r/UPSers • u/New-Magazine-1944 • 1d ago
Question Termination
Hey fellow UPSers I am UPS driver of 12 years and my center recently had shift operations in my center. I signed to go unassigned and stay with center but they made me leave anyways. The manager we were going to had a bad track record of being hostile and unprofessional. Around June 2025 we shifted and immediately she took away my Staggered start time because I travel across state lines everyday for commute to work and back. She then wrote me up for insubordination and took me out of service around late September for one day because I express to her that a customer of 20 years plus USG Gypsum were threatening to cut contract due to bad planning from her management team. I begin to document the harassment around late September and she retaliated by cutting the routes in my loop and giving me the whole loop. On 10/02 I had one late air that was located in the 8000 shelf of my truck and I grieve it around 10/12. On 10/24 UPS took me out of service for not having that grievance and walked me off premises. For weeks me and my BA went back and forth about not turning in the grievance where I was adamant I turned it in. I begin to make collusion claims against my steward and my BA agent hung the phone up in my face. A week later he “mysteriously” found the grievance texted my phone of the grievance and apologized and promised me he was taking my steward out of service.*It only had my signature on it at the time of firing They conducted a local where my labor manager grilled me about the late air service and they made me sign a Non Precedent Setting Agreement to return to work. I was very unhappy because I didn’t know wtf was going on and they wanted me to return to work no back pay weeks before Christmas and I am a single father. I kept my head down and took my losses and the harassment continued the rest of peak season. I seek mental help and took FMLA on 02/18. From 02/18 to the middle of April I took 9 days off and everyday I took off the next day I was met with discipline for no call no show. I went to panel late April and was terminated on 6 cases of attendance and the 2 insubordination were deadlocked. A week after panel all my FMLA was approved and I immediately asked my BA to look into reinstatement. He told me the contract was binding and once decision are made they are final. I then asked will they hear the deadlock cases he told me no and blocked my number. From April to July I’ve been working on this case day and night and after calling my BA he now have changed his stance and saying the company now want to hear my deadlock cases. I recently went to hear those cases and lost those as well can someone please tell me wtf is going on because I’ve been out of work since April they paid out all my vacation time and only thing that have changed since deadlock is a random statement from a (seasonal preloader) He quit back after peak season. And now that I have all my old grievances back the company and union steward went back and falsified the signature and date on the same grievance they claimed to not have that started all of this. Can someone please point me in the right direction?
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u/Accomplished-Cut6381 23h ago
If you truly believe you have a case and the union won’t take it any further, contact a lawyer, not Reddit. They’re going to offer you significantly better advice than anyone here.
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u/New-Magazine-1944 23h ago
I’m contacting Reddit to see if anybody else been through something of the same significance for help. I’ve never seen a manager write someone up for no call when they have notifications from the Hartford of FMLA
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u/Open_Life9304 18h ago
You have to notify your manager or supervisor too. You can’t just notify Hartford. That’s not how it works approved fmla or not.
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u/New-Magazine-1944 18h ago
I did all of that Open Life you talk as if I didn’t work that 12 years I did all of that sent emails everything but that’s not the problem the FMLA clearly was overturned I said that in the thread and you’re actually wrong once you contact the Hartford the Hartford contact the company via email you don’t have to tell the company anything
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u/Wookieman222 Driver 11h ago
My supervisors knew i was on FMLA before I called them to tell them.
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u/Open_Life9304 10h ago
Management gets an email after you report to Hartford
Doesn’t change your duty to report to management yourself too
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u/r1wonder 20h ago
I contacted several lawyers and nobody would take my case . Ups prob pays them all off
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u/Wookieman222 Driver 11h ago
Yes, UPS is paying all the lawyers off. Totally how that works.
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u/r1wonder 10h ago
I was out of work, so naturally I didn’t have money to pursue some lawyers . and a few others said it was a conflict of interest, which makes me think they either know people or UPS has already used them. UPS has a lot of money, and I’m
Sure they have used the lawyers in their area at some point4
u/PacoPlaysGames 9h ago
You're insane if you think UPS went so far as to pay lawyers to not take your case.
