9.5 Not Good Enough!

542thruNthru

542thruNthru

Well-Known Member
Whither said:
Great discussion here between you and @zubenelgenubi. This is the kind of talk that might help us try to shore up weaknesses in our locals ahead of 2023. Thanks y'all.

I have always thought my local gets it wrong from the outset. Since at least half of the membership is in a RTW state, these members are joining by choice. They have some interest. The bare minimum would be reaching out to get these new members down to the hall to take the oath of obligation, give them educational materials re: how to be a strong Teamster at their respective employer (e.g., the contract(s), a 101 tutorial on common issues at that workplace w/ citations of contractual language or past practice on how to defend one's rights, and a Q&A session).

I'm gonna have to bring that up at a membership meeting soon. I usually have something to say, but man, the open floor portion of the meetings flies by and I don't want to hog the floor with a laundry list of issues. So I pick and choose what to address.

I respect that even a mediocre union rep, say a stew or a BA, has a ton of responsibilities. This suggestion might seem like one more task on a full plate. However, assisting enthusiastic members makes the local stronger and less dependent on the reps.
Click to expand...
You're in a RTW state, does your local have a steward or a BA speak with new members when they are hired?
 
FromOffTheStreets

FromOffTheStreets

Well-Known Member
They may try to claim that it's cheaper to pay overtime & 9.5 grievances than to put out more routes but I have a hard time believing that.
I believe it's more about getting people to leave before they reach pension status so they don't have to pay a guy who's setting @ home.
 
oldngray

oldngray

nowhere special
FromOffTheStreets said:
They may try to claim that it's cheaper to pay overtime & 9.5 grievances than to put out more routes but I have a hard time believing that.
I believe it's more about getting people to leave before they reach pension status so they don't have to pay a guy who's setting @ home.
Click to expand...
It is absolutely cheaper to pay overtime and treat grievances as a cost of doing business vs hiring more drivers.
 
Whither

Whither

Scofflaw
542thruNthru said:
You're in a RTW state, does your local have a steward or a BA speak with new members when they are hired?
Click to expand...
Generally yes, although I know of a few new hires have slipped through the cracks for a while. I've gotten a couple signed up this year who had made book a few weeks prior to our convos.

I'd like to see, and be part of, our local "making a case" to the rookies and, heck, offering a mentorship program of some sort. We all know the rookies are prone to getting overwhelmed and the company generally tries to keep them scared and in qualifying-mode. A little "hand holding" at the outset could go a long way toward making the union stronger. From my own experience, the approach is very hands off. There's not much encouragement to get involved, let alone effort to train up enthusiastic members. And the old informal bar meetups haven't recovered from Covid. Each center used to have a dive, and everyone knew Thursdays you could go here and talk shop, vent, get to know one another, ask questions about the contract. I'm gonna see if I can help revive that tradition.

I mentioned to my BA that we should schedule a Sunday UPS membership meeting soon. We've had a couple and they were successes, even reasonably well-attended. Another Covid casualty.
 
IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U

IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U

*
oldngray said:
It is absolutely cheaper to pay overtime and treat grievances as a cost of doing business vs hiring more drivers.
Click to expand...
Not even including the cost of our benefit package but you also have to take into consideration if they may need more vehicles, people services vehicles and more people to load and unload those trucks.

That's also not counting all the dead time of morning meetings, paid breaks and driving back and forth to and from the route.
 
MECH-lift

MECH-lift

Union Brother ✊🧔 RPCD
UPS isn’t a family oriented job

TOO MANY RUNNERS THAT RUN HOME CAUSE OF THE WIFEY DEMANDING YOU BE THERE! 🤣

THEN MY ROUTE GETS CRUSHED


STOP RUNNING

QUIT HAVING KIDS



✊🧔‍♂️
 
Whither

Whither

Scofflaw
zubenelgenubi said:
It may be, I'm skeptical. It still wouldn't bankrupt the company to do it. Maybe only profit 7.7 billion instead of 8 billion.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised that I've never heard hard figures re: how much our benefits pkg costs per hour. My wife's union gives their membership the exact numbers. Hers is over $20 an hour.
 

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