Who's The Winner In A Strike?

[cheryl]

I have no intention of influencing the masses, but like i said when an impartial administrator sways one way that does not directly involve them in life, i would like to speak my mind on it.

So if this is an open discussion forum, does that mean that a moderator or the administraor is free from answering questions or having statements or opinions posted about them?

No one is stopping you, are they...

 

[brazenbrown]

Your right i came here in 06 just to hijack our contract thread discusions for our contract in 08. I have no intention of influencing the masses, but like i said when an impartial administrator sways one way that does not directly involve them in life, i would like to speak my mind on it.

So if this is an open discussion forum, does that mean that a moderator or the administraor is free from answering questions or having statements or opinions posted about them?

By the way im not anti company, i just dont trust them there is a difference!

So you put more trust in the union... silly me!

P.S. Cheryl's articles are saying no one wins in a strike and that's a fact not a rumor like much of what is being spread on these threads.

 

[moreluck]

I still recall that hilarious episode of All in the Family back in '74 about who wins in a strike. Here's the synopsis.......

Synopsis: In the conclusion of a four-part story arc, an increasingly paranoid Archie is still out of work due to a union strike, while Edith has settled into her new job with George Jefferson's dry-cleaning establishment. At long last, the strike is settled, and Archie is able to tell Edith to quit her job. But this is hardly an occasion for celebration; the "generous" terms of the new union contract leave Archie almost as bad off as before.

 

[DS]

Obviously,a strike should be a last resort in that in the long run,nobody ends up benefitting from it.This time its quite a bit different because this first offer is still almost a year from the end of the contract.In a way,it's the best scenario that could present itself.If the offer is turned down,it still gives the company and the union the necessary time it will need to address the issues that make it unacceptable.
I have also noticed the browncafe membership increasing disproportionately since the handshake agreement was announced.
The browncafe has always been a place for upsers,both hourly and management,to share views and present opinions.It has never been one sided in either direction.I'd like to believe the increased membership is due to the seriousness of the implications of a possible work stoppage,and not by certain types that would try to use it to spread untruths and create a greate barrier between the company and its employees.

 

[705red]

So you put more trust in the union... silly me!
Absolutely! Here in chicago we are not under the national and after years of taking it in the you know what, we made history and voted out the incumbent for the 1st time in local 705s history. We elected a slate full of good ups stewards and won in a land slide. Since this new administration has taken over there is no more back room deals, cases dont get traded like baseball cards anymore, and the contract is enforced. Thet actually care about educating the stewards and send us to labor classes soi that we can better our skills because in the long run its the stewards that run the buildings and the agents only take care of what the steward cant. So yes i put more trust into the teamsters than ups.

P.S. Cheryl's articles are saying no one wins in a strike and that's a fact not a rumor like much of what is being spread on these threads.

Were you here in 97? How can you say that we did not win? Ok i will give you that the cs pension is a mess, but please explain to me how we lost in striking.

 

[satellitedriver]

Were you here in 97? How can you say that we did not win? Ok i will give you that the cs pension is a mess, but please explain to me how we lost in striking.

Explain to me what was won.
CS pension went south.
Two week strike that ended up coming back to work for the same money package offered.
Having to borrow 5 million dollars from the AFL-CIO to pay the first $55.00 strike check, which in my area they deducted $40.00 union dues.(insult upon injury)
Two weeks lost pay.
Lost business to UPS that took years to make up.
Ya,that was a big win, wasn't it?

 

[705red]

Explain to me what was won.
CS pension went south.
Two week strike that ended up coming back to work for the same money package offered.
Having to borrow 5 million dollars from the AFL-CIO to pay the first $55.00 strike check, which in my area they deducted $40.00 union dues.(insult upon injury)
Two weeks lost pay.
Lost business to UPS that took years to make up.
Ya,that was a big win, wasn't it?

You lost the right to ask union questions when you scabbed in 97. You lost nothing but gained!

 

[brazenbrown]

Were you here in 97? How can you say that we did not win? Ok i will give you that the cs pension is a mess, but please explain to me how we lost in striking.

It's all explained in the article, what don't you understand?

Your allegiance to the union shows your one sided view for a corrupt organization that you give more credit to than the employer who has been paying your wage for what seems too many years.

Perhaps you should quit UPS since you can't trust them and hire on with the crooks!!

 

[govols019]

If you people can't see that article for the anti-Union biased crap that it is then I feel sorry for you.

 

[govols019]

A little union bashing doesn't hurt anyone....Have some thicker skin.

A little union bashing is fine...when it comes from the administrator of what is supposed to be an open unbiased forum it takes me by surprise.

 

[govols019]

The Union has never paid my bills...Actually I got $300 a week for a few weeks in '97...But that didn't pay for much.....A stronger company is better for the employess than a stronger union.

What is better for employees is a strong company AND a strong Union.

 

[satellitedriver]

You lost the right to ask union questions when you scabbed in 97. You lost nothing but gained!

I lost no rights on this forum to ask a question of a union person.
If said union person can not answer the question, or is unwilling to, they should just say so, instead of dodging the question.
I lost in the strike of 97', in many ways.
Mostly, I lost all respect for the teamster officials who manipulated the strike for their own gains.

 

[satellitedriver]

A little union bashing is fine...when it comes from the administrator of what is supposed to be an open unbiased forum it takes me by surprise.

