Exactly how does a strike work?

[PeasAndCarrots]

With the new contract coming up and UPS showing out with the 70 hour work weeks and hiring SPVD’s, I feel like a strike might actually happen. I’m just not sure exactly what that entails for us as union members and I have a couple of questions if someone could answer.

1) Is the strike fund specifically to help members make ends meet during the strike? If so, how much was given in ‘97?

2) Are we required to stand and picket? If so, how long?

 

[Jackburton]

I was hired right after the ‘97 strike, but I have no problem experiencing one first hand if UPS wants to dance.

 

[brownIEman]

The strike find is intended to help members make ends meet. You would draw a weekly paycheck from the Union during a strike as long as you work your assigned time on the picket line. I think the requirement was about 2 hours/day in '97.

In '97 the IBT payed somewhere in the neighborhood of $54/week in strike pay. Locals then added an amount commensurate which the financial strength of that particular local. This amount varied from close to zero to several times what the IBT payed.

Your best bet is to save up now, sell UPS stick short just before the strike is announced and then buy back just before a deal to end the strike is announced.

Good luck.

 

[Staydryitsraining]

The more you read about the guy in charge of the union the less likely you will believe we would ever strike.

 

[dookie stain]

I wanna strike...looked cool on king of queens they just bbqed and played frisbee in the parking lot.

 

[IESucks]

With the new contract coming up and UPS showing out with the 70 hour work weeks and hiring SPVD’s, I feel like a strike might actually happen. I’m just not sure exactly what that entails for us as union members and I have a couple of questions if someone could answer.

1) Is the strike fund specifically to help members make ends meet during the strike? If so, how much was given in ‘97?

2) Are we required to stand and picket? If so, how long?

70 bucks a week if you went to union hall to pick it up, not required to stand and picket. No one worries about peak during negotiations. I was there in 97

 

[Maplewood]

70 bucks a week if you went to union hall to pick it up, not required to stand and picket. No one worries about peak during negotiations. I was there in 97

it's 10×your hourly wage + whatever your local bye laws give. It's $300 more here in Seattle. It's meaningless. Save up or Picket broke. Together we win (and probably won't need to strike). Strike funds aren't built for Barns like UPS. They are to help the little guys hold out. so they dont bring down eveyone elses wages. No strike fund in the country will last a month if UPS goes out.
On the bright side you get time off in August! Can't Wait!

 

[Maplewood]

There will be a Strike authorization vote first of course. We may as well do that now.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

We got $50.00/week if you walked. The benefits didn't kick in till the strike was over, at least down here. The company used every dirty tactic in the book. They video taped us every day. Had someone posted to make sure we didn't set 1 foot on UPS property or park our cars there. There was a vacant lot across the street that was overgrown with about 5' tall weeds. When they became aware that members were going over there when nature called, they mowed down the weeds, even though they didn't own the property. I guess they made a deal with the land owner. We had portapotties brought in and placed on the utility easement. UPS said they were blocking their "line of sight" and had them removed. Luckily, there was a large church just north of the building that was sympathetic to our cause. They let us park in their parking lot and place the port a potties there. We had union members use their vehicles to shuttle strikers back and forth. I emptied my freezer, and barbqued several times. Nearby merchants donated water, drinks, and food. Random people stopped by with food. It was a party atmosphere sometimes. It brought a lot of members together. We had a few people who crossed, for whatever reasons. Those employees were shunned for the most part for the rest of their careers by the members who stayed out. It's been 20 years, and it's kind of tattered, but I still have the sign I carried stapled to the wall inside my garage.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

$55/week in my local. We received two checks and then pretty much handed them back when they took union dues out of our first check when we got back to work.

Ours is a small center so for the most part both sides remained cordial with one another. We had a couple who took advantage of the situation to let mgt know how they really felt-----they left the company shortly after the strike was over.

For the most part the public was sympathetic to our cause, bringing us food, water and other donations. Every once in a while someone would drive by our picket line and tell us to get our overpaid asses back to work.

Our local paper thought it a good idea to include our hourly wages (to the penny) in an article about the strike. Prior to that it was always known that we were paid quite well----now every knew exactly what we made.

For the most part everyone behaved while on the line. We did have one former employee who would get drunk and "go after" cars that disagreed with our strike.

I was still paying child support at the time so I opted to find a temporary job rather than man the picket line. I remember it vividly----I earned $256 for 46 of the hardest hours that I had worked in a very long time (construction). My support payment was $250 per week and when I handed that over to my ex she asked me how much I had made that week and then promptly handed me back $100.

