Has the Teamsters sold you out?

[705red]

Race I was Picketline captain, and stayed there almost around the clock. People pretty much had to make me go rest. Not trying to honk my own horn here just stating facts. I was with it and for it!

Some people got jobs, alot of them did walk the line though. I will say for a short while on Sunday a couple of days before it ended, or maybe the day before, memories a bit foggy, I was alone on the line, and I goota say, I was dialing numbers at record speed, as I was sure a red laser light from a rifle was going to be pointing at me, or an angry customer was going to.

I know what you mean be the lack of unity, but our union should stop playing on the fact that they are long at home, when we get off, and do what we pay them to do, or you get competition from another Union etc...

The topic here is have the teamsters sold you out. It should read have the upsers sold out the teamsters. How many upsers attend monthly meetings? File grievances? Get involved? Joined drive?

Now how many upsers run through their lunch? Load their trucks for free? Screw the drivers next to them? Steal other drivers pick ups? Basically only care about themselves?

Now if you were the business agent how much of this can you take? No matter how hard you try the average upser is in it for himself and no one else, until they get in trouble and need the union. After the union gets them back guess what, they only care about themselves again. I can see how some agents just give up, i dont condone it but i see it.

 

[raceanoncr]

The topic here is have the teamsters sold you out. It should read have the upsers sold out the teamsters. How many upsers attend monthly meetings? File grievances? Get involved? Joined drive?

Now how many upsers run through their lunch? Load their trucks for free? Screw the drivers next to them? Steal other drivers pick ups? Basically only care about themselves?

Now if you were the business agent how much of this can you take? No matter how hard you try the average upser is in it for himself and no one else, until they get in trouble and need the union. After the union gets them back guess what, they only care about themselves again. I can see how some agents just give up, i dont condone it but i see it.

705, good comment! Reminds me of locally...again! Well, that's all I can factually talk about, the things I actually see or hear.

I can't recall how many times our BA has stood up and begged unit members to quit working off the clock! He wasn't begging for unit members to steal, lie, cheat or try to get something they weren't entitled to. He reasoned that if they get hurt, comp will not come into play. He reasoned that we all scream about more jobs but here is where more jobs could be put on! But, as you and I say, to no avail! So how MUCH can a BA take? You're right! How much can we hold each other's hands?

We've got one more member meeting this Sunday. Will recess for summer months. With all this bruhaha about pension, contract, insurance, pay, Company's 100-yr, etc, how many will be there? I'm betting about 40-50. That's with all the other freight companys too! UPSers? Maybe 15, with most being feeder drivers. Don't recall ever seeing PTers there. We really care!

 

[BROWNDAWG]

"It is the Teamsters that sold the part timers out,"

It was the part-timers who cut their own throats by never going to union meetings. Their non-participation in their union led to them being forgotten.

By their pure numbers, part-timers could RUN this union if they weren't so apathetic.

TEAMSTERS DIDNT SELL P TIMERS OUT. AND YES, WE DO ATTEND MEETINGS, UNION ACTIVITIES , ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS,AND STAND AT THE STRIKE LINES. THE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IS UPS FOR UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES. DO RECALL THE PRASE PART-TIME MEANS FULL-TIME AND FULLTIME MEANS ALL THE TIME.

 

[Cole]

The topic here is have the teamsters sold you out. It should read have the upsers sold out the teamsters. How many upsers attend monthly meetings? File grievances? Get involved? Joined drive?

I am in partial agreement with you 705, accept, our ba told drivers they would be covered under workman's comp, if they worked off the clock, loading their trucks!1

What did you mean "steal other drivers pick ups'? I can handle alot of things, but when a driver takes someone elses handtruck out of their truck, that really gets my goat! No company has total unity, and we're no different, but what about those that file grievances and never hear back from the union? Or the ba settles it behind closed doors with management, without your input, over and over? They talk big to your face, then sneak in the back door to play ring around the rosies with management.

Not all but alot of them do, and it's a crying shame to those who have in the past, stood up to make a good name for the Teamsters, and some still do, but there is alot of complacency or just plain arrogance from the Teamsters to the members in alot of cases/areas.

We all should know we have to work hard to get things right, and that's imho forgotten with some of our ba's/ union officers etc...

I mean no disrespect to those that are fighting, or have fought the good fight.

 

[Bill]

Does this not also pay for your insurance?

