Graveyard Hours

[S5Dispatch]

What are your graveyard hours and do you have language in your contract for when the start or end times can be?

 

[CRJDispatchKid]

At FDX (domestic) we have a 1045p shift brief that lasts a few minutes, the AM shift has theirs at 0645a, so we're usually out by 7a. I believe the international guys start at 1015p-0615a (they don't attend a shift brief).

No union here, so no contract.

 

[bcp7]

Continental Micronesia dispatchers are not covered by a contract either. The schedule is a carry over from Hawaiian Airlines where the Director if Dispatch used to work They have 5 dispatchers and work four days 10P-6A with two days off, four days 2P-10P with two days off and four days 6a-2P with 4 days off. I hated the schedule because of the hours always changing. My last 2 years there, I swapped my 6A-2P for 10P-6A so that I could have less disruption to my sleep pattern.

 

[Pull To Guns]

My work week consists of two 7AM-7PM day shifts followed by two 7PM-7AM night shifts. Constant physical and mental disruption.

Unions are illegal in this neck of the woods.

 

[crjdxr]

My work week consists of two 7AM-7PM day shifts followed by two 7PM-7AM night shifts. Constant physical and mental disruption.

Unions are illegal in this neck of the woods.

Wow. That's brutal.

To all: If you do work the graveyard, how long did it take you to get used to it? Is your first day off a "throw away"?

 

[dispatchguy]

I dont think I ever got used to it. Some weeks were easier than others, but with a wife and friends and such, I never got used to it.

 

[Pull To Guns]

Wow. That's brutal.

To all: If you do work the graveyard, how long did it take you to get used to it? Is your first day off a "throw away"?

In my case at the interview I was told it was 4 on 4 off. In reality, my last 7PM-7AM shift the remainder of the day from 7AM on is called a "rest day", then I have 3 days off.

The "rest day" is a throwaway day as you are not fit to do anything but sleep.

I got screwed!

 

[onewithwings]

We have two graveyard bid lines. One works 2320-0720 5 days a week.
The other works 2320-0920 for two days and 1340-2340 for two days.

Unfortunately we have no language in our contract regarding graveyard. We tried in our last negotiations but we had to concede our efforts because they were hell bent implementing 20% pay cuts. (Our TA is in the process of being ratified.)

 

[S5Dispatch]

2320-0920 is not human, I dont think graveyard should ever have to work past 0700. We have language for how early morning shift comes in but no language for how late graveyard can get off.

 

[SKC]

We have 2100-0500, 2200-0600, and 2300-0700 shifts. Line holders (upper 80%) work a 6-3-6-3-6-6 schedule (applies to all shifts).

 

[clr4theapch]

I can get used to any shift as long as the hours remain the same... its the flip flop from graveyard to afternoons in the same week that kill me... such is Vacation relief lines.. they just sssssssuck...

 

[onewithwings]

We have 2100-0500, 2200-0600, and 2300-0700 shifts. Line holders (upper 80%) work a 6-3-6-3-6-6 schedule (applies to all shifts).

That is SWEEEET! I wish we had something like that. We have a few 4-tens shifts which are mostly weekends off and held by the top 6 senior dispatchers. The rest of us "grunts" get 5-eights shifts.

I have tried for years to get the company to agree to rotating shifts. i.e. 4 on 4 off or 3 on 3 off but the top senior people shoot it down because they say they "deserve" their weekends off. I've been here nearly ten years and won't see weekends off (or any portion thereof) for another ten years.

We didn't dare ask for language in our new contract to that effect, we felt lucky to keep our current pay scale as opposed to the 20% pay cut the company was imposing.

I can get used to any shift as long as the hours remain the same... its the flip flop from graveyard to afternoons in the same week that kill me... such is Vacation relief lines.. they just sssssssuck...

I'm currently working vacation relief because it's the ONLY line that allows for the occasional weekend day off due to the fact that the senior dispatchers take the summer off. (YUP, they can take as much as 3 months off at a time!) Since I'm single, I don't care what shift I work. I'm just looking for quality time off.

 

[OneBadLT123]

Here we have 2 grave shifts. One is a 5 8 hour line 2230-0630 and another is a 2 day, 10 hour line (with the other 2 days being a special late shift) of 2030-0630. We have a turnover between 0600 and 0630 for the mid day person.

 

[ss9e]

Wow. That's brutal.

To all: If you do work the graveyard, how long did it take you to get used to it? Is your first day off a "throw away"?

i've been on mids for 13 years. trust me, you'll never get used to it.