Why is a Strike Quite Possible?

[Wally]

Great for you. all the people that work for locals that don't.

A national agreement regarding 6th days/9.5 hours & out might be the only thing to wake management up and get real change

Right, but any local can hold out as a plan B.

 

[newolddude]

Right, but any local can hold out as a plan B.

And you are right.

But like I said, you won't get significant change from Carol & The Gang unless one or both are implemented company wide.

 

[Shorts365]

Last contract was different union leadership, who used a procedural loophole to pass a contract the membership turned down. Also, whatever gains we did get from the last contract got swallowed up by record inflation.

 

[BadIdeaGuy]

I’m an outside observer. But didn’t the union sort of cave in to UPS on the current contract? Hoping they’re getting the message from the rank and file.

Previously, the rules were that if we got less than 50% of the members to vote, the contract would only be voted down if 2/3s of the members who DID vote voted against it.

That rule was gotten rid of, meaning if only five people to vote, and three of them vote no, it is a no.

 

[DELACROIX]

Ok. So how strong is the possibility that enough members nationwide will vote to strike?

If you study the “97” Ron Carey did get a strike vote during the talks. Back then you had to go down to the Union Hall and yell “Nay” or “Yea” and raise your hand. You can easily guess what the results where... usually it runs 97 % for a strike...even with mailing it in it is not even close, again around 95 % for.

The last several strike authorization votes were for show only, the Company knew that Hoffa would never allow a work stoppage and acted accordingly.

Here is what could happen ... O’Brien will have the strike authorization vote in his pocket if it comes to that. It doesn’t matter what the percentage is of those who turned one in, usually under 20 % even bother. He has already revealed his intentions...No Extensions...none of this Retro Pay / Bonus... He will not shake hands before he gets a good deal, he will already by then have the strike authorization vote from the rank and file that voted in his back pocket.
We had several members who got scared as the deadline came closer, having their wife’s calling the Union Hall asking for a vote on the Master. The Company tried their best to have the members put pressure for a final vote..Carey had none of it and we walked.

 

[oldngray]

If you study the “97” Ron Carey did get a strike vote during the talks. Back then you had to go down to the Union Hall and yell “Nay” or “Yea” and raise your hand. You can easily guess what the results where... usually it runs 97 % for a strike...even with mailing it in it is not even close, again around 95 % for.

The last several strike authorization votes were for show only, the Company knew that Hoffa would never allow a work stoppage and acted accordingly.

Here what could happen ... O’Brien will have the strike authorization vote in his pocket if it comes to that. It doesn’t matter what the percentage is of those who turned one in, usually under 20 % even bother. He has already revealed his intentions...No Extensions...none of this Retro Pay ... He will not shake hands before he gets a good deal, he will already by then have the strike authorization vote from the rank and file that voted. We had several members who got scared as the deadline came closer, having their wife’s calling the Union Hall asking for a vote on the Master. The Company tried their best to have the members put pressure for a final vote..Carey had none of it and we walked.

Not how it worked for us. A no vote on the contract also counted as authorization for the union to call a strike. Not specifically a yes vote on a strike but leaving it up to the union as one of their negotiating tools.

 

[Satuirus2000]

Clearly leaving that to the locals is not working. I think the only solution is a national one.

I'd be for that as well. 6th punches aren't just for full timers either. In our local contract I believe it says something to where you can only be forced a 6th punch when volume gets to a certain level, and even then only during peak season.

During the pandemic and ever since then the company has the "right" to force anybody, full or part time to work a 6th day at their discretion. At first the company asked permission from the union to this and they shockingly gave the company the OK to do so. People were rightfully pissed as we all know EVERYONE got overworked during the pandemic and put themselves at risk of covid cause we were "heroes." Another instance of the union selling out its members. Again, now that's a permanent change and another reason why a lot of people have no faith in the union anymore.

 

[Johney]

If he did start collecting UPS stock 20, let alone 40 years ago he wouldn’t even bother to blog on this site. He would be like the rest of those shareholders, living in Florida wondering how the poor people are doing.

Remember that back in the early 90’s the UPS stock was selling at 30 dollars a share. MIP was given out like candy and that was before it went public.

I still remember a long term manager talking to another partner that he just became a millionaire the day it went public. We had managers getting second mortgages on their homes in order to buy more UPS stock months before it hit the stock market.

People knew things and the ones who did made a killing..

There were at least 5 supervisors in my building that bailed days after it went public or split or something, they were all multi-millionaires.

 

[ManInBrown]

Clearly leaving that to the locals is not working. I think the only solution is a national one.

Too many weak locals. When you have coyotes on property at wilpa parking right in front of dispatch and walking upstairs to the window, you’re never going to get no forced sixth punch in a place like that. Sets everyone else back. I’m so thankful to be in the 177.

 

[Pullman Brown]

Too many weak locals. When you have coyotes on property at wilpa parking right in front of dispatch and walking upstairs to the window, you’re never going to get no forced sixth punch in a place like that. Sets everyone else back. I’m so thankful to be in the 177.