Your bias responses takes no one by surprise.

 

[Braveheart]

I think we still have 10 months to negotiate people. You have to be ready to strike or they will call your bluff. I have said it is great we started the talks early. But why are we taking the 1st offer? And why is the union pushing it so hard? There is the choice of voting no and saying you have 8 or so months to fix the things in it that we do not like. Then there is always extending the talks for a couple months at most to fine tune it. I hear the raises will be like 75 cents or so. Change to a flat 50 cent yearly raise and fix all the areas of the contract that we want fixed! Why are we acting this way when we made $4,200,000,000 in profit. Managers and on-roads have a very good salary, plus 1/2 months extra at Christmas, plus a pension, plus stock bonuses, AND 401K MATCHING FUNDS!!!!!!!!!! WHY ARE WE NOT DEMANDING AT LEAST THE 401K MATCHING FUNDS? Everyone that I tell about the fact that only management gets it not us states how stupid it is. It only makes good business sense. Heck we can't even get a discount on shipping with our own company yet my insurance company fringe benefit is that I can go to FedEx and get 25% off all shipping including air! What a joke huh?

 

[brazenbrown]

If you people can't see that article for the anti-Union biased crap that it is then I feel sorry for you.

The only biased ilk that is being posted on this website is that of ramped and subversive collection of pro- union thugs trying to spin the details of a tentative contract without the full knowledge of such.

It will take much more than the likes of you to convert loyal UPS employees to submit to taking their Company and livelihood down.

 

[diesel96]

It's very unsettling witnessing my brother's and sister's bickering and infighting so prematurely....I've basically tried to stay away from the contract and strike posts until I have the actual proxy mail out forms and the actual contractual agreement. Yes, it's healthy to discuss the rumored purposed changes and added language to a degree and without predjudice.....but it's un-healthy to bash or display negative points on both sides that happened 10 yrs ago. For now,on a positive note, OUR Union has agreed to the terms with UPS which lets face it, is a positive thing that can happen for everyone involved. So lets give the Union the benefit of the doubt until we get the proxy, (eventhough I had some issues years ago not go my way with UPS or the Union), because as hourly's we must not forget we have the best pay, security and benefits in the industry. New Part timers, we know your starting pay rate sux, and hopefully your not relying on this as your main income, but many have been able to work thru the eventual payraise progression and many have remained part timers even with the senority to bid on full time positions or hours. It took many of us twenty years to get into feeders from pkg cars. And our hard work and sacrifies have paid off for the cushy-ist job at UPS(let me throw in responsible also). I guess what I'm trying to say is we all have to pay our dues and don't expect things at UPS to happen overnight. Lets all not jump to conclusions and not bring up what happened 10 years ago.

 

[gandydancer]

A union that won't strike is a union whose contract is toilet paper. Cheryl's article takes much too narrow a view of what was gained and lost. It cost a few dollars up front, but it took awhile for UPS to get back to full ball-busting mode, and that was worth a lot.

 

[Damok]

A union that won't strike is a union whose contract is toilet paper. Cheryl's article takes much too narrow a view of what was gained and lost. It cost a few dollars up front, but it took awhile for UPS to get back to full ball-busting mode, and that was worth a lot.

For me it's the not our ABILITY to strike. The last contract saw a decidedly determined strike authorization. My concern is the EAGERNESS to strike by some people on these forums. I sincerely doubt that some (not all) people take into account all that a strike entails before coming here and calling for it or at least coming here and egging it on a it.

 

[Dirty Savage]

Back in 2004 I think it was the time that we here in Canada voted on a new contract. Myself and most of my coworkers voted yes. The next day our union president shoes up at our centre and informs us that, as of 10 pm that day we were on strike. Umm, ok, what?

The next morning there we were, walking picket lines in disbelief. after 12 hours of marching in circles I went home. The next day as I was preparing to go and take my place on the picket line I got a call from my shop steward informing me that the strike was over pending a new vote. So the great canadian strike lasted all of 30 hours.

Needless to say the ammended contract got voted in, but for the next two weeks I didn't work at all. I was a part time driver then and had previously been working full-time hours. But for the next two weeks I got paid for my guaranteed three hours and I never left my house. UPS Canada lost all kinds of accounts and I personally just about starved during that time.

As far as I'm concerned we all lose in a strike, at least for the short term. You gotta understand that businesses need their freight to move and if Brown is not there to pick it up, those customers will call someone else. Yes, UPS Canada got some accounts back and aquired others and now we are busier than ever but it took some months. If you are truly unhappy with your contract you have to vote no but you also have to be prepared for what very well may be hard times after the fact.

But hopefully it doesn't come to that.

 

[raceanoncr]

Hmmm, let's see. Back in '97, I made out pretty good. Was, by coincidence, on vacation for the two wks, so got vacation pay. Walked the line, sometimes for double shift (didn't have nuttin else to do. Was single, lived alone).

Local matched strike pay, so made double what normal strike pay was.

Got called to work on Wednesday of the first week back. Had to work so much O/T to straighten out the big mess that mgrs and sups created while gone, made as much in 3 days that I was making in 5.

Shortly afterward, went on sleeper team, THAT NEW CONTRACT WON! Made tons o $ cuz of inept sleeper operations and extras all over the country. Kept on making lots o $ cuz of sleepers taking contract work away that was allowed before for many yrs.

God, I love America!