Excessive Overtime
"We need tougher 9.5 penalties in the national contract that requires management to adjust our loads.
"Pay penalty is great. But it doesn't stop the 11-hour days or get me home at night to see my family.
"UPS preaches safety and keeping your body healthy, but they keep us out until 9 or 10 o'clock at night so we're eating dinner late and not getting enough sleep. It's a total contradiction.
"We're a big, profitable company and our customers are happy. We need to hire more people and get drivers home at a decent hour so we can have a more balanced life."
— Rich Pawlikowski, Package Driver, Local 804, New York
More Drivers Means Less Harassment
"We need clear enforceable language that makes UPS create more driving jobs in centers where that is needed to cover the work.
"Management has been cutting and combining loads, putting more work on the drivers and keeping us out until all hours of the night. This is no accident. The company is doing this to maximize profits and they don't care about us.
"Vague language that management has to 'maintain a sufficient workforce' isn't going to cut it. That gives UPS way too much wiggle room."
— Steve Spann, Package Driver, Local 413, Columbus, Ohio
Technology Harassment
"The number-one way drivers are harassed is from Telematics and GPS. It's only going to get worse with ORION which is like Telematics on steroids.
"In the last contract, Ken Hall gave UPS the loophole to use technology to discipline us in cases of 'dishonesty.' UPS has twisted and exploited that language. It's got to go.
"The National Negotiating Committee has proposed the right language for Article 6: that UPS can't discipline drivers based solely on information from technology. Ken Hall needs to stick to his guns this time, not cave in, or drivers are going to pay the price."
— Matt Maini, Package Driver, Local 251, Providence, R.I.
SurePost—More Jobs or Just More Harassment?
"The International is demanding that more SurePost packages come on the package car for final delivery. That's the right thing.
"But are we going to get more jobs out of this or just more packages? I am already working 10, 11 and even 12-hour days. Drivers who file 9.5s are harassed, intimidated and unfairly scrutinized and disciplined through telematics.
"An agreement on SurePost that doesn't make UPS create more driving jobs is just going to mean more boxes, higher stop counts, longer hours and more harassment."
— Martin Labut, Package Driver, Local 243, Detroit
Part-Time Pay Increases
"In 1982 starting rate for part-timers was $8. This has gone up 50 cents in the last 30 years, and that's absolutely ridiculous! If wages had been adjusted for inflation we'd be making over $19/hr today. I'm not saying we need that much now, but we're looking for big increases.
"Raising the wage is going to help us keep good employees. Right now there is no incentive to work without decent pay and having to wait so long for benefits.
"We also need to know we're taking care of the UPSers who are here already. The last time starting pay was raised existing part-timers also got a bump in their pay. We need that again."
— Paul Trujillo, Preload, Local 651, Lexington, Ky.