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<blockquote data-quote="Undertow" data-source="post: 5624950" data-attributes="member: 4550">I&#039;m sure we will, but who knows when and just how accurate it all is might not be completely clear unless O&#039;Brien or Fred Z comes out and lays it out themselves.If I correctly recall, You&#039;ve been wearing Brown for as long or perhaps even longer than I have so something like this &quot;first proposal&quot; isn&#039;t really all that unprecedented when compared to prior negotiations.&nbsp; In a sense, I like the fact that hourlies at least know what it was compared to some of Hoffa&#039;s &quot;Brownouts&quot; of the past.The company wants to get an idea of where the rank and file is and do a strong enough majority of us have the stomach and the backbone to walk a picket line if our recently elected leaders call their bluff.&nbsp; It&#039;s business.&nbsp; They don&#039;t want to give the bargaining team any more than they absolutely must to reach a deal.&nbsp; That&#039;s how negotiations this far reaching size and scope often unfold.&nbsp; The best thing we and our coworkers can do for O&#039;Brien is all show up in numbers at any contract rally at whatever parking lot after or before whatever shift one is being held.&nbsp; If our negotiators can sit across the table from the company and say &quot;You&#039;ve seen the overwhelming evidence at every work site that the first offer was so unnacceptable that it hardened the stance of any hourlies who beforehand might have been lukewarm to walking out August 1st, so you better start negotiating for real right now while there&#039;s still time.&quot;, the odds of our bargaining team achieving gains far more substantial will increase.The best way for the company to take O&#039;Brien seriously is if they know without a doubt that an overwhelming amount of the workers he&#039;s fighting for are willing to follow through on the promise of a strike.&nbsp; UPS is desperate to find and then exploit any weakness it can find now that it doesn&#039;t have it&#039;s ace-in-the-hole de-facto company board member Hoffa to throw the game for them.&nbsp; If we make it abundantly clear that a &quot;divide and conquer&quot; strategy won&#039;t yield the captitulation they seek, we will get a better deal.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Undertow, post: 5624950, member: 4550"] I'm sure we will, but who knows when and just how accurate it all is might not be completely clear unless O'Brien or Fred Z comes out and lays it out themselves. If I correctly recall, You've been wearing Brown for as long or perhaps even longer than I have so something like this "first proposal" isn't really all that unprecedented when compared to prior negotiations. In a sense, I like the fact that hourlies at least know what it was compared to some of Hoffa's "Brownouts" of the past. The company wants to get an idea of where the rank and file is and do a strong enough majority of us have the stomach and the backbone to walk a picket line if our recently elected leaders call their bluff. It's business. They don't want to give the bargaining team any more than they absolutely must to reach a deal. That's how negotiations this far reaching size and scope often unfold. The best thing we and our coworkers can do for O'Brien is all show up in numbers at any contract rally at whatever parking lot after or before whatever shift one is being held. If our negotiators can sit across the table from the company and say "You've seen the overwhelming evidence at every work site that the first offer was so unnacceptable that it hardened the stance of any hourlies who beforehand might have been lukewarm to walking out August 1st, so you better start negotiating for real right now while there's still time.", the odds of our bargaining team achieving gains far more substantial will increase. The best way for the company to take O'Brien seriously is if they know without a doubt that an overwhelming amount of the workers he's fighting for are willing to follow through on the promise of a strike. UPS is desperate to find and then exploit any weakness it can find now that it doesn't have it's ace-in-the-hole de-facto company board member Hoffa to throw the game for them. If we make it abundantly clear that a "divide and conquer" strategy won't yield the captitulation they seek, we will get a better deal. [/QUOTE]

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