I have some friends and family with UPS. I hear they have horrible employees (no show no calls, lazy as hell, etc) and they don't get fired. I thought all UPS employees had union protection?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvhRudg0RNs&feature=youtube_gdata_player Can't embed because I'm on my phone, but do it like this...
I've had to fire a few people over time and it was always awkward at best, even though they had earned it. It's when I SET people on fire that it most troubles me. Just a little (ok, very little) Hangout humor for you. Get it over with as quick as possible. Better for the former employee to move on.... If he is a good worker, like you suggest, he will probably land on his feet.
lol - why would you? I didn't expect you to but confused by your comment. I trained and fired 10 people for every 1 I kept. That was my work. Once my work was done, what was I supposed to do - babysit them - micro-manage them? It was a machine. A thing of beauty. Other belts struggled each night to keep the belt on with their supervisor having to tell grown men when to do the obvious to just survive. You tell me...who was the better supervisor? And how did my superiors handle it? In a communist way IMO.
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You had 90 days before they were "really" under union protection. And THAT is why you better make sure you have a keeper. My 1st line was supervising a guy that loaded 2 packages a minute (terribly slow). I could never get help. I could never fire the guy. I couldn't even write him up except for ticky tacky safety reasons that was more of a hassle but that is what my bosses wanted in an effort to try and get him out. It was impossible. Because of his slowness, he'd turn a 4 hour shift into a 7. Stunk for me because I was salary - based on a 4 hour shift. I made more money per hour as a loader. No one, not even my best, could maintain what was expected by UPS during their 90 days. You would have had to fire all of them. But you have to see past the numbers and see the person. If you see the potiential, you kept them on. I'd have to give their missorts to the vets, who would complain until I explained that their missorts were given to someone else during thier 90 day period. And they understood that I'd take care of them and that I would take the heat for them. And by my desire to build a strong team, they didn't have to cover (in extra labor or missorts) for a weak link.
To the OP, yeah, it sucks. What you can do is offer to give him a glowing letter of recommendation after giving him the bad news (and follow through), shake his hand, and wish him well. It isn't your fault, and it sounds like you would keep him if the decision were left up to you (you could tell him that). Good luck.
