It appears negotiations have been postponed yet again to negotiate regional supplements with any deadlocked issues to be sent to the national committee. With them resuming Sept. 24 I have my doubts any tough issues can be negotiated in one weeks time. Although an early agreement would be nice.
brett,
I'm like you in thinking what can be really done in one week's time but like myself you've probably gotten the IBT mailings on the contract updates. In all the mailings and in all the other crosstalk from the union, the common comment is, "to get this done by 10/1/07" and then another comment tends to follow suit of "having the contract ratified and in place by 1/1/2008." But wait, our contract doesn't expire before 7/31/08' so why the mad rush to get this done?
Both sides are scared to death of the new ERISA provisions expected to come into play at midnight 12/31/07 and are a fever pitch to get this whole thing done so it can go out for a vote, get ratified and then I suspect this new contract will supercede the current contract and they are safe from ERISA. Would make me think we might get another raise about Christmas time too but then IMO, that may be overly hopeful considering the cost of this CS mess. I'm not looking for much raise at all on this next contract cycle so I wouldn't be expecting one.
What concerns me in all this mad rush is the lack of attention to details that we only learn latter to our own demise. I'm all for leaving CS and have been for years. I was for it back in 97' and it's just a dam# shame that this is exactly what we appear to be doing in 2007' and we could have done this 10 years ago and already be 10 years ahead in the game. Not to mention maybe avoiding a stupid strike and greenlighting FedEx to buy old RPS in 1998'. Where would we be now had we not gone that route? I'd like some of you Carey cheerleaders to answer that one!
Both sides want this done and want it bad. Make no mistake on that as they fear these new rules bigtime. For once,we have bothsides where we want them and we are in some sense in the driver seat. Everyone needs to ask tons of questions and demand detailed answers, not the general vague BS we tend to get at the hall or from the company out of Glenlake when we tend to ask for specifics on things. This situation is not only important to ourselves first and foremost but it will have an effect on the longterm health of the company and let's be honest, a sorry, shotty pension plan for us could also greenlight the Glenlake beancounters to cut and dice the plans of the PTers, hourly non-union and yes even the lower management pension plans just so they can score points with Wall Street. And for you Brown coolaid drinkers who think my assertion that UPS would apart of something that would in time prove to be wrong and/or at error! I've give you 2 words that UPS can make a serious mistake cost good UPSers lots of money over the longterm. OverSeas Partners. And another mistake that even Eskew admitted on a recent History Channel broadcast called "History's Business" was going public with it's stock and to that one I'll just say to Mike and all the rest.
DUH!
If we demand a great plan and get one, then I also believe this offers a layer of protection for the above mentioned groups of PTers, non-union hourly and yes even management who IMO among the lower ranks having taken it the worst on the chin with what has happened with the stock after going public. I have some folks who are my friends among the Tie wearing ranks and I want them to have the good life after UPS as much as I do because IMO they've worked their arse off putting up with all the ivory tower BS and yes even some of the BS we throw back at em' when we've finally had enough of the crap from the top.
I think this is a great opportunity for us as UPSers and it's also one for the IBT and yes even UPS as a company. It will be the last and final time IMO so let's get it right now and be done with this. We now have ERISA so to speak on our side so like a sharpe deadly weapon, let's not be afraid to use if when the time comes if need be!
JMHO.
. -Rocky
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