A MESSAGE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND EX-CUSTOMERS

[upslocal480]

If we had approved the last offer than there still would be plenty of pissed off people just like there was with the actual result and just like there is now with the current contract. Not everyone will be satisfied but I myself would have been happy with that last offer (with the bonuses). VERY VERY happy.

 

[kidlogic]

There is a perfect example why I dont want us voting on evey offer. 480 looking at just the money part. Yikes!

 

[feederdryver]

Proups-

You got most of the point.

 

[upslocal480]

Please explain where I stated I would have voted on that contract for the money alone. Should be inerestig considering I never said it.

 

[wkmac]

"Please explain where I stated I would have voted on that contract for the money alone. Should be inerestig considering I never said it."

I think the following statement from you kinda gave one the impression this is where you head was at the time:

"but I myself would have been happy with that last offer (with the bonuses)."

You highlighted "with the bonuses" so one is left to think that was of greatest importance.

 

[kidlogic]

See 480 I didnt have to say a word.

 

[upslocal480]

"I think the following statement from you kinda gave one the impression this is where you head was at the time:

"but I myself would have been happy with that last offer (with the bonuses)."

You highlighted "with the bonuses" so one is left to think that was of greatest importance."

The word ASSUME is what needs to be highlighted here. I will agree that some people might be left to ASSUME that the highlighted segment was of greatest importance but the assumption, like all assumptions, was developed by you in your own mind. Since the monetary issue was being discussed...and not the tons of other issues that apply to a contract...that is what I was responding to so it is not my fault an assumption was developed but I'll still definately try and make sure I'm more specific in the future. Assuming things can be bad. Like if one of our package cars had air conditioning and I was too tell someone that "UPS package cars have air conditioning now"....a person that assumes would automatically think they all do but just about any other person would ask how many.


(Message edited by upslocal480 on July 07, 2003)

(Message edited by upslocal480 on July 07, 2003)

 

[brownmonster]

Kid, what do you mean "Almost went on an illegal strike". Our center walked unlike most in the country. Was darn cold out too!!!

 

[wkmac]

Funny 480, I never used the word "assume" but rather made a judgement based on the wording of your statement and in fact how you posted those words. Are you "assuming" I "assumed"? As you said, be careful what you "assume" because others might think you are overly "assumptous"!

Whew! I'll say that was a load of ASSuming now wasn't it!

 

[upsdawg]

I did appreciate the original post and thought it was focused on our customers------they have not forgot, and they will not ever forget how UPS let them down.
Our competitors will never let our customers forget about the 97 strike and it is something that we need to remember and never get into that situation again.

What did the strike really cost UPS--how many customers did we lose--could we even imagine by giving the Teamsters the authorization to call a strike on our behalf that it would be still haunting us 6 years later????

Thank you feederdriver--we need to apologize to our customers and do whatever it takes to get our business back from our competitors out there whose revenues are sky high---sounds kinda clich'e but ---"don't ask what your company can do for you , but what can you do for your company" to get our business back from the competition???

 

[dannyboy]

In this thread we have focused on what we lost when the customers left us after the strike and went to FDX and the postal service.

Well what about the customers that went out of business because they were so dependant on us, and could not get alternate means to move their goods.

We left them stuck. You think for one minute they blame the teamsters, or corp. UPS for what happened to their buisness? Nopers, they blame us, the driver. Just in our area there were over 50 business that went under because of the damage the strike did to their business. ITs too late to ever do anything to get that business back. but we can sure as heck see to it that the Teamsters understand they work for you and I, not their own interests. It ought to never ever happen again, EVER! I will never be a part of damaging someone elses life and business ever again. And for those that are union freaks, you can take that any way you want.

The people in charge of hammering out the contract need to get on it, deal with the issues and quit the posturing that went on in both the last two contracts.

d

 

[upsdawg]

D-boy

You are absolutely correct, we did have a negative impact on a lot of mom and pop business's and some of them are longer in business because of it. I do remember telling customers that there would be no way that UPS will go on strike and they based their shipping on this--even though they had an opportunity to switch over to the competiton for a short period of time, they stayed with UPS and when the Teamsters announced that they were going out on strike, a lot of customers had a lot of merchandise tied up in UPS warehouses and lost a lot of $$$$$$$$$.

I hope that we have learned from this ordeal and do everything that we possibly can to prevent it from happening in the future.

