How bad will the next master contract be?

[Work safe or not at all.]

I was hired in late 2013 on the last contract before this current one. I got really screwed and at the time I was a dumb 18 year old kid who thought working for a union was everything. Turns out after months of studying and finding out the real truth, teamsters and ups both suck. I had to wait over a year to get my benefits and still have not gotten a raise. I just had gotten my benefits in December and they are okay I suppose for a part timer. But talking to people with seniority with 20 plus years they said that with each contract it gets worse and worse. I mean hell I'm making 11 an hour for 3 and a half hours a day. I mean come on what is that extra half hour to make it four hours a day. I just want to quit because it's not at all worth it, my back hurts so bad and I'm working for peanuts. I have no choice but to stay though because being a driver is a good gig but what else am I going to do. Go to college and rack up debt? And also be brainwashed by a liberal college professor? Any thoughts?

If you are so easily brainwashed that you are scared to go to school, you should go into supervision.

 

[Brownslave688]

thats minimum wage in adjusted for 1968 minimum wage inflation.

 

[raceanoncr]

The op, if hired late 2013 wasn't able to vote if his timeline is correct.

Don't know that...retired in 2010.

Then what option do they/he/she, have? As far as voicing?

 

[MyTripisCut]

I voted "yes" as I felt the contract was a good one. I have been on a Teamster health care plan since Day 1 so that wasn't an issue.

Yeah don't try to get better benefits just keep the same crappy ones you've always had. And when I say crappy I'm referring to the fact that I've gotten more bills on the teamster plan since August than I got the previous nine years combined, so no they are not equal or better

 

[rod]

Yeah don't try to get better benefits just keep the same crappy ones you've always had. And when I say crappy I'm referring to the fact that I've gotten more bills on the teamster plan since August than I got the previous nine years combined, so no they are not equal or better

Pay no attention to Upstate. He voted yes because his center manager told him to.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Yeah don't try to get better benefits just keep the same crappy ones you've always had. And when I say crappy I'm referring to the fact that I've gotten more bills on the teamster plan since August than I got the previous nine years combined, so no they are not equal or better

Several weeks ago I woke up to realize that I couldn't put any weight at all on my right foot. Tried to shake it off or otherwise get rid of the pain but it kept getting worse. Turns out it was plantar fasciatis. I was treated and given some meds. The bills for the visit were about $400----my share was $10 for the ER visit and $10 for the x-rays. This was more than offset by the $200 check I received from Combined for the ER visit.

I can list numerous other examples of the health care issues I have dealt with both for myself and my family for which I paid little to nothing.

The transition to Teamcare means we all need to become smarter medical consumers.

 

[MyTripisCut]

Upstate, I generally don't get as aggravated as others on this forum at your posts. But this being a form of social media I just want to point out that before my local was forced onto Teamcare, that 20$ you spent on x-rays and what not would have been Completley covered. I know our benefits are still better than most in the world but why give concessions for what others have fought for to maintain for years? That 20$ spent negated that persons raise for the week. Maybe I'm being irrational but I think we all need to be very aware of the next contract and it starts now.

On a side note, what is Combined? Like Afflac?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Combined is supplemental health insurance.

I only spent $10 on x-rays. The other $10 was for the ER visit, which really should have been $100, so I guess I got lucky there.

"Our benefits are still better than most in the world...." is the key part of your post.

 

[MyTripisCut]

Combined is supplemental health insurance.

I only spent $10 on x-rays. The other $10 was for the ER visit, which really should have been $100, so I guess I got lucky there.

"Our benefits are still better than most in the world...." is the key part of your post.

I just want them to stay that way...

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The days of free or low-cost healthcare are soon to be a thing of the past.

 

[Notretiredyet]

Contract concessions will continue until people get involved, not by bitching on this forum but attending Union meetings and refusing to let this continue. I've got no horse in this race as I'm outta here in 2017, good luck people.

 

[O/C]

Contract concessions will continue until people get involved, not by bitching on this forum but attending Union meetings and refusing to let this continue. I've got no horse in this race as I'm outta here in 2017, good luck people.

I have attended union meetings and put forth good proposals on contract language that would help everybody not just the chosen few, guess what it does not make a difference, nobody is listening or cares. Till there is a real difference in these so called international elections or contract negotiators we are all running on a hamster's wheel going nowhere.

