Pros
Rule #1 If you are a worker, seniority is king. Time is the only limit to your growth potential. Eventually you will be offered a job as a package car driver, Feeder driver or full time hub (processing center) job. (just don't have anything on your driving record in the last 3 years otherwise you will need to wait until it drops off) Time is the only limit, its a union job, Rule #2 In management, schooling is king. if you want to go anywhere in management you NEED to be in school. Even the low level managers who only work 25-30 hours a week must be in school (they don't care if you have a degree, you need to be GETTING a degree, either another one or a more advanced one). If you are not in school, do not even bother, you will NEVER go anywhere in management. That being said UPS offers tuition reimbursement up to 20k dollars spread out over 5 years. This company will NEVER go away. The focus on maintaining growth, profitability and sustainability borderlines on obsession. 3 The company loves getting womans and minority magazine awards "Best place for advancement" NAACP, so if you are a minority or a woman, you have a leg up on the competition. (especially if you are a minority woman!) Quit your gym membership, we PAY you to work out in here. In General, only the very very best managers/supervisors get promoted past the part time level. Your boss will be organized, competent and very much a go-getter. Also in general, He or She will work hard to develop you to the level needed to move up -- so long as you show the attitude, aptitude (good numbers in current assignment), ability to take and use constructive criticism and drive to succeed no matter what -- and that you are in school. ^ have all those ducks in a row and in general you will eventually get somewhere. A list of employee discounts that no company outside the Fortune 50 will be able to give you. the top 4 wireless companies all have UPSER discounts, as do many of the top auto makers (Ford etc.) there are many discounts that ups has negotiated for its workers.
Cons
Rule #1 It might be ALOT of time. Some facilities have wait lists of over 10 years to go full time package car driving, longer for feeders and A22.3 (full time inside/inside -- working in the processing center for 8 hours) What you can do is find out when the building was opened. There will be waves of retirement every 30 or so years and if you get in during one of these the wait time can drop quite low (people with as little time in as one year were getting calls 7-8 years ago.) The jobs are all very physical. You will always be paid 100% of your hourly wage, and the expectation is you will give 100% of your effort, this is not a job where you will be able to chit chat with your coworkers as you work, its ready set go! and GO GO GO until you are done. -- There is ALWAYS work to be done. Rule #2 The company loves getting accolades for being a great place for women and minorities to advance in management (so long as they are in school). This may mean that if you aren't a woman or minority that someone less qualified than you gets one of the ever elusive Full time management opportunities - just because you are a white male and they are not. UPS has quotas. Some of the long time upsers are a bit disillusioned that even 20 years later they are still expected to GO GO GOOO!!! and give 100%, 100% of the time, and aren't as able to do it as they used to be. Many of these guys and gals and even those with less time have no problem Back-talking right to a manager they do not respect right in front of everyone else if they think so-and-so isn't working as hard as they are. (and everyone is always working harder than everyone else) Sometimes the managers really do need to be an @$$hole just to keep people in line. If you can't do that or even wear a mask that allows you to, don't go management.