I don't believe you for one second. You just have zero comparison. Did you get a raise? Did you get your medical covered? Did you get protective rights? Did you get an improved retirement? Some barns got ZERO across the board. Trust me when I tell you, thank your luck stars your working under this contract.
First of all, we are not farmers----we do not work in "barns".
Second, we are the industry leaders in total compensation, which includes wages, benefits and pensions.
Third, changes to our healthcare simply mean that we need to be smarter when it comes to our medical choices. Where in the past we may have gone to the ER with the sniffles, a $100 co-pay may make us think twice and wait until the following morning to go to our regular doctor, which only has a $10 co-pay. Where in the past we may have had a zero or very low Rx co-pay, we now need to look at our options more closely. Mail order may now be the most cost-efficient option, especially for maintenance meds.
Fourth, it was obvious from Day One that UPS wanted out of the healthcare business and that the Union wanted to take it over. The Locals that held out hoping to keep their healthcare knew that this was simply not an option and the IBT stepped in and did the right thing for the majority of the members.
Fifth, contracts are the result of give and take negotiations with neither side getting everything that they wanted.