 

[brownmonster]

50 places went out of business because of 2 1/2 weeks? Give me a break. That's as bad as the guys that were going to go bankrupt from missing a couple of paychecks. Doesn't anybody save for a rainy day anymore? Mom and pop went out of business because they couldn't make the big payments on the giant house, the Lexus and the YukonXL they couldn't afford in the first place!! Wow, I think I'm raging!!

 

[dannyboy]

BM

Unfortunatly that is the way small business is. In what I do on the side, I can not afford to tie my money up for long when doing a large project. And currently I have 2 that are in the 25-40 grand range each. Hell I cant tie up my cash for 2-4 months and wait on payday till the end.

But it really hurt to drive by some of these customers places and the sign out front said out of business thanks to UPS strike. None of them ever said the TEAMSTER strike, they were all UPS. I guess the old saying is true, perception is reality for a lot of people.

d

 

[feederdryver]

Dannyboy-

What BM said is what I was already thinking before I read his post. What part of the country are you in?
I'm in Cleveland, Ohio and the suburbs and we didn't have any of our customers go under in 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not saying it can't happen, but it just amazes me that any company (not to mention 50) couldn't make it through 2 1/2 weeks.

However, if true.. it is sad and it definitely bums me out. And to think that even the supes that were driving couldn't even help them.

 

[upslocal480]

I think the following statement from you kinda gave one the impression this is where you head was at the time.

The makings of an assumption.You highlighted "with the bonuses" so one is left to think that was of greatest importance."

Again....(no matter how you describe it)we have the makings of an assumption.

 

[wkmac]

No upslocal, I think what we have here is an over-emotional train wreck about to happen and I for one am not interested in watching it happen so at this point I'm departing far away from these tracks! I think your posts prove very much what you are all about so I leave you now to continue in your endeavors.

I would suggest one thing as my parting advice for you. Consider going to FedEx and I'd like to see you go into FedEx management. They would very much benefit from your presense there. I believe just about all here will agree with me when I say there will be much joyful noise at Browncafe on the day we all hear that upslocal480 has advanced into the management ranks of FedEx!

 

[dannyboy]

For some of the business it took 4-6 months for them to finally close. It was heart rending experience to watch some of these customers that I have had for several years to struggle and then close. YEah, it is never the best to cut it so close that something like this would close you down, but if you have put everything you can into expanding, have a lot of product in transit, or perishable product in inventory that you cant ship out, this is what I am talking about.

In my business, my son made a small mistake that killed off close to $8000 dollars worth of stock. I had to buy it on credit, now had much less stock for the customer to choose from. To keep enough choice for the customer to draw them in, I had to purchase another 8 grand of fish. THat hurt. Lucky for me I have a substantial income that supports this business. If I was depending on the business for my income, that would have been deadly. And if it would have happened again, even with the additional income, it would have been bad.

Many small business operate on a shoestring and a major setback like our strike, when you depended on us for all your shipping needs, was really rough. And in our area things did not get back to normal for quite some time. That is why many shippers now will NEVER place all their shipping needs in the hands of just one provider. And FDX et al have made the most of it. They require the shippers not only to have an account, but make them use it for at least a substantial portion of their shipments. And several were told that during the last contract that they could only ship a small % over what they had been shipping in the last 3 months.

IN our business environment of today, many if not most are dependant on shipping companies like ours. And while I enjoy making good money as much as any, going on strike to prove a point or to flex muscle is wrong. And when we have as much in our system of the GNP as we do, it hurts the national economy and in many cases can be deadly for the local economy.

d

 

[upslocal480]

wkmack....So basically you have been called out on your assumption and the attempt by you to cover it up by throwing in alternate descriptions of the assumption was called out and now you are resorting to accusing me of your own fault and attempting to back up your claim by instisting that I join the management ranks at Fed Ex as if that has any bearing on discussing raises on our last contract. As far as an emotional train wreck goes...you must have switched over to a different track many miles ago. And for the advice....my counter advice is that maybe you should take your faults like a man instead of stearing clear of the debate that you started by insulting someone. Oh yeah...and the comment about my posts proving what I'm all about...that is based on pure assumptions and selective memory.

 

[tieguy]

"There is a perfect example why I dont want us voting on evey offer. 480 looking at just the money part. Yikes!"

Hmmmmm, It would seem that 480 has every bit a right as a member of his union to vote for monetary reasons as you would have to vote for less tangible ones. Carey would never let the members vote on the offer because he knew it would pass if he did so. My opinion based on my own interaction with a small segment of your overall membership.