Using this as springboard because a bit misunderstood.
IPA Apprentice members are members. Classified as those who are probationary crew members. Protected by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Don't pay dues (can't vote), but can work on a Committee and attend meetings. Some disciplinary limitations in Article 7 in first year, but otherwise, from the IPA Constitution and Bylaws:

4. APPRENTICE
a. An Apprentice member is a Crewmember who has not yet completed the required Company probationary period (regular or extended), as stipulated in the UPS/IPA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
b. An Apprentice member shall not be required to pay dues until the beginning of the pay period following the pay period in which he completes his probationary period with the Company.
c. An Apprentice member shall not owe any part of an assessment that is levied prior to the beginning of the pay period following the pay period in which he completes his probationary period with the Company.
d. An Apprentice member shall be responsible for fees and fines.
e. An Apprentice member shall be required to complete and return to the Secretary his Application for Membership and to the Treasurer his Dues Check-off Card and his Initiation Fee Check-off Card;
f. An Apprentice member not in arrears is entitled to General Rights and only the following Participatory Rights:
(1) Attend and participate in GMMs;
(2) Attend open sessions of Executive Board Meetings;
(3) Be a Committee member, if approved by the Executive Board member tasked with oversight.

Bottom Line, Like other member classifications of the IPA, they are technically IPA members.

 

Drop off your resume at the UPS booth tomorrow.

 

Boom!

Im down to 5 more months... Never been happier I made this move to Brown. Ive told everyone I speak with, 'if you can't afford the first year, you can't afford the next 20 after that".

 

Yes first year pay sucks. But you must have poor financial planning if you can't live off $45k for one year.

 

????

Most of us coming from the regionals were well above $100K when we gave our two weeks notice to come to ups. Sure, I was able to live off $45K/yr when I was single, childless, and in my early 20's at the regionals. But after over 20 years in this pos thing called a profession I will not apologize for having children, a responsible mortgage, or various other financial obligations during my midlife years and UPS's assanine year 1 pay (for which we cut everything and reduced our output by a third but we're still over $45K for the year). No way in hell was I going to sell my house for a loss to move into some low income housing shiphole with crappy school districts, sell my cars to use public transit, feed my family crap food, skip a year of kid's sports, music lessons, 401K payments, etc., hold off on healthcare treatments, house/car maintenance, drink crap wine or use single ply TP just to prove I could survive at an arbitrary income level. We planned, financially, to go to DAL or UAL. UPS called first and like everyone else before and after us, we made it work. Perhaps rethink your bad financial planning comment a little.

 

I've heard from Top Men! that UPS was not willing to raise first year pay beyond the 14.65% everybody got at date of signing, even to be competitive with FDX/DAL/UAL/etc. first year...because "we don't have to".

I was also told the company wouldn't entertain a "leveling" of first and second year rates, taking money from the second year rate and giving it to the first year rate, providing the same net but helping first year be a bit more palatable.

My wife works so I didn't go into debt my first year, even with a mortgage and two kids with childcare expenses...but it did require strict budgeting and a 'recalibration' of lifestyle for a year.

We even drank boxed wine - the horror - somehow we persevered.

 

Sell a house? Sell your cars?? C'mon, aren't you being a little bit melodramatic?

No offense but everyone coming here knows what the first year pay is. Wish it was higher - but it isn't.
Some people advocate "leveling" the first 2 years' pay, in other words make more during year 1 and less during year 2.
Well, I did just that on my own and know several people in my class who did the same. Every month I'd receive a '0% for 12 months' balance transfer offer from several of my credit cards (and I still do receive similar offers, bet you do too).

About 3 months after getting hired I took a $20K transfer offer which was deposited into my checking account within a week or so. I paid minimum payments until my second year pay kicked in and then paid off the balance before the 12-months deadline. Didn't have to sell a house or a car. ..and I drank red wine from a real bottle.

The bottom line is that we all agree on first year pay being too low. However, it's not as impossible to live on it as some make it out to be and no one should ever turn down brown simply because of the 1st year pay. It simply makes no sense.

 

Good point Salty.

My argument was that IPA didn't have a whole lot of leverage with the company when it comes to 1st year pay rates. However, you're absolutely correct on them being members!

 

I guess each person has to decide if they think they should go into debt to take a job. Being debt free (except for mortgage) and being single income with a family of 4, I'm not interested in taking out a loan for the privilege of employment. On probation, I would have no protection against the possibility of getting fired for any reason then being on the street with $20K+ in debt and no job.

 

Fair enough KME and to be clear, yes, I wish our first year pay was significantly higher! However, for years and years it was $28K and back then people had families, kids, mortgages, etc. just like they do now. This is nothing new.
In fact, one could say that the current 1st year pay is significantly higher than just a decade or so ago.

According to this inflation calculator $28,000 in 2005 dollars equals $35,094.77 in 2017 dollars. So almost $10,000 less than what new hires get today.. (converted to 2017 $s)
No matter what number you settle on there will always be those who say it's too low.

So while I applaud you for knowing what your personal limits are I still contend that no one should ever plan his or her future based on the probationary pay.

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