No. The $214 per week is only for the pension, but we receive credit for less than half of that. UPS pays an additional amout per week per employee for the health benefits, but once again, we don't receive what is contributed on our behalf. This is part of the reason why our health benefits are being diminished, and why we are paying higher copayments, and receiving less coverage. I understand that medical insurance is going through the roof, but UPS is contributing more than enough for us to receive better health care. Once again, since we are in a multiemployer plan, as is the case with our pension as well, our benefits are being diminished as we share our funds with employees of other companies. If we were to go to a single employee plan, this would not be happening to us.

 

[Bill]

If im correct its the apwa thats promising 2xs the current pension, even doing the math its (apwa) plan doesnt add up. So your claim is you receive $112 a month? $1,344 a year xs 30 years leaves you at $40,320. That doesnt add up either, stop listening to van and danny about math none of their numbers add up!

First of all, I explained this in another post, but you apparently did not see it. UPS currently contributes $214 per week per employee, but we receive less than half. Last year, Central States had an investment return of 13.4% of the pension money. Assuming that UPS gives no additional funds into our pension (above the $214), our pension would be worth over $5,000,000 each after 30 years. The 13.4% investment return is a bit high, so assuming an annual investment return of 8%, we should have roughly $1.2 million dollars each. Currently, the Teamsters are giving us a fraction of that, because of our pension fund being only 47.2% funded. Why should we accept the problems (mismanagement of our funds) by the Teamsters and Central states? We worked hard for all these years to get a decent pension. It is our money, not the Teamsters. Why should we have to work additional years until the age of 65 to receive our pension?

 

[krash]

Well where is that in the contract then? I only see contributions toward "health and welfare" which I assume "health" is insurance. Now if it is separate, you cannot use the same argument as retirement. Since your claiming those retired from defunct companies is costing us. Each company pays the same per active employee. So please don't try an argue by making asinine comments. The insurance is self funded. So if UPS donates $100 (just an example) a month for me and I use $250 a month in care, then the plan is suffering a loss. Skyrocketing health care cost is indeed taking a toll. CS has to pay the claims and it ain't coming from a money tree out back. I have my me, my wife and 4 kids. So I know I'm getting my monies worth and then some. But I guess you'll be wanting those like us to pay more next.
I can tolerate those supporting APWA and there post because they've mostly had legitimate griefs/concerns/complaints. But I cannot stand someone who post such blatant BS.

 

[Bill]

What was the exact rate of pension contributions made by ups over the last 30 years you used to get these numbers? Isnt it true that in your calculation you can not predict how well the market will perform? It seems you feel that if the apwa took over the world would be perfect, but most of us dont live in fairy tails. We have all had our ups and downs playing with the stock markets, and understand that nothing in life is guaranteed, but you apwa cheerleaders keep spining it the way you see it in an attempt to deceive the members. The fact is the only thing for sure is that van and danny will have cushy office jobs most likely in one of the ups barns representing their best interests!

True, the future can not be predicted, but if we were in a single pension plan, we would not be in the mess we are in today. the fact is, is that if we had invested the money that UPS contributed over the past 30 years, we would have approximately $800,000 each, enough to adequately fund a monthly pension at a minimum of $6000-$7000. Thanks to the mismanaged pension fund in Central States, we are on the brink of insolvency, and looking at receiving only $1000 per month on which to retire on. Should we continue on this wreckless path by sticking with the Teamsters, or it is time to correct our situation by choosing an alternative union?

 

[Bill]

Very well said, the majority of upsers only care about themselves.

The same could be said for the Teamster big shots and the business agents.

 

[wyobill]

71Chevy I agree!!!!
Why all the different riders ,different pension fund, different
healthcare. We all work for the same company lets keep things uniform for all of us. What in the hell is the union doing?

 

[twnjrspc]

True, the future can not be predicted, but if we were in a single pension plan, we would not be in the mess we are in today. the fact is, is that if we had invested the money that UPS contributed over the past 30 years, we would have approximately $800,000 each, enough to adequately fund a monthly pension at a minimum of $6000-$7000. Thanks to the mismanaged pension fund in Central States, we are on the brink of insolvency, and looking at receiving only $1000 per month on which to retire on. Should we continue on this wreckless path by sticking with the Teamsters, or it is time to correct our situation by choosing an alternative union?

So what's your thoughts on this UPS only pension plan, which is managed by both the Company and Union?
UPS Pension Grab: New Information Available at Make UPS Deliver

A new bulletin and a detailed Q&A on management’s plan to split 42,000 UPS Teamsters from the Central States Pension Plan is available online.1

 

[usedpackage]

Part timers in the central states contract did not go up $6.00! I wish! And in our contract, top pay for drivers is 4 years.

