Light Bulb Quest
I can hardly believe it, but a whole month has passed since my last post. Where did all that time go? Well, to work, mostly. Since Christmas I’ve averaged just under 48 hours per week of paid time. And since I can’t work from home, I still commute 25 minutes each way. I try to […]
I’ve written previously about how the odds were ever in my favor to become a package car driver for UPS. If that phrase sounds familiar, it’s because it comes from the popular series The Hunger Games. Even if you haven’t read the books or seen the movies, you probably at least know that the heroine, […]
It was 30 days ago today that I completed my 30-day trial period as a UPS driver. How have I been keeping busy since then? Completing my 30 Days meant giving up my training route and going to the very bottom of the list of permanent full-time drivers. Since that happened the week before Christmas, […]
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, some folks I’ve delivered to have expressed their appreciation with kind words (in person or on handmade signs), snacks, and occasionally token gifts. I welcome all of these gestures. But with the holidays behind us, and more winter ahead of us, I’d gladly trade all of that for […]
Peak season during a pandemic was the best possible time for me to do my 30-day trial as a UPS driver. Yes, I was being thrown into the deep end of the pool where I’d either sink or swim. But being in my 30 Days came with certain safeguards. For one, I could look forward […]
As a new package car driver for UPS, I’ve been assigned to a particular training route for a 30-day trial period. I call it ‘the box,’ as it’s a perfect square about .75 miles on each side; perfectly flat, laid out in a simple grid. But inside this box is an amazingly rich and diverse […]
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in the middle of my 30-day trial period as a package car driver for UPS. Here’s how it all went down. Because UPS is a ‘union shop,’ everything is governed by the current collective bargaining agreement between the company and the Teamsters. The contract states that you […]
I have some exciting news! After nearly five months at UPS as a warehouse worker, I recently began training to become a package car driver. This is a big step up for me. It means moving from part-time early mornings to full-time days. I also earn a higher wage and get to wear the iconic […]
Although it feels like much longer, I’ve only been working at UPS for about five months. It’s been an interesting transition from my former career as an academic administrator, where I dealt with people and ideas from behind a desk in an office, rather than with physical objects in a warehouse. Many of the people […]
United Parcel Service is Big Business. With $74 billion in revenues and $4-plus billion in profits, it currently ranks 43rd on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. UPS is also Big Labor. One source places its workforce of 377,640 employees worldwide as the 9th largest U.S.-based private employer. (The company website lists its […]