Local 804 Drivers Walked Out

[Stonefish]

If this were indeed true then why didn't the whole building walk? These drivers knew full well that what they were doing may cost them their jobs. No one put a gun to their heads and forced them to walk off the job.



Why should they? The drivers knew that their supplement strictly prohibited what their BA was telling them to do yet they went ahead and walked anyway. Job abandonment.

What about the drivers who did the right thing by working that day? What should the IBT do for those drivers, especially if the union is able to get back pay for the drivers who walked?

I'm sorry if I come across as sounding harsh but these are grown men and women who are capable of making up their own minds. If they are foolish enough to listen to a rogue BA then they deserve to lose their jobs.

They followed their leadership which is what they should do if you are a union person. It is the leaderships fault for putting them in that situation. If you've ever been fired you would want your brothers and sisters to stand by your side. The drivers did that I don't blame them.

 

[Stonefish]

This is what amazes me. Why is local 804 having such a hard time with this? I've never heard of an area that had so many terminations and grievance issues. Was it like this for decades or a few years? How long?


Every excuse I ever heard made perfect sense to the person who made it.

TDU leadership

 

[realbrown1]

The whole point of this walkout was to try to get ups to adhere to the contact. Pure and simple.
There are no real reprucsions for Ups when they habitually violate the contract. The contract is binding...but there are no enforceable penalties in regards to losing ones livelihood when it comes to the company. This is at least partially the union's fault for not having stronger language in the contract; or even enforcing the existing language.

Examples for UPS employee violations and company violations and subsequent consequences.

Employee Violation:
UPS driver Casey James misses the handrail on an observation. (Company states "you have been trained and instructed on the methods and did not follow) 1st offense=warning notice, 2nd offense= 3 day suspension, 3rd offense=termination.

Company Violation:
UPS supervisor Nelson Oz forgets to post the start times required by the contract. (Steward states "you are required to post the start times"
1st offense=nothing 2nd offense=<nothing 3rd offense=<nothing 4th offense=nothing 5th offense=nothing 6th offense=retaliation in return for you bringing it up again.

The same concept x10 when it comes to anything construed as dishonesty.

Employee: You are discharged if there is anyway UPS can imply there is a 1%chance there was a possibility you ...........attempted to defraud the company, etc

Company Nothing except in rare instances when UPS is caught still holding the smoking gun.

Employees are getting fed up with this garbage. The more UPS tightens its grip, the more drivers will slip thru their strong handed behavior only to become more resilient. If any of these drivers are discharged; it will work counter to the fear UPS is trying to instill.


Walkouts or UPS employees informing the public or media of the treatment will only increase.

(Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.)

Try telling this to Stink and the boys. Bunch of anti-tdu Hoffa butt kissers.

 

[realbrown1]

I have reviewed many of the posts in this thread.

Not all but many.

I do not support the action taken by this Local.

I support TDU in principle but not financially. (I am not a member at this time.)

The "Business Unionism" model that the Teamsters pretty much adhere to needs some form of checks and balances.

I believe the TDU is at least an attempt at this.

It has its problems like any organization of humans, but "Business Unionism" needs to be irradiated for unions to truly function to represent the workers and not the Organization.

This being said I believe this action by this local was irresponsible. I do not hold the TDU responsible for this action although TDU members may be involved.

In my opinion, anyone who would have walked out for anything related to an issue that has been going on for years, and years and years has made a big mistake.

Teamsters working of the clock is an issue that is a well known, long term, chronic problem.

I would never have recommended anyone walkout over an issue that appears to be a contract violation and a violation of federal labor laws that is apparently and has been an acceptable practice by a company management and business unionists.

I agree with a radical approach to correcting this issue but it should start with the union challenging the company sympathizer members.

Unfortunately this is very difficult within the business unionism model because the leaders of unions under this model tend to sympathize with the leaders of big business.

Sincerely,
I

Easy for you to say. You are probably not working in a building that plays LETS FIRE SOME DRIVERS TODAY.
You know what these guys have gone through for the last couple of years?
All I am saying is you haven't walked in their shoes, so I would go easy on the criticism.
Support our brothers and sisters at 804, or this treatment of drivers being fired for crap reasons, will be coming to your building.

 

[Anonymous 12]

Try telling this to Stink and the boys. Bunch of anti-tdu Hoffa butt kissers.

Yea but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about things. In real life there are repercussions and people with family's. They need to protect the family and this wasn't a good logical decision. Now the international is going to take the blame. I don't think so as far as I'm concerned. If TDU pounds stink and I will pound TDU on this forum.

