Checking the BROWN Pool!
 

Still treading here! Curious how many poolies are still around and if any are still updating to the FAX number on the pool letter?

Still here.

But the fax number didn't work last time I tried - kept getting a busy signal.

Man oh man, I'm not so sure I would want to swim in something called a "Brown Pool"...

Just a play on words as I did swim there at one time too!:cool:

I am still swimming myself. Update number didn't work last time I tried!

Still hoping for the best.... but, I have not heard anything from UPS.

My app is still "active". I am not sure what the deal is.

Johnny
"Still keeping the faith"

Hey swimmers, I wouldn't even think about getting a call for 3-5 years. Not very positive I know, but things here will not be better for quite sometime. Keep a positive attitude but be realistic.

I think you are probably right, but there are a lot of factors at play that could
change it a little either way....76's showing up, change in duty day, what we
do with the managers, age 65 retirements in about 2 years...gonna be intersting...

Thanks for the straight talk FR8T, we appreciate the information.

Please if you hear or see anything, any piece or scrap of information, please post ASAP. We all feel like we are in a communication black-hole.

Would it kill them to send us an email that says "hang in there, dont call us we will call you when we need you"? I guess it would, we are just pilots..... dime a dozen, necessary evil etc.

Rant over.....

Johnny

That should give you an insight into how UPS treats its employees.

I wish you luck, but I do not predict any hiring until 2012.

Are you floating in the Brown pool or did you sink to the bottom?

Well, Johnny, There probably isn't even a "them" anymore to send that email. I think that the hiring department has moved on.

This is probably a good assessment of the hiring that won't occur. The company is doing what it does with every economic pull back making the company more efficient and reduce costs. They maintained prior to our layoff mitigation that they could have cut 250 to 500 pilots or 20% of the pilot group. It would have been interesting and painful to watch but, they would have tried. Good Luck.

I called a few months back to see if I could learn anything. I was finally passed to a woman who tried to answer my questions about pool status, having to reinterview, faxing updates, etc. She really couldn't tell me anything except they are no longer excepting fax updates. (Would have been nice if they had notified us of that.) She said all of the other stuff would be decided by whomever is in charge of hiring when the time comes. Am I in the Brown pool? I don't know...

Razor - did you talk to Sharnika? She's still in charge of HR/hiring issues... I know she still attends a few job fairs here and there mainly when they'd made prior commitments, etc...

As far as them not letting you folks know - well, personally I think they simply assume the info you got when you all were put in the pool hasn't changed... "We'll call you when we need you", etc...

Maybe I'm too optimistic but I don't think it'll be 3 years before "we need you" - I think it'll be sooner than that... I also think (and hope) that all of you are still in our pool... When UPS conserves resources they simply redeploy majority of the HR department to other departments leaving a skeleton crew which is probably why y'all haven't heard anything...

Good luck to you all and hope to see you onboard sooner than it appears right now... Can't wait to start reading your posts here on how much ya'll dislike the brown uniform or how dated our pre-WWII phone system seems to be, or... :D

No, it wasn't Sharnika unfortunately. The women I spoke with was trying to be helpful it's just that she didn't know the answers to the questions I was asking. I would've liked to ask to speak with somebody else that knew but I didn't think that was such a good idea :D

I see UPS will be in Atlanta for the OBAP convention 4-8 Aug. I can't make it but maybe somebody will be able to attend and let the rest of us know what is said. Also, looks like the WAI conference is scheduled for 25-27 Feb next year.

I'll check if my friend will be going to the two conferences (recruiter for a different airline) and if so I'll ask her to get some inside info if she can...

By the way, a WAI conference is how I got an interview here... Went to the seminar with a lady friend who never got the call herself, go figure... I guess I was in touch with my feminine side on that day... ;)

PS. Having been to all those conferences before (AirInc, OBAP, WAI, etc) I think WAI has the best set up of them all...

Consider yourselves lucky if you are not in the UPS pilot pool.

This place is a miserable place to work and I count coming here as the biggest mistake that I have made so far in life.

I am 100% serious. Do not sacrifice your happiness and family for UPS. They will use you, abuse you, wreck your family life and not give a rat's ass about it. It is not worth it!

Well, have you thought about leaving? I don't mean to be disrespectful, I really don't...

You know very well it's hard to work with people who're miserable and unhappy; and you sound like such a person... Maybe you should look into an expat deal: Emirates, Cathay, etc? Or maybe even a profession change? I think that being miserable will affect your health in the long run...

I'm probably only a few numbers senior to you (or maybe even junior, I'm not sure) but I have a totally different outlook on things... At least you have a family to share your life with; sure things will get tough but if you explain things to them I’m sure they’ll be patient and supportive of you... I don't have a family anymore, not by choice but that's just how it is... Yet, I refuse to stoop down to your level of misery because I am a half-full type of a person...

Just look around you and maybe you’ll see some people who’d love to be in your shoes… Almost every week I talk to friends who’re desperate for any type of a flying job, or simply a job… Laid off form JAL, furloughed from Midwest, etc, etc, etc. Heck, even regionals have been laying people off…

I know that other peoples' misfortune won’t make your life easier per se BUT try to find some positive aspects in your life or do something to change it (i.e. new job) or you’ll be very miserable for a long time…

Wish you and your family the best…

Ouch, wow, I am sorry to hear that.

