Wow, so much nonsense on here. It is amazing how cynical some in our local have become. Members are so used to our leaders lying to us or not caring about our needs that we become blind when our E/B delivers for us on a strong contract and actually tells us the truth!!I guess it is expected for some to be cynical and untrusting of the new guys. I mean after years of redmond and co lying to us and not caring about our needs and basically out of touch with the membership, I guess we all stopped trusting our leaders and ASSUMED THE WORST...and our cynacism grew. We had ron carey for decades standing tall, taking on brown and telling us the truth. Well, the guys in charge now are Ron's legacy. Remember they took a 35K salary cut to do this job. We gave them the responsiblity to turn things around. In return in a short 3 and 1/2 years they stopped the H/W funds from bleeding, used the extra savings to hire more BAs, ended go along to get along and backroom deals and delivered a strong supplement.
Unlike past supplements under redmond, buhlert and donato which only gave concessions, this new supplement gets us some good stuff. THIS IS NOT A SUPPLEMENT TO VOTE DOWN!! This is not a contract full of concessions like before. This supplement gets us a well-deserved pension increase (without touching our raises too!!), at least 100 new Full time jobs, an improved grievance procedure which weakens management's hand, more summer vacation for the younger guys, etc. Remember redmond's last supplement they negotiated?? Remember the 25 and out and coffee gone for new hires?? Remember the old language that NEVER got fixed that left clerks being cut to 4.5 hrs when lay offs occurred??
Tim S and Liam Russertt and the rest of them knew UPS had the $$ to increase our pensions. They fought to make sure it was part of this supplement. They had well informed people like Liam and Chris Williamson, both experts in drivers and inside issues as well as the rank and file people who were able to rebut on the spot all the nonsense ups spewed at the negotiating table. They werent old guard out of touch union officials making backroom deals with our futures! This was hard working union officials DOING THERE JOBS WE HIRED THEM TO DO!!
But to the SKY IS FALLING crew, this is not enough. They are so pissed at Tim for succeeding. For fulfilling their bargain of producing a strong supplement!! We re-elected them and they delivered big time. Yet the old guard few were hoping and banking on a weak concessionary supplement so they could run around and say: I told you so and begin to run against them in 2015!! Well that scenario didnt happen did it. Our board came through. It was their first major contract and THEY NAILED IT!! We told them in person and in those long surveys what we wanted: increase our pensions, more FT jobs, stop the harassment and higher part time wages. Our local delivered some of that and the national addressed some.
Still there are some who will never be happy. They are the ones who always complain yet never fill out a grievance form (probably wouldnt know what one looks like) or attend a General Membership Meeting. But reasonable people will vote YES on the supplement and NO on the national. They know that our E/B worked their asses off on this supplement: the long hours, the travelling, the endless research and contact with other locals , the offers, the counter offers, debating if they accept X it might turn into Y. Reasonable members know that Hoffa is a sell out. We assume that in Local 804. Yet we will vote NO on the national contract and hope that the rest of the country follows suit.
But what we got here in local 804 is a WIN!! Reasonable members are not greedy. Turning down this supplement would be a mindless and senseless action. It would mean the OLD GUARD HAD WON!! (They only want to see our board look weak and defeated...nothing else!!) So be smart, be reasonable. Vote YES on the Local 804 supplement and NO on the NMA!!