I know a lot of RPCD and feeder drivers, including myself, that will not vote yes on any contract proposal that does not deal with this six-punch bs. We are way past this being dealt with locally. A lot of that attitude comes from the blatant deception and disregard with the company in how they have USED 22.4’s. That issue alone is what is creating a lot of the strike fever in my opinion. Who knows the real number of employees that have been dealing with this for over three to four years!

 

[takesteady]

What are the chances of the Casey estate taking the company private again?

 

[Staydryitsraining]

I know that as of August the top rate is $40/hour. What are UPS Teamsters unhappy enough about that you might go on strike next year? I’m not dismissing the reasons, I’m just curious.

You clearly don't work here. Poof be gone.

 

[DELACROIX]

I know that as of August the top rate is $40/hour. What are UPS Teamsters unhappy enough about that you might go on strike next year? I’m not dismissing the reasons, I’m just curious.

You are confusing “unhappy” with (Mad)..

 

[MECH-lift]

I know that as of August the top rate is $40/hour. What are UPS Teamsters unhappy enough about that you might go on strike next year? I’m not dismissing the reasons, I’m just curious.

$40 is chump change

RPCDS should get $100 an hour and 22.4s should top out around maybe $20

 

[DOK]

It depends...

I like overtime. I don't want that to change. I won't vote for a strike for that reason. Noting I didn't say I wouldn't support a strike.

I spent 15 years in pkg before I had enough seniority to bid feeders(And I had 30 years with the company at the time). Every time you change classifications here, you go to the bottom of seniority. Every time. Example: I have A top 10 District(overall) seniority but top 40 at my hub(feeders). All of this is just the way it is....

Pkg car was just the way it was.....8 to 8.....20 years ago. Just the way it was. You went to feeders as soon as you could. RPCD was all there was.......we only worked a rare Sat. or after Holiday. And then, low seniority and up until the need was satisfied. Crappy routes fell to the bottom. Same in feeders now......where weekends are being worked.....right now. Shrug.

I won't vote for a strike(but will support one). Why? There has to be a better way. We've(except once in my career) always worked through negotiations. We can now. Thinking most of the strike items will change or go away.....seems unrealistic to me.

A strike will hurt this company....hard. This is bad business for the Teamsters too.

Most business's have clear pay and benefit differences between pt and full time. UPS is no exception. Pt'ers coveting full time pay seems just that....to me. Unloading trucks is a revolving job and always has been. Always will be. Pt is not designed to be a career. Destroying the company will not change working conditions. It will put everyone on the street.

Modern day delivery is very different than in 97. For obvious reasons. To compete, UPS will have to adopt those practices.

Now, my perspective is from a long time veteran of UPS at the end of my career. But, I have a vested interest in UPS thriving and continuing.

Depends on where you are in the country I guess, here if a RPCD goes into feeders their seniority is dovetailed.

 

[DELACROIX]

$40 is chump change

RPCDS should get $100 an hour and 22.4s should top out around maybe $20

With a 6 year progression...

 

[eats packages]

Overreaching on what they can get away with in regards to combo drivers and weekend deliveries is really what bore the attitude, PT employees also furious about their hourly pay and bonuses getting decreased seemingly arbitrary.
I personally don't care how much money the company makes in absolute terms. It just masks the reality that these folks are piling cash into a freaking incinerator every day.

Has there not been past union-busting efforts where the company magically has a boost in productivity days later? What if it was not the labor? What if they just fixed their own problems as soon as the union lost out? Like a game of pin the tail on the donkey.

 

[burrheadd]

It depends...

I like overtime. I don't want that to change. I won't vote for a strike for that reason. Noting I didn't say I wouldn't support a strike.

I spent 15 years in pkg before I had enough seniority to bid feeders(And I had 30 years with the company at the time). Every time you change classifications here, you go to the bottom of seniority. Every time. Example: I have A top 10 District(overall) seniority but top 40 at my hub(feeders). All of this is just the way it is....

Pkg car was just the way it was.....8 to 8.....20 years ago. Just the way it was. You went to feeders as soon as you could. RPCD was all there was.......we only worked a rare Sat. or after Holiday. And then, low seniority and up until the need was satisfied. Crappy routes fell to the bottom. Same in feeders now......where weekends are being worked.....right now. Shrug.

I won't vote for a strike(but will support one). Why? There has to be a better way. We've(except once in my career) always worked through negotiations. We can now. Thinking most of the strike items will change or go away.....seems unrealistic to me.

A strike will hurt this company....hard. This is bad business for the Teamsters too.

Most business's have clear pay and benefit differences between pt and full time. UPS is no exception. Pt'ers coveting full time pay seems just that....to me. Unloading trucks is a revolving job and always has been. Always will be. Pt is not designed to be a career. Destroying the company will not change working conditions. It will put everyone on the street.

Modern day delivery is very different than in 97. For obvious reasons. To compete, UPS will have to adopt those practices.

Now, my perspective is from a long time veteran of UPS at the end of my career. But, I have a vested interest in UPS thriving and continuing.

You missed your calling you would have been an awesome ORS

 

[burrheadd]

Tell us all about how you lasted (2 weeks) on a sleeper run....

Wow I feel sorry for the A driver
Can’t imagine being cooped up with this idiot for days at a time

 

[burrheadd]

Ok. So how strong is the possibility that enough members nationwide will vote to strike?

Knowbody knows the answer to that