 

[Cole]

Should be 2 yrs for top pay, but I'll check.

 

[Fullhouse]

If buy chance UPS succeeds. Centrals States will have to tighten their belt up. If UPS goes, ABF and Yellow will follow. With no more big players in the fund, CS will have to mind the store better than in years past. I wonder if this withdrawal is successfully,will CS start downsizing their employees? Will the Teamsters start making them accountable for bad investments? After the major big players are gone there will be no one to pull theirs asses out of a future fire. Maybe, just maybe their investment strategies and decisions will be thought out longer as opposed to just making rash decisions to make a killin' in the market or with an investment. Anybody or entity cannot beat the market! One has to have a broad porfolio or you lose big time!

 

[krash]

Should be 2 yrs for top pay, but I'll check.

2 and a half. Usedpkg needs to read his contract. Seems if he tried to walk that dog in another thread1

 

[705red]

705, good comment! Reminds me of locally...again! Well, that's all I can factually talk about, the things I actually see or hear.

I can't recall how many times our BA has stood up and begged unit members to quit working off the clock! He wasn't begging for unit members to steal, lie, cheat or try to get something they weren't entitled to. He reasoned that if they get hurt, comp will not come into play. He reasoned that we all scream about more jobs but here is where more jobs could be put on! But, as you and I say, to no avail! So how MUCH can a BA take? You're right! How much can we hold each other's hands?

We've got one more member meeting this Sunday. Will recess for summer months. With all this bruhaha about pension, contract, insurance, pay, Company's 100-yr, etc, how many will be there? I'm betting about 40-50. That's with all the other freight companys too! UPSers? Maybe 15, with most being feeder drivers. Don't recall ever seeing PTers there. We really care!

We have 18,000 plus members in our local 12,000 roughly are upsers, we have major freight contracts coming up before ups. We had a strike fund vote today and 351 members came to vote. The union was asking for $2 a week for all fultimers and $1 a week for all ptimers, 5 cents an hour. We passed it 245 yes 105 no and 1 ballot not voted either. I say upsers down there that i havent seen in years and i beat you their were there to vote no. How can anyone vote no for something this important. I went to everyone of my drivers in my center and called the ones on vacation and explained it to them and a handful came. No one cares until it effects them, how many will come crying when they see that $2 bucks a week getting deducted?

 

[mittam]

Part-timers sold out,
Are you a red circled part-timer? Hired before 1982 having a lucrative wage compensation package. Are you a blue circled PTer? This is the next step down people hired between 1983 and 1997. Paid better than next 2 lower levels but not same as red circled people. Are you green circled? Part-timers 3rd tier of pay hired in from Aug. 1st 1997 to July 31st 2002. Still lower than 1st 2 tiers but better than the last tier. Green tier people still get the $1.20 this August 1st as the 2 tiers above.
Now finally are you black tier? This is the lowest pay scale at UPS and you hire in $8.50 to $9.50 depending on location and job. You will get 50 cents raise after 90 days and then 50 cents every year on you anniversary date. No way is this close to the tier right above you let alone the 2 above that. The red circle people with the next raise will be over $25.00 an hour compared to your $9.50 an hour. Did the teamsters sell you out? Part-timers take notice, make up your own minds!

 

[olympicking]

Sounds like krash is a teamster offical

 

[20yearvet]

I started in 1985 as a parttimer in the hub and was making $8 per hour. I was shocked and happily surprised when my manager asked me what vacations I wanted, not realizing we got paid not to work. At the time I was working retail and after 3 years was making $4.85. A great change! But I also realize that $9 or $9.50 now is way behind the times. My girlfriend works for McDonalds and they start out at that without having to bust it every day. Benefits were 'free' and we had a Thrift Plan that was easy to do with a great return. Now what do we have?

 

[RockyRogue]

I started in 1985 as a parttimer in the hub and was making $8 per hour. I was shocked and happily surprised when my manager asked me what vacations I wanted, not realizing we got paid not to work. At the time I was working retail and after 3 years was making $4.85. A great change! But I also realize that $9 or $9.50 now is way behind the times.

By no means am I defending the poor pt'er compensation but I was in a similar position. I came from retail, where I was making $9.80/hr and was quickly at $10/hr. Not to mention the tuition assistance, which I didn't have in retail. That retailer? A Chicago grocery called Cub Foods. It closed about a year ago. -Rocky