It didn't take long for things to get somewhat back to normal although it was never the same company after that.

The last thing that any of you should be thinking about is a work stoppage because if you do walk many of you should just keep on walking as the company will change dramatically as a result and there will be far fewer of us behind the wheel.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

If we don't cover the hours someone else will.

We will not go on strike to force UPS to maintain a M-friend / 47.5 hr work week.

The union won't want non dues paying PVD's year round but they might settle for TCD's or part time drivers and if that happens UPS will transfer your work to them. It won't matter how much
OT the union "wins" for us in the contract because you won't get any if part timers deliver ground.

 

[Heavy Package]

Only with UPS a couple of years but the working conditions are deplorable. First post regarding UPS cramming 70-hrs this peak and PVD's on us is spot on. If they try and take any health and pension benefits on top of this I am ready and willing to stand with my Brothers on the line. UPS will fold like a newbie playing Texas Hold 'Em in Vegas.

 

[Future]

I wanna strike...looked cool on king of queens they just bbqed and played frisbee in the parking lot.

Pretty much .... and the occasional arrest

 

[Heavy Package]

Bring it on UPS You ing cubicle dwellers can't do it

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

My wife supports me 100%. However, let's say I started to get "pressure" to bring some money in. I walked the picket line every day, but towards the last couple of days I started going to the union hall and looking for some work. I turned down a freight hauling team run to California because I heard rumblings the company was going to settle, and I didn't want to be thousands of miles from home if they did. Our competitors locally were swamped by the amount of work they suddenly received. One was Emery Freight, another union company. I went over there and they literally had mountains of packages piled up everywhere in their building, mostly sorted by zip or small town. I had been in feeders for 12 years at that time, but I had been in PC 9 years. They gave me a rental and said "load it up and go." I found a stack of packages that were destined for the small town I used to live in and delivered to while in PC. I remember they used a manifest to deliver off of, and you got a signature onto the manifest sheet when you completed the delivery. A lot of the feeder drivers hadn't delivered in many years, and really didn't make much of an effort to get everything off. I believe I delivered about 98%, working from a rental with no bulkhead door. When I got back, the Emery terminal manager was so grateful to get rid of a truckload of work he told me "If you ever need a job, come back here, I'll give you one." I remember being so sore the next day, I could barely get out of bed. The strike settled the day after that. It took 2 or so days for everyone to get back to work after UPS figured out what went where. I had a bid job, but when you came back, you did what needed to be done. I remember I went to Mesquite every day for about 2 weeks, then things got flowing better and volume returned.

 

[watdaflock?]

It doesn't.

Hope this helps.

 

[Faceplanted]

$55/week in my local. We received two checks and then pretty much handed them back when they took union dues out of our first check when we got back to work.

Ours is a small center so for the most part both sides remained cordial with one another. We had a couple who took advantage of the situation to let mgt know how they really felt-----they left the company shortly after the strike was over.

For the most part the public was sympathetic to our cause, bringing us food, water and other donations. Every once in a while someone would drive by our picket line and tell us to get our overpaid asses back to work.

Our local paper thought it a good idea to include our hourly wages (to the penny) in an article about the strike. Prior to that it was always known that we were paid quite well----now every knew exactly what we made.

For the most part everyone behaved while on the line. We did have one former employee who would get drunk and "go after" cars that disagreed with our strike.

I was still paying child support at the time so I opted to find a temporary job rather than man the picket line. I remember it vividly----I earned $256 for 46 of the hardest hours that I had worked in a very long time (construction). My support payment was $250 per week and when I handed that over to my ex she asked me how much I had made that week and then promptly handed me back $100.

It didn't take long for things to get somewhat back to normal although it was never the same company after that.

The last thing that any of you should be thinking about is a work stoppage because if you do walk many of you should just keep on walking as the company will change dramatically as a result and there will be far fewer of us behind the wheel.

But we're you hired off the street during a period of growth though?

 

[john chesney]

I wanna strike...looked cool on king of queens they just bbqed and played frisbee in the parking lot.

Believe me it’s not cool. I was on the picket line in 97. You can drink,barbecue and play all the frisbee you want however not knowing if you’re going to have a job to come back to don’t make it much fun.

 

[ManInBrown]

No point in worrying how something works when it will never happen in a million years. UPS has Hoffa the clown in their pocket. Next contract will suck just as bad as this one.

 

[rod]

I wanna strike...looked cool on king of queens they just bbqed and played frisbee in the parking lot.

Been through 2 UPS strikes. That's about it....oh and drink beer