New hires
 

I jump seated into work yesterday and the FO was brand new. Just finished consolidating. He told me HALF of his class of 30 has already left. Can't say I blame them right now. Think twice before you come here right now if you have other offers. That being said I do believe this will pass eventually but right now the schedules keep getting worse every bid period ( even international ). The culture here has always been different but not like this.

I'm a few years in and just past the age of point of no return. So I'm committed. But if I were three years younger and a commuter I would be out the door. Living in base bidding reserve and trying to hide is the only way to eat this brown sandwich. This is the only aviation job I've had that feels like work. They get their money's worth. Which by industry standards these days....is not exceptional. If you live in SDF....sure. But if youre going to commute. Anywhere else would be sufficient or probably a better gig.

This will pass?

Sincerely speaking what has gotten better here over the past couple of years?

I'm trying to think of what has gotten better here since I came on board. Maybe the radar list for reserve? That is actually better.

The electronic flight plans are nice. But then it just drives you absolutely up the wall you have to use MS authenticator to log into it every single day.

But meaningful improvements?

only real meaningful improvements I can think of that have made working life better are the switch to iPads, the sleep rooms, and and the 767 bunk container………pretty pathetic for being here almost 20 yrs…… 99% of everything as a whole just seems to deteriorate and go downhill.

I’ll throw OCV into that list. The ability to take long stretches away from the suck is literally the only thing that’s making this place bearable at the moment. To the point being made though; I don’t see much changing here anytime soon. Company has made clear that a contract is a long way off & in the meantime, they will continue to willfully make life miserable for their employees. They are undoubtedly planning in real time, as the contract is negotiated, ways to circumvent even the most direct language that’s written, and will be ready with new and improved ****ery before the ink is dry once we finally have something. I was told when I was hired here: “It’s the best job you’ll ever have…..working for the worst people”. While that advice was on point, the updated version is: “it’s maybe the fifth or sixth best job you’ll ever have…..working for the worst people”.

New hires
 

Minimal improvements at best. Sleep rooms were a negotiated improvement and they aren’t all that great. PRM is certainly a game changer for Z guys. The company wiping their ass with the contract has reached new levels and seeing little to nothing being done to counter this. MD-11 bid packs with Euro flying, denial of premiums, etc… Whatever backroom deals the union is giving the company better be worth it come contract time. Oh, good luck on any grievance, it will be swept under the carpet. My guess is our unity fund is buying more martinis and steak dinners for the company negotiators after each “bargaining session”. Too bad we can’t crash that party!

I challenge you to make that allegation face to face with the EB and negotiating team. Have a feeling you won't.

You have zero proof things like that are occurring, so why say it?

My 2 cents:

• Sleep rooms: big improvement: additional floor of privates and 50+ ground floor semi privates in SDF, then ones in PHL, ONT, RFD, CGN and others. This should have been done by company vs negotiated for but that’s the company we all chose to work for.
• PRM (76 sleep/rest module): still amazed how good that thing is. Pretty much everything done right. I know from first hand reporting how crucial IPA team was in the final result.
• Grievances: pretty big slap in the face to grievance team with above comments. Theres an argument to be made for the big ticket items that are stagnating but Again, the company you chose to work for. and don’t overlook Bill M and team are very successful in many others smaller ticket items and some of those, “back door deals,” are the G team bypassing the grievance process for a better/faster outcome for crewmember.
• Increased dues being used to wine and dine the company: The EB addressed the cost of negotiations especially while in government shutdown conditions. Easy to make accusations of questionable behavior without evidence/proof. I personally have no problem with a little wining and dining, but I have sales experience - clear guy losing his chit over it doesn’t. Note: I don’t recall EB saying they spend money directly buying the company drinks or dinner.

Historically ups turns up the heat during negotiations and backs off after TA is signed. One issue that isn’t discussed is that this happens every contract so 30+% of career at UPS is under these difficult conditions.

As Boiler and I have repeatedly stated over 10+ years, a career at UPS is not for everyone but it CAN be for you and work out really good if it is. For me this job is inbetween - it works and there are a bunch of pros that are overshadowed by the cons. DO YOUR research. If you’re 121, jumpseat through our system, more than once. Get copies of the bid pack, look at the pairings and chair fly through them. Read these forums - not much has changed in the big picture aspect so you can go back more than 10 yrs and still get good conceptual understanding. The disgruntled posters on here, take with a grain of salt, always that 10% in any group, but don’t dismiss them either.

My personal opinion is these next couple of years will reveal the quality of a ups career going forward: if our TA is a winner or loser or neutral, the effects of current geopolitical issues, and how legacies fare at their next round of contract talks. Basically a gamble going anywhere. I will say that if we don’t get significant improvements on our next TA, I’d definitely be looking elsewhere in most cases.

Many did all the research possible, but many never imagined it is this bad even after extensive research.

Any regional pilot would roll their eyes at this. As would guys and gals from ACMI, ME, Asian contracts etc.
Now the legacies, probably not. But they are a contract ahead and facing some stiff economic/ geopolitical headwinds that express logistics has typically weathered better in the past.

“This bad:” Personally, I’m not getting hit with payroll errors, denied premiums, or much other bs guys are reporting. I’ve gotten revised more than normal but usually it ends up being less work albeit at the cost of preferred layovers, a beneficial CML, or shorter (min rest) layovers. It is what it is - I show up, do my week on-off trips, take my extensive vacations (some courtesy of conflict bidding) and otherwise forget this place on my days off. So for me it’s at the annoying stage, well, more annoying than usual phase. I try to remember this is temporary due to contract negotiations. If it isn’t, I’ll deal with that once it actually materializes vs ASSUMING the future is all doom and gloom. Not selling this place, just giving my honest review. For reference: I’m domestic around 50% on my fleet. The pros of Intl comes with special bs to deal with which is currently amplified and I’d probably be beyond the annoyed phase if I was over there.

MD-11 intl flying in bid pack: For outsiders looking in seeking context, what’s going on is ups playing games to avoid paying contractual extra $$ and guys are getting pi$$ed off because of it. These ‘games’ are blatant contract violations. MD peeps are getting paid and not turning a wheel for 6 months to a year so it’s not like they are getting screwed; However, a small # of Z guys (76 intl) are - from lost opportunities/ good deals that were supposed to be there under the contract. Basically, it’s just 1 more example in an already long list demonstrating the ‘de facto unenforceability’ of our contract due to UPS’s habitual non compliance and the almost complete lack of accountability they enjoy. Bottom line, we are supposed to be getting more good deals/$$ out of this MD fiasco - company is violating the contract to avoid that. Anyway, good (simplified) behind the scenes examlle for those researching.