Sent using BrownCafe App

 

[watdaflock?]

Any thoughts?

You should have studied harder in school.

 

[By The Book]

Don't know that...retired in 2010.

Then what option do they/he/she, have? As far as voicing?

This person can go to meetings and voice their concerns there and vote the next contract in 2018, if they hang around. There are a lot of new hires both part time and off the street that have no say for years on their contract. I'm sure we've all been there though.

 

[Almost]

In 06 I started feeling "off" while walking my last 30 stops. Finished up, next day still felt off, so I called in and went to my Doc. Three hours later I'm in OR undergoing emergency 4-way bypass. 1.) Never saw mgmt. or heard from them the entire 4 months I was off. Just call us when you can come back to work. 2.) $75,000 hospital bill. My out of pocket? $500 (and $70 of that was for a cheap ass electric razor from the hospital). 3.) Union set up disability pay ($1000 per month) which really helped as it covered the mortgage. Bitch all you want about the Union if you want, however, try to get that kind of coverage anywhere else.

 

[YellowSox]

I was hired in late 2013 on the last contract before this current one. I got really screwed and at the time I was a dumb 18 year old kid who thought working for a union was everything. Turns out after months of studying and finding out the real truth, teamsters and ups both suck. I had to wait over a year to get my benefits and still have not gotten a raise. I just had gotten my benefits in December and they are okay I suppose for a part timer. But talking to people with seniority with 20 plus years they said that with each contract it gets worse and worse. I mean hell I'm making 11 an hour for 3 and a half hours a day. I mean come on what is that extra half hour to make it four hours a day. I just want to quit because it's not at all worth it, my back hurts so bad and I'm working for peanuts. I have no choice but to stay though because being a driver is a good gig but what else am I going to do. Go to college and rack up debt? And also be brainwashed by a liberal college professor? Any thoughts?

Full time in the long run is the benefit unless you are part time using the earn and learn for college

 

[Zepphead33]

Okay I am just asking questions and still in the learning process here. I am on this website to learn from wise elders, not to hear negative bs that I am too young. I was bitching yes, and i do have great benefits for being pt. And I also worked my ass off for over a year to get those great benefits. Most of you misread this thread. It used to be a 90 day process to get those great benefits not 365 days. And that is what I meant by the next contract getting worse. The union and ups don't teach you anything as a new employee these days. So I have been learning from people with seniority at work, and seeking knoledge from people on here as well.

 

[O/C]

Okay I am just asking questions and still in the learning process here. I am on this website to learn from wise elders, not to hear negative bs that I am too young. I was bitching yes, and i do have great benefits for being pt. And I also worked my ass off for over a year to get those great benefits. Most of you misread this thread. It used to be a 90 day process to get those great benefits not 365 days. And that is what I meant by the next contract getting worse. The union and ups don't teach you anything as a new employee these days. So I have been learning from people with seniority at work, and seeking knoledge from people on here as well.

We wise elders were in the boat as you are, naive, innocent and idealistic then we found out how the system works real quick. It is overwhelming to just figure out the secret handshakes with labor relations, deals cut behind the scene, going to kangaroo hearings and outdated grievance procedures currently in place. I still have hope that maybe your generation will be able to make a change and start getting involved with labor concerns on a deeper level.

The truth is that this last contract was passed by only about 18 percent of the eligible voters, 65 percent didn't even bother to turn thier's in. I am guessing of the 18 percent who approved of this last contract most were young part timers who drank the international's propaganda cool-ale. Will we fooled again, time will tell.

Sent using BrownCafe App

 

[thessalonian13]

And everything is perfect, and the streets are paved in gold!

And their smells like vanilla.

 

[Mugarolla]

That extra half hour is $5.50 extra that UPS does not need to pay. They only need 3 1/2 hours of work from you. They do not have more work to give you.

Now multiply that $5.50 times the thousands of PT employees and that becomes a staggering amount of money. If they had to pay every PTer 4 hours, stock would take another 10% hit.

There are places where PTers get more than the 3 1/2 hour guarantee, but does not look like it in your case.

Stick around. Things could change. Or not.

What do you disagree with thessalonian13?