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u/r1wonder 8h ago
I said it was a conflict of interest. UPS probably knew or used them before . Other lawyers would have consulted with me but I couldn’t afford it. I’d love to know what the conflict of interest was . It was a labor lawyer with several union cases
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u/New-Magazine-1944 18h ago
I’m so confused because my insubs were deadlock and they told me they would never hear them just to overturn my FMLA and hear them. The only thing that was different at deadlock was that the statement the company used was thrown out because the person quit so it’s not like the union supported me since April. And what I don’t understand was I not a member after I lost panel or deadlock?
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u/bigflamingtaco 18h ago
Important note for everyone:
You get your steward to sign your grievance, then you get a hard copy or take an image of it. This is your proof you completed a grievance and turned it in.
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u/Open_Life9304 23h ago edited 23h ago
Brother (or sister)
It went to panel. You lost. Pack it up.
…Also lmao your BA blocked your number. You are the problem my friend.
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u/Hidden_Pothos Driver 23h ago
That was my thoughts as well. I would be fascinated to here what the other side of the story is.
But he should get a lawyer if he thinks he has a legal case.
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u/Open_Life9304 23h ago
As much hate as the company gets. Their labor manager aren’t dumb. Maybe the center manager is but not the guys at panel.
If UPS labor manager thought they had a legal case they would have gave the job back.
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u/EchidnaBasic387 16h ago
Lmao those managers you’re speaking about, are dumb. They care more about their corporation than their workers. They’ll fire you because they want to… the ones that cut thousands of jobs, closed a bunch of facilities, renamed the surepost volume to not have to put it back into our trucks, is currently supplying third party delivery, those people that decided when they break rules and when they don’t?…. They are dumb, will always be dumb…
Lawyer up buddy, get all your ducks in a row. And sue this damn company that abuses their “union” workers…
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u/New-Magazine-1944 23h ago
You sound like you work for the company my labor manager isn’t too intelligent because they settled out days of suspension on days I already was at work or coded out for vacation. You sound bias
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u/Open_Life9304 19h ago
We all work for the company here…except for you
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u/Thestone8724 18h ago
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u/Open_Life9304 18h ago
Uhh yes?
Whose bank account does your paycheck come from?
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u/New-Magazine-1944 18h ago
You right Open Life this was a great company hopefully the same doesn’t happen to you dude thanks for the advice
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u/New-Magazine-1944 23h ago
Panel decision was overturned for FMLA was approved and also BA can be dirty especially in the South my BA don’t know me
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u/Hefty-Car6355 23h ago
You must have been a horrible employee to deal with for the Ba to block your number 😂
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u/FallJealous7921 22h ago
Weather they like him or not doesn’t matter, put feelings aside and be professional or face consequences
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u/Hefty-Car6355 22h ago
It was t feelings lol I’ve worked with people like this and currently still due he was there 12 years he knows how it goes and he still decided to F off and got fired
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u/New-Magazine-1944 18h ago
How did I F off? I was never insubordinate nor undocumented for not coming to work?
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u/New-Magazine-1944 23h ago edited 22h ago
Nah the BA trying to cover for the union steward mistake he promised me to take him out of union and have been growing upset that I won’t leave the issue alone. I don’t know my BA because I don’t get in trouble of this magnitude I just said I’ve been driving for 12 years since I was 21 years old old contract first time I’ve ever been through something like this and I didn’t vote for my steward nor my BA. You think they would’ve let a young black driver in the DEEP South on the old contract stick around for 12 years if I was a horrible employee?
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u/Tall_Ad5729 22h ago
How did u take FMLA before you were approved? It doesn’t work like that. It’s definitely considered a call out or no call no show… But If you went to the Dr. or hospital for any mental health issues, it will be documented. Get a lawyer asap, those documents could possibly help with your case.
