UPS Reviews in Redmond, WA

Pros

Part time employees have, in the past, been granted access to the same benefits that drivers receive, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, legal, and pension related benefits. Dental, for instance, is covered without even a co-pay, though the health has minimal ones. In Washington State, there's a choice between Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna for the health and dental as of last year. Domestic partnerships are covered as well, and so far without flaw in my experience, within the state by UPS. The extension of benefits are generous in scope, and are rare this day in age, thanks to Union bargaining.

It used to take years to advance beyond a part time position to a driving position, but within at least the Redmond, Washington Hub (and likely Seattle and Everett Hubs as well), advancement to a driving position takes a year or less based on seniority - in the past, it took four or five years at times, as they are good jobs. However, part time employee retention is very low (over 100% attrition per year), so advancing in seniority is quick. With displays of competence, changing positions within the part time fields is easy as well - from Loader to Unloader, Irregulars, Smalls, Sorting, etc, are transitions usually with little wait time, and often add some additional pay ($1/h additional for Sorting, for example).

Attendance policies for Part Time Union work is very lax - for Loader/Unloaders especially, no-call no-show events are rarely punished, in order to retain employees. Supervisors are at the opposite spectrum, and can expect to be fired for a similar event, or even strongly discouraged for calling in sick. After a year, sick days amount to a week's worth, along with a week of "Option" days which can be taken just like sick days, and two weeks of vacation, even for part time employees. You can expect not to be allowed to take vacation or option days towards the end of the year, during busy season. For Part Time employees, labor past 5 hours is considered overtime, and you're provided one 15 minute break, or two if overtime extends particularly far. Lunches are optional, but unpaid, and are typically not taken by part timers at all.

College tuition help for Part Time union employees is at $3,000 from the Earn and Learn program, which comes in the form of grants. However, they seem no longer to be tax exempt - yet in the past, personal experience has seen the full sums granted without issue. This involves registering what classes you wished to take online via the Earn and Learn website, and at the end of the quarter, faxing your info to them, basically a statement of your grades and the costs. If approved, you receive a check up to $1,500 dollars a quarter, to a maximum of $3,000 per year, for as many as four years. Similarly, loans are available which, so long as you continue to work at UPS, will see their principal paid off by UPS itself. If you leave, expect to pay the whole thing back - and either way, you do have to pay the interest on the loans as well. The interest is very high, 14% or more, and you should expect to pay more in interest than in the principal by the end of the loan term. This seems to be handled by Wells Fargo Bank, at least in Washington state.

Another minor perk, at least when doing a job like Loading, Unloading, or Sorting packages, is the permission to wear personal music players and listen to them. One headphone should be off one ear, but otherwise you're free to fill what is otherwise repetitive work with books on tape, music, radio, etc, so long as you can still hear when being called. This, of course, does not apply if you advance to management, and the trucks do not have radios.

Safe working records are rewarded to whole shifts of work by BBQs of increasing scale the longer a safe run occurs, wherein free hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, soda, etc, are provided at the end of a shift. Awards theoretically go out monthly for best work group members, and best shift member, but this happens unpredictably as well. The schemes for rewarding employees or work groups based on performance has varied widely in the two years I've been employed, and sometimes are non-existent. They range from sports drinks to pizza parties, depending on the time period and achievement, though consistency is not to be expected.

Cons

An immediate warning for new workers - under a new contract, in effect after August 2008, it takes much longer for you to receive health coverage (formerly 1 month), and even longer for your family (formerly 1 month as well, now a year). The new contract does not increase starting rates (minimum wage or $8.50, whichever is higher), but will increase wages with experience much quicker than before (to at least $16 an hour top, higher depending on the job, in a couple of years). The Health Coverage is identical, but now handled under a different contract, setting the stage for the stripping of benefits under future contracts.

Contracts are voted on by all Union Members, but Drivers are much more likely to vote than Part Time employees, leading to lopsided contracts. Wages were stagnant for a very long time for Part Time employees - if they had grown with inflation since 1980, they would be $20/h or higher. Driving positions, however, are much better compensated, and especially with overtime can support middle class families.

Part time work is physically demanding and exposed to the environment as well. There is not air conditioning in the summer, and heating during the winter is either only at a few select places, or completely exposed to the environment by open bay doors. Trailers themselves are often wet, snowy, and filthy. Packages can be heavy, dirty, and dangerous - for example, whole anchors, points unshielded, are sent with nothing more than a tag with a UPS label upon it. You should expect to wear gloves which will leave your hands wet by sealing in moisture, or suffer cuts and abrasions in addition to callouses. You should expect to have to provide your own boots, or be berated - they will not prevent you from working, but they will find ways to goad you into wearing them, such as denying you gloves until you purchase boots.

Ultimately, the lacking pay, poor conditions, demanding labor, late night hours, and now long-delayed benefits encourage a turnover rate which, at Redmond Night Sort, was well over 100% per year, and likely to get worse so long as the contract remains as is. Which may mean it will be very easy for anyone to find work there, though most will and do quit.

Advancing to other positions means increasing regimentation as well - UPS is notable as a company for firing employees if they fail to keep a clean desk, if they are white collar, as discussed in Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freeman's book, "A Perfect Mess". This mentality seems to follow through to the lower levels, though enforcement is somewhat lax, and tightens at the upper levels of employment. Certain policies are announced from time to time which are never rescinded, but only enforced briefly - they're forgotten about once they prove ineffective or counterproductive, which they almost always seem to be. Expect regular tests and memorization of safety mnemonics, such as the "Eight Keys to Lifting and Lowering" or "Five Keys to Preventing Slips and Falls".

Advice to Senior Management

It must be expensive to hire so many new employees each year - better compensation at the lower levels might reduce costs ultimately, as most of the individuals who work such jobs are, by definition, physically fit and unlikely to raise insurance costs. Negotiating with the Union may complicate things, granted, but the benefits might outweigh the costs in the quality of employees - experience does increase productivity, up to a point. As well, providing the basic necessities to employees, such as boots and gloves, should not be made a difficult issue - offering standard boots and ready supplies of gloves can only help productivity, and you would not need to worry about spending excessively on boots if employee retention were a more active goal. Injury ought to decrease with experienced employees as well - and injury prevention seems to be the primary focus of management, along with preventative health measures in a bid to reduce insurance costs.

Pros

Very hands on job, part of one of the biggest customer service processes in the world. Good opprotunities and benefits once you really establish yourself. Great workout.

Cons

Hourly pay is pretty low for the amount of labor put in. Management relies too much on the package handlers and thus becomes visibly upset at workers who really didn't do anything wrong. Also, attempts to solve problems by using logistical figures instead of common sense and real life scenarios. New benefits package kicks in after 6 months of working and one year for family. When economy tanks, job security is low and minimal hours are worked. To solve overtime problems, they hire dozens of seasonal help to help handle the winter workload but seasonal help is clueless and inexperienced so it ends up being more of a problem.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop relying on suggestions from senior managment/logistic calculations and start solving time and work load issues in the sort by listening to the actual package handlers and what problems they come across.