Ok, this is what I am talking about...... I hate to tell you but even if Ron Carey was in office you would not be able to force UPS to keep you in the company plan. If your wife wanted a divorce do you think you could just say "NO" and expect to stay married? A lot of people believed Z's claim that you could "Vote NO" and stay in the company plan.........Where are they now? Teamcare? The West knew this and formed the Teamsters Western Region & Local 177 Health Care Plan and I am very thankful. I advise you to read these paragraphs that are found in your old company plan that gave UPS the right to renegotiate. You forget we had made this deal a long time ago (long before healthcare sky rocketed) and UPS was stuck with it for years and hated it. Once the $6,250 maximum was met they, UPS finally got their chance to get out and members were moved to Taft Hartley plans. I admit that was a great deal while it lasted but I am happy with what the West accomplished and trust the Union far more than UPS.
(This is from the old UPS company Plan)
Contribution
All retired employees are responsible for a $50 per
month contribution for their medical coverage. This
contribution covers the retired employee, spouse and
any eligible dependent children.
Average Annual Cost
The average annual cost per participant is defined
as the total claims paid by the Plan in a calendar year,
divided by the total number of Plan participants
during that year. Each retired employee, each spouse,
and each eligible dependent would be considered
a Plan participant.
If the average annual cost per participant exceeds
$6,250, each retired employee will share equally in
the cost above the $6,250 maximum by making an
additional contribution.
The $6,250 maximum cost per participant is subject
to future negotiations. If required, the additional
contributions would not be implemented until after
the expiration of the current collective bargaining
agreement.
We keep hearing this claim that "UPS wanted out of the Healthcare business", which may or may not be entirely the case.
We have also heard credible people say that UPS wanted every single UPSer nationwide in their plan if they were to continue the company plan.
This makes complete sense, as they would increase their buying power with the additional participants.
The union had no choice but to balk at this notion, because of the numerous localized multi-employer HC plans, like Local 348 in my state, that would go belly up without UPS's contributions, .
While I agree that UPS couldn't be forced to keep the company plan, if they were willing to follow through with a lockout.
I also contend that the Union did not have to bring any other proposal to the membership that they were opposed to, but the union and company were on the same page from the beginning.
This whole debacle was a charade, riddled with a series of half truths and deceptions, where some were made unwitting martyrs and still don't realize it.
This is my biggest misgiving with the whole HC switch, as I would have likely not resisted it like I did and may have even voted for it, had I been presented with the truth.
As far as Fred Z and Local 89, your assertion that they were holding out to keep the company HC plan at Worldport simply is not the case.
I know because I went there for a day and a half, on my own dime, and helped pass out Vote No literature after the Ohio Rider narrowly passed on the 3rd attempt.
Not one word of the multi page pamphlet we handed out addressed health care.
Their quest was for improved working conditions and those who say otherwise are either lying or were lied to.
I saw it first hand.
