Reality Check EP 014

The hosts discuss various issues related to part-time employees and holiday work at UPS. They mention that part-timers are not being paid correctly and express frustration with the company's payroll system. They also discuss the hiring of outside workers and how it affects the workload and guarantees for existing employees. The hosts criticize the lack of changes in the contract regarding holiday work and the company's intimidation tactics. They also mention the possibility of discipline and harassment towards newer drivers. This is Teamster Power 767 Reality Check with Jeff Schoenfeld and Garfield Hooper. So Garfield, how was your Thanksgiving? Oh man, I am still stuffed. I've still got leftovers in the fridge to eat and whew. Yeah, it's always a lot, right? Yeah, it is. It's just gorgeous. I was just like, okay. But did you wind up working the day after Thanksgiving? You know, which was your own choice if you did? I did. I ended up working. It's hard to turn that money down. But thankfully I had a lot of drivers in my center that did. A lot of guys that stayed home and spent that time with their families and I'm really glad that they did. Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, everyone needs that time and everyone has to make that choice. Do they want to do the money or is it right now I just want to spend it with my family? Whether the company likes it or not, they've got that choice. Exactly, exactly. We'll see what happens with MLK Day, see what they do with that holiday. Oh, God. So today we just want to bring up something we already brought up because we're in it right now. Okay, the PVDs, which I still, I say that word. Oh, no, SSDs. God, the SSDs, the PVDs, so whatever the heck you want to call them. So the part-timers inside, they can work until January 15th. They get first, they've had first shot, they were able to do that. And then the outside hires are until December 26th. I want you to remember that because these outside hires, if they're working past the 26th, you're filing. Everyone's filing. Oh, yeah, they should be, 100%. And, yeah, it's, you know, the fact that they're even allowed to do it is just ridiculous. But, you know, I think that with those, you know, you have those dates there. I think one of the biggest issues when it comes to this time of year is the pay for like the helpers, right? You know, helpers aren't getting paid, helpers aren't getting paid. And as drivers, I know, you know, it frustrates us. Like they're working with us, they're out there doing what we're doing, and you don't pay them? Well, in the past, like a lot of the problems that they would like to blame it on the drivers, of course, were always scapegoats. You know, you didn't turn in your sheet or you didn't put down the right numbers or whatever. And now it's like, well, everything's done on the dyad, and they're still not getting paid right. So maybe it wasn't the driver's issue all along. Maybe it was yours. I don't know. Yeah, it was. And, you know, what was it? A couple weeks ago, a couple of the helpers, you know, worked in the hub. I was talking to them. They're like, yeah, we got paid $16 an hour. I'm like, what? No, no, no, no, that's not right. That's not right. And, you know, you see the look on their faces. And, you know, it's part-timers. You know, we were all there. It's tough when you're a part-timer, you know, with the money and whatnot. Oh, yeah. So we went right. We got all their names, the ones who were paid wrong. We got right with the supervisors, and we got them paid on the next check. And, you know, the fact that they would come up to me and say, hey, Jeff Winner, we appreciate it. And that's great. We got you paid. That's good. And it didn't take a month. Like, you wonder why these people drop off and don't want to work anymore, right? Exactly. They don't want to do the – I mean, and then, well, we can't get helpers. We can't hire enough helpers. Well, why don't you pay them, and maybe you might be able to hold on. Yeah. Why does this billion-dollar company have to fix this? Yeah. Their payroll system every time. Like, any time something like this comes up, like payroll, we'll screw it up with, you know, now it's – you know, they're getting paid $16 an hour, so the 21. It's not only more work for us, you know, because we have to go around and make sure people are getting paid correctly. When we find out it's happening to one, you know, you know it's happening to more than one. Oh, yeah. And then, you know, management's got to jump through hoops to try to get it done right. And, like, why don't we just, you know, get a decent payroll company and just – Yeah. I mean, seriously. I mean, it's the basics here. One of the – in 2026, they're supposed to get a new payroll system. Oh, yeah. Is that what it is? Supposedly. Yeah, supposedly. But, I mean, it's always something. Hey, I think we mentioned this in a previous podcast. I said with all this money they're saving, paying people incorrectly, they're going to be able to pay for that payroll system. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. With the people who don't want – you know, the couple of minutes here that they take, couple of minutes there, and the people don't want to file, yeah, there it is. There's the money right there. Yep. That's, you know, so basically stealing. Yeah. Basically. Yeah. I mean, it's basically stealing. You have any of those situations going on right now up at your building? Yeah, we've got a couple. We've got an air pool guy that works in the evenings running the air to DFW. He signed up to do the SSD stuff so he could get, you know, eight hours. Yeah. And they haven't used him. They just started using PVDs in our building this week. Okay. And they haven't used him all week. He reached out to me and I went and spoke to management on both sides of our building. Yeah. And they both said, like, oh, yeah, yeah, we'll get something figured out. Nothing's – he hasn't been used at all this week. So I told him, I said, that's just free money for you. You ought to file because he only, you know, usually gets, you know, four or five hours a day. So – Yeah. Yesterday there was – I got a call from one of the other buildings, one of the stewards from the other buildings. Like, well, you know, they told us to come in and then, you know, they didn't have work for some of the people. I said, you come in, you still, you know, get your guarantees at double time. Yeah. It even says your guarantee at double time. And I said, are there helpers working? Yes, there were helpers working. Oh, there were helpers working but then there weren't drivers working. So, once again, doing things backwards, right? I mean, God, it's – when does it end? But we know it's never going to end. Yeah. I think what they do so well is, you know, screwing things up. But I just wanted to say one thing. The PVDs, the part-timers who work in the hub, there's new language, there's specific language for this, and I need everyone to hear this. Part-time employees shall be paid their inside rate or the RPCD start rate, whichever is higher. Part-time employees performing the