That is why I want to enjoy and spend as much time with my kids as I can because it could all end in a flash without warning.

I'm positive that if I spend the next five years commuting to ANC and missing my kids grow up during these young years will be something that I regret for the rest of my life.

I wish you the best also.

Let me get this straight -

1) You'all are told to update via fax. Then they disconnect the fax without warning.

2) You get a hold of someone who seems nice but does not offer any assistance in answering your questions, does not offer to get back to you and does not direct you to someone who might know. All she does know is you should stop your only means of contact with the company, the faxing of updates.

3) You think chasing down a UPS rep at a show will get you the "missing" info and help out the poolies. Doesn't hiring have all of your contact information?

4) UPS made previous long term poolies interview again. How long were they in the pool? Almost 3 years?


Hmmm......


Maybe they're trying to tell you something.

I don't think they're trying to tell him anything.

It is just the UPS pilot hiring way of (not) doing things and (not) communicating.

I doubt the decision has been made on what to do with the poolies.

The pilot HR office (hiring) has been empty for over a year.

It will probably be empty for a couple more, unfortunately.

And imagine UPS treating you exactly the same way in every other aspect of the job once you are on property. There is no difference, and this treatment that you are getting now from UPS should be a big clue to you about how they will treat you when you are here.

This place is miserable, and it's got 100 years worth of momentum behind it so it ain't changing.

If you are so unhappy here...quit and move on. Give your spot up for someone who wants to be here. The grass is never greener on the other side. Do you really think any other "corporation" gives a rats ass about you or your family? We're all just numbers. Get over it. I'm thankful that I was selected to work here. I'm in a better position than most of my brethren and my family is reaping the benefits from it. It's not close to perfect, but it's the best I can hope for.

Am I the only one on here that enjoys my job or at least doesn't mind it too much? Show up, fly, collect a check every 2 weeks. It's business, no more, no less. The scheds can suck but there's a negotiated benefit that can help you deal with that when necessary...I don't know where you were previously, but if it was direct from that P-3 in your avatar, you don't know the definition of working for a miserable employer.

UPSMISTAKE,

I'm in the bottom 200 here and commuting to ANC. I have a family and was happy when I got the call to come here. In the last two months, held CA reserve...got assigned one short 5 day trip and spend the rest of the time home getting released and vastly improving my golf handicap. Also doing reduce guaranteed, but still making twice the the amount of money from all previous companies. Oh yeah, getting to spend lots of time with the kids and spouse and was finally asked by spouse to get out of the house to fish or golf. Sorry for your misery, but I've also heard complaint from Captains at the top of the seniority list making 250K +. Dude, life is what you make it...find the positive in your circumstance and enjoy it.

Slice,

You're not the only one. I'm with you. I've been biting my tongue this whole time reading this post. UPS will never love you. As MD11Pilot so eloquently stated, we are just a number - a cog in the wheel. Show up to work, do your thing, enjoy the company of your fellow crewmembers, and go home at the end of the trip. I never worry if my paycheck will show up. With all of the warts that UPS has, this has been the best job so far for me. We have a lot of great crewmembers. I'm currently on a weeklong Europe/Asia jaunt, and I'm having a great time. When I get home, I'll forget about UPS, not answer the phone with a 502 area code, and enjoy my month off with a vacation to Ixtapa. Sure beats my 4 on/3 off sked at my former airline.

If UPSMISTAKE is for real, and not just wanking the chain, he needs to look elsewhere for employment. The depression/anger/heartburn/anxiety will kill him quicker than UPS ever could. THAT is the harsh reality of the thread.

Well that's all fine and good but most of us in the crosshairs are on half pay and unable to makes ends meet long term. I thought that RDG would protect my job, but it basically protected it until January 1st, and at half pay at that so I am unable to even save up now.

Also, I wonder if the three months pay in lieu of 90 day furlough notice will be paid out at the RDG rate since I was awarded it all next year???

"Awarded' is used loosely. I guess I can figure everything out on my commute to the great white north where I will sit for the next decade! Yuck!

Dude,

You've done the analysis. You've come to the right conclusion... and yet you keep posting "Woe is me"... Why? Hoping someone here will talk you into a different conclusion? Hoping someone here will wave a wand and make everything better for you?

Don't EVER do anything you know ahead of time that you'll "regret for the rest of your life".

You have the right answer for you, now it's time to man up and pull the trigger on a career change. But stop the puling. It's embarrassing, and will be a hinderance in your next job.

I agree, the HR offices are empty most of the time which is why there's no communication...

I wasn't even one of the 300 but am also at half pay so you wouldn't be getting laid off... I don't regret volunteering at all and am not asking for a thank you from you or anyone else because I did it for myself too (more time off)... ...but seriously, what other places do you know where pilots get together to save their brothers' and sisters' jobs? Hate UPS all you want but you're working with a bunch of good folks... That alone should keep you thinking in a positive way...