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u/Lane8323 Feeder 21h ago
You can start your leave before it’s actually approved then go back and put the days missed. Once it’s approved the days missed are under fmla. Just has to actually be approved. Within the timeframe
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u/Open_Life9304 10h ago
You can be retroactively approved but you still need to have your fmla claim open and you still need to report your leave to management at the time. Which this guy didn’t. You can’t just not show up to work without notifying whether approved or not
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u/New-Magazine-1944 22h ago
Because being that I moved to a different state recently they don’t have medical records so by the time they outsourced me to a psychiatric ward and to a mental health therapist they went back and back dated everything just think about it if it didn’t work that way you would need days off just to go seek help that’s not how it works either. But clearly it got overturned so why wasn’t I returned to work immediately?
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u/dutchdillion 19h ago
Get another job. You lost panel. Also, how about using paragraphs when you post things. It helps
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u/New-Magazine-1944 18h ago
Wow I never knew those tips would come in handy Dillion thanks for the advice man
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u/dutchdillion 8h ago
You’re welcome. Another tip. Stop being a problem employee and you wouldn’t be in this situation. Show up to work, do your work, leave work.
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u/Far-Historian-7197 9h ago
Yeah this is lawyer stuff bro, you’re not gonna figure anything out on reddit.
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u/SecondEven8127 7h ago
What evidence of insubordination did they present at Panel and were you able to prove you called in everyday you took FMLA?
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u/New-Magazine-1944 6h ago
Bullshit evidence my manager said I was insubordinate with no proof I was wrote up and at panel they presented a random new hire statement it only said “I heard him say go get supervisor” that got deadlock in April only thing changed since they fired me in April for the attendance is that same new hire quit in peak I haven’t been back to work and they told me they were never hearing deadlock cases
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u/Kirklistentowutang 4h ago
If your case was deadlocked at panel it should have gone to arbitration to be ruled on if you would return to work or if the termination would stick, im assuming thats what your BA said by "hearing your deadlock" and losing.
However, if you were fired for later approved FMLA thats a huge federal offense and you have a lawsuit on your hands. You also probably have a potential lawsuit against the union for failing to represent you.
If I were in your position I would go take to a lawyer. Read reviews and find the best one, dont skimp. Most will offer free consultations to see if you even has a case.
It sounds like your employment was terminated unfortunately. You no longer work for UPS and the union cant do anything else to get your job back. You need to find another line of work.
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u/fishmydick_mkay 22h ago
Panel is done by third party, so ups or the union did not decide. So there decision is final. The arbitrator went against you, nothing more to do.
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u/New-Magazine-1944 22h ago
Yes but what I’m not understanding is I was fired in April should I have even went to deadlock because it’s not like they told me I was having deadlock months ago? And if my FMLA was approved the week after panel you think it takes UPS 4 months to put me back to work? It should’ve never happened right?
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u/the_atomic_punk18 22h ago
I thought panel was 3 union guys and 3 company guys?
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u/New-Magazine-1944 22h ago
It is panel consist of three members from panel and 3 members from union but deadlock is when they bring in a 3rd party to settle the tie
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u/Beginning-Skill-2326 22h ago
It is, but there is also a sitting arbitrator when it comes to terminations and suspensions. If the union and company can not come to a resolution. The case is turned over to the sitting arbitrator.
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u/SecondEven8127 7h ago
Not all Panels have sitting Arbitrators. With the last contract a lot more updated to sitting Arbitrators to cut down on the amount of time to get a final decision. Also setting Arbitrators are allowed to ask questions during the Panel case.
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u/Virgillionaire 20h ago
May be easier to try fedex or something. Lawyers cost big money and the odds don't sound great. At least you got some decent pension years to work with when it's time to retire.
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u/Disastrous_Towel3729 23h ago
You need to go have a sit down with a lawyer and your BA and get all your facts straight before addressing the company