inside job and seasonal delivery using their own vehicle shall have an eight-hour daily guarantee but shall be obligated to complete their inside job in addition to performing the seasonal support work. Now, that's combination guaranteed eight hours. Yeah. Part-time and doing the helping. Okay, that's a total. You get that guarantee of eight hours that they put in there. I mean, that's – like I said, I'm not happy with having the PVDs, but if we get the insiders who work at the company, at least let them get some sort of eight-hour guarantee. They're going to be doing both. I'm not mad. I'm not mad at the part-timers getting the opportunity. It's the outsiders. It's the outside hires. Yeah. I don't care. That's exactly it. It really is. It's the outsiders, and it's just – and wait, who allowed this again? Wait, how did this get in the contract again? I don't know. I don't know, man. Like – Yeah. Yeah. Because wasn't that one of the things we were supposed to get rid of in this contract, just like altogether? I thought so. Yeah. I thought so, but that didn't happen. No. So we're here, and we have to deal with it. But the existing part-timers, okay, let's give them a shot. Give them the eight-hour total guarantee, and let's make sure they get paid right. Yeah. Let's make sure they do that. You know what I did see, though? I want to tell you something for, like, the drivers. You know how it's – it says legal holiday, right? It says legal holiday on the UPSs. But I did see someplace where it says working holiday. I don't know. Maybe it's – The time cards. On the time cards thing, it says working holiday for us. Yes. Yeah. Oh. Oh. So they're putting whatever they want in there, or because – I don't know. Do you see working holiday in the contract at all? I don't. I mean, anywhere? That's not language I'm aware of in the contract. No. I'm not aware of it either. Pretty well on the contract, though. And I haven't seen that, but – And they're going to do the same thing they always do, is, you know, they're going to bring everybody that didn't show up on Friday and write them up on Monday. And we had the opportunity to put this in the contract, because this has been a thing for a while since, you know, online shopping has been – has grown. You know, about the time I got – started driving was about the time we started working everybody on the day after Thanksgiving. And we had an opportunity in this contract to say, hey, people have an option to come in on a holiday. Yes. As opposed to, you know, the company – letting the company continue to take the stance that they can force anybody they want in on a holiday. And we didn't do that. So they're going to continue to write everybody up. And, you know, it's intimidation. And we're continuing to let it happen. And, yes, and we had an opportunity to change it, and the ball was dropped once again. And, you know, we know that the discipline is going to go away, but it's the harassment of it. And, you know, my sense is they won't come near me or any of the other stewards. They're not going to say a word. You know, they're going to try to get these newer drivers. Yes. And just get them on the side. Hey, listen, you have to come in. Hey, listen, you have to come in. Hey, listen, you have to come in. And that's the stuff that I really – that's so – it's wrong. That reminds me. So we've got a big group chat with a bunch of the drivers and some of the part-timers in our building. And a couple of them reached out to us yesterday and said, hey, you know, our – the local sort, their supervisor is sending them text messages that, oh, in this new contract we traded MLK for the ability to force you guys in on the holiday. And I just started laughing. And I said, so the guy's just outright lying to you. Like that's just a lie. So I said, hey, it's like, don't – tell them you're not going to come in. Like you're going to observe the holiday and spend it with your family. Don't worry about it. Absolutely. He'll probably write you up, but it's not going to go anywhere. I said, but also, since he's outright lying to you and he knows he's lying to you, I'd probably file an Article 37 grievance on it. And while you're at it, here's the ethics hotline. You know, you might want to call and report him for, you know, knowingly lying to his employees. Absolutely. I mean, that's absolute because, you know, we know it's illegal. I mean, it's a legal holiday. You don't have to work. If you're getting paid holiday pay, you don't have to work. It's your choice. And, you know, the fact that they do this every single working holiday. You know, they tell the public it shows. Oh, we're open for business, normal holiday. But, you know, in the contract, you know, it says it's a holiday. So how can you really force this? You can't. But it's an option. Just let it be that way, you know. I mean, just – and that's where we could, if we had the language in the contract where management lies, if they do something that we do, they should have the same repercussions. You know, the same thing should happen. If you had said a bald-faced lie to that supervisor, just like he just did to you, you would have been terminated. Done. Walked out. Done. And that's with everything that, you know, we talk about. You know, the bottom line is the company is going to pull stuff. We always have to abide by the contract, okay. We don't want to be the party in this that is doing wrong things. Let's just do the right thing. Yeah. And just put everything back on them. We don't want to give them any reason. And the fact that they do this is just – it's unbelievable. And they know it, too. They know it's wrong and, you know. Well, some of them know it's wrong. But this is what we deal with. And we just don't – we just want to protect everyone from the things that management does. That's really everything in a nutshell. You know, knowing your rights, knowing the contract, and that's why we do this. That's what it's about. And the more you know your rights, the less people that will show up being forced in. If they do it on their own, that's fine. But less people will be forced in. You'll notice less people, you know. I mean, the money's good, but it won't be the same thing, you know, that they're being forced. It's just – it's the principle of the whole thing like anything else. All right. Well, listen. We covered this. I know we had talked about it before, but we went into a couple other things that we hadn't. It's important. And I think that, you know, random times will bring up these things. It's more about repetition, everyone hearing it and constantly hearing it. And that's what we need. Anyway, I'm Jeff Schenfeld. And I'm Garfield Hooper. We all deal with national language. But on this podcast, when it comes to supplemental language, we deal mostly with the southern region. And as always, it's best to get advice from your local stewards or business agents. If you would like to reach out to us with any questions, we have an email address. 767realitycheck at gmail.com. That's 767realitycheck at gmail.com. And remember, strong people stand up for themselves. The strongest people stand up for others.