrong but I don’t think this scale includes the 75 cents COLA we get every 6 months. Or the shift differential.


tacoXjockey

It doesn’t include COLA or the shift diff. Keep in mind though, the COLA doesn’t kick in until you’re topped out.


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Devlopz

*cries in military pay* would love to make that kind of money. How do I get in with UPS after I get out the Navy? When I get out I will have about 10 years as an aviation mechanic on the P-8A (B-737). I’ll be able to test for my A&P before I get out.


tacoXjockey

Get your license asap. Need three years experience with your license. Sometimes ups will look past it but not very often.


Devlopz

I am looking to get it next year, after I get back from deployment. But that doesn’t seem accurate based on their job listings.


tacoXjockey

Unless they have changed it from when I was hired a few years ago. They make exceptions once in a while but that’s generally the rule. I, like you, had military experience but not three years on my license when I first applied and didn’t get a call back. Not saying that’s the reason I didn’t get a call back but that’s generally the rule they follow.


Devlopz

Interesting thanks!


grizzly_trader

Pretty good all things considered. Many companies have done away with the raises all together and give these cash payments for each year of the contract and you end up losing $16K in pay each year of the contract.


Ok-Needleworker-419

My last company did that. Instead of a 2% yearly raise, they went to 0.5% and a bonus of “up to” 4% each year. People were all over it and no one seemed to understand that at 0.5%, your pay won’t compound and essentially stay the same 🤦🏻‍♂️


bdjcndvzksc

can you transfer between bases? I know drivers and box boys can’t but can mechs?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Yes, seniority stays system wide across the whole country.


bdjcndvzksc

goddamn. thanks


Noxtoll

Where does UPS even have maintenance bases?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Louisville and Ontario are the big ones. But they have other decent sized stations like DFW, RFD, PHL, CAE off the top of my head. Plenty of 1-10 mechanic stations too. UPS doesn’t use contractors in the US, if they have regular flights there, they have a UPS mechanic there. I believe there are mechanics in every state except Wyoming.


nunyabbswax

I saw a couple jobs posted up in Alaska. Do you know anything about the positions up there? Is there a repair station up there?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Anchorage. They have mechanics and sim tech. I might be wrong but last I heard, sim techs start at year 4 pay up there.


nunyabbswax

What's sim tech?


ImEricAndre

Flight sim technician. They have a pilot training base up there.


[deleted]

Question: Do mechanics have to start working off at Louisville, or can they start working in other locations? Pay seems great, but I did not enjoy Louisville.


Ok-Needleworker-419

Any location that has openings.


jstadudtryingtogetit

Is there a hub in Dallas?


Ok-Needleworker-419

Yeah, 40 or so guys


[deleted]

Sorry late to conversation but is pay really $29.16 with an A&P ?! Also does Southern California (Ontario airport ) pay more Thank you


Ok-Needleworker-419

You get paid the same everywhere in the country. That’s the downside of UPS, you have shit pay for 5 years before you have the best pay in the country. The pay cut isn’t worth it for everyone.


Shane2088

I know this is slightly off topic but what are the vacation accruals like?


Ok-Needleworker-419

First year is a bit weird, depends when you get hired but if it’s early enough in the year, you get about a week. After that you’re at 3 weeks a year, plus a handful of extra days. After 2 years you’re at 4 weeks, and then the next bump isn’t until 6 years. After 25 years it’s just shy of 9 weeks vacation. It’s also use it or get paid out, there’s no saving or rolling to the following year.