 

[Anonymous 12]

Easy for you to say. You are probably not working in a building that plays LETS FIRE SOME DRIVERS TODAY.
You know what these guys have gone through for the last couple of years?
All I am saying is you haven't walked in their shoes, so I would go easy on the criticism.
Support our brothers and sisters at 804, or this treatment of drivers being fired for crap reasons, will be coming to your building.

You should start a petition and get your brothers and sister to sign it and try to make a difference????

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

They followed their leadership which is what they should do if you are a union person. It is the leaderships fault for putting them in that situation. If you've ever been fired you would want your brothers and sisters to stand by your side. The drivers did that I don't blame them.

What about the drivers who chose not to walk?

 

[member6045]

If this were indeed true then why didn't the whole building walk? These drivers knew full well that what they were doing may cost them their jobs. No one put a gun to their heads and forced them to walk off the job.



Why should they? The drivers knew that their supplement strictly prohibited what their BA was telling them to do yet they went ahead and walked anyway. Job abandonment.

What about the drivers who did the right thing by working that day? What should the IBT do for those drivers, especially if the union is able to get back pay for the drivers who walked?

I'm sorry if I come across as sounding harsh but these are grown men and women who are capable of making up their own minds. If they are foolish enough to listen to a rogue BA then they deserve to lose their jobs.

You sound like a man worried about his Own best interest here!! Elected officials are not allowed to cause harm to members or show incompetence! They done both! These are facts! Hoffa and hall can not come up here without a reason! Give them one! Follow the steps to have these TDU want to be leaders removed! Before someone signs a piece of paper and the company fires another 200 drivers. They GOTTA GO!!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You sound like a man worried about his Own best interest here!! Elected officials are not allowed to cause harm to members or show incompetence! They done both! These are facts! Hoffa and hall can not come up here without a reason! Give them one! Follow the steps to have these TDU want to be leaders removed! Before someone signs a piece of paper and the company fires another 200 drivers. They GOTTA GO!!

I always worry about myself first. I am the one responsible for my own well-being and livelihood.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

I work in Melville...I was put on 72 a couple of years ago for a work stoppage that Dave O called...threatened with loss of job etc...ended up with 3 day suspension...would never put my livelihood and my families well being on the line again for this current board...they talk the talk but cant back it up...they don't know what they r doing and when push comes to shove they crumble...I feel bad for my brothers and sisters in queens and as much as u love to shove it up UPS is it worth losing a $90000/year job for a local who doesn't have your back...I learnt my lesson first hand

Exactly...I work in the building near yours....Neil was there the day after the walkout...professing his total disagreement for what Liam did. They folded like a house of cards...

 

[HEFFERNAN]

Inept leadership leads to inept decisions !

It's a simple formula that sometimes turns situations into complicated issues !

 

[BrownDooDoo]

You guys saying "FIRE THEM ALL! Job abandonment!" must work in hubs that run smooth as butter

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You guys saying "FIRE THEM ALL! Job abandonment!" must work in hubs that run smooth as butter

We had 3 drivers fired this year. Two of them were casuals and there was little to no concern on the part of the FT drivers; in fact, in one of the cases, the majority agreed that it was about time the guy was fired. The third firing was a FT seniority driver who failed to report an accident which caused damaged to company property. The employee in question had an otherwise clean record. Yeah, we felt the firing was over the top, but at no time did I hear anyone, even the "Joe Unions", suggest that we walk out in support of this driver. Privately each of us went to one of the on-cars to express our support and she was brought back after a 9 day "vacation".

I would not want anyone to lose their jobs trying to support me if I were fired nor would I risk my job trying to support anyone else. Call me what you will but that's just the way it is.

 

[bigd]

Not even the best group of UPS managers could've fired 250 teamster members in their entire career! But yet local 804 executive board accomplish this in one day! Would not be surprised if the company offers them a job as management!

They have no shame!...

RESIGN!....

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

If the 250 drivers do end up losing their jobs I 100% agree that every member of the E-Board should lose theirs.

 

[BrownDooDoo]

Yeah 250 plus people abandoning the job is pretty much an insane thing to do.

I know nothing about 804, or what's going on, or even REAL TRUE details about this situation, but for them to be willing to do that things must be pretty bad there.

I doubt everything in the hub was smooth and gravy then one little firing happens and 250 people up and walk out.


But in all reality I don't know enough about any of it to really form a valid opinion.

 

[Island]

sort of difficult to find all the details about the progress of this event when everyone's screaming factional epithets at each other

 

[Stonefish]

What about the drivers who chose not to walk?

How do you know there were any that didn't walk

 

[bleedinbrown58]

You should start a petition and get your brothers and sister to sign it and try to make a difference????

The petition is a waste of time...What is ups gonna do with it, use it as toilet paper?

 

[bleedinbrown58]

How do you know there were any that didn't walk

There were drivers that didn't walk.