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Mr. Hoffa. Get Off Your Ass Right Now
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<blockquote data-quote="Ricochet1a" data-source="post: 1101444" data-attributes="member: 22880"><p>About the best advice that can be given at this point for those in Express. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>There's no doubt that it would be an uphill battle. If you are smart, you'll make an exit plan from Express and get the hell out. The IBT gave up on Express when the FAA reauthorization went through and Express kept its RLA status. You are NOT going to get IBT resources, fact of life, all Express employees had better end the dreaming and accept this fact. </p><p></p><p>The IBT is in the BUSINESS of organizing labor. Given the hurdle of the RLA, the dispersed nature of Express stations, the very strong anti-union hit team FedEx has (the IBT pulled the organizing attempt in the Ground terminal in MA as a dry run to see if they could get a toe hold into FedEx - that failed miserably and the IBT won't even look at FedEx now with the possible exception of Freight and possibly the Express mechanics - hope is fading fast there), the IBT isn't going to waste its resources on what it sees as a losing proposition. They got burned back in the late 90's when they made some small effort towards Express - they won't do it again. YOU, the Express employee are going to have to do ALL of the legwork, get the cards signed and have 20,000 of them sitting in DC leaving the IBT with only needing to petition the NLRB for a certification election. </p><p></p><p>In the VERY small chance that you do manage to pull off a grass roots organizing drive, it will be YOU, the employees of Express who did the legwork and EARNED the union. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Couldn't agree more. Life is rough, nothing worth having is ever given away freely. The facts in regard to Express aren't going to change. The window of opportunity to have the rules of the game changed (pulling the RLA status) ended with the 2010 election. I did what I could back then to get things to change - most didn't want to believe that things could get worse or just plain stuck their head in the sand and choose not to listen. Who's to blame?</p><p></p><p>That's why my advice has always been to look for an exit strategy and get the hell out. If for whatever reason you can't or won't look for an exit strategy, you'd better start using your free time to start organizing and stop all the bitching and moaning that goes within this forum, and just get out there and do it. Getting on here and kicking some mud in Fred's face may make you feel better, but you're going to end up going to sleep, waking up tomorrow and going right back into his shearing shed tomorrow morning and doing the same thing over again.</p><p></p><p>It is often stated (Albert Einstein) that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. All I see going on here is tribute to that definition. </p><p></p><p>When will you (plural) recognize that bitching and moaning isn't going to change your life one bit? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The IBT sees you as a losing bet at this stage. That is why I advised everyone to call, so YOU could get first hand evidence of that fact. </p><p></p><p>It is going to be tough, DAMN TOUGH for the Couriers/RTDs of Express to organize - Fred has paid millions to make it as tough as possible. In the end, all it will take is enough of you to get the courage to start signing those cards, sending them in, get your coworkers to sign them, and start a movement to get Express organized. There is no 'wishing' needed - just some determined legwork. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I honestly don't see the IBT looking at Express as a 'prize' that they are missing out on. UPS is their cash cow. Conversely, the IBT is having a little laugh right now in that the wage employees of Express decided to trust Fred and not organize when it may have stopped what is going on right now. </p><p></p><p>This is the GIANT misconception out there among Express employees. It's not the IBT's obligation to expend its resources and come to your rescue. It is YOUR obligation to expend some of your resources, and do some grassroots organizing and then hand off the proverbial ball to the IBT once critical mass is reached. If it wasn't for the RLA, the IBT would start some campaigning in locations that are favorable to unions. Fred S saw to it that the cost to the IBT to mount an organizing drive with the RLA in place would be prohibitive for them - thank Fred for that rather than blaming the IBT. Fred spent over $50 million in 2009-10 to lobby to keep the RLA - that was chump change for him. He is spending $650 million to get rid of the dead weight in Memphis right now (like I said he could) - again, chump change to him. The IBT CAN'T compete against those kinds of numbers - can't do it. </p><p></p><p>YOU need to spend some of your time in talking to your co-workers, spending a bit of your cash and organize the old fashioned way. I've said it before, you've got the 'luxury' of the internet and social networking which didn't exist 15 years ago. This is your BEST asset to attempt to organize. USE THEM. </p><p></p><p>Don't expect someone else out there to go to the effort to fight YOUR battle with YOUR employer - they've got their own problems to handle. You need to decide if the battle is something you want to fight, or recognize that you'd be better off in finding other employment and getting the hell out. If for whatever reason you decide you can't get out, then you had better start using your heads and fighting by organizing - and forget about kicking some occasional mud in Fred's face. He can handle lots of mud being kicked in his face - after all, tomorrow you are going to go to work, and deliver his volume. </p><p></p><p>At what point does the insanity end, and the organizing begin?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ricochet1a, post: 1101444, member: 22880"] About the best advice that can be given at this point for those in Express. There's no doubt that it would be an uphill battle. If you are smart, you'll make an exit plan from Express and get the hell out. The IBT gave up on Express when the FAA reauthorization went through and Express kept its RLA status. You are NOT going to get IBT resources, fact of life, all Express employees had better end the dreaming and accept this fact. The IBT is in the BUSINESS of organizing labor. Given the hurdle of the RLA, the dispersed nature of Express stations, the very strong anti-union hit team FedEx has (the IBT pulled the organizing attempt in the Ground terminal in MA as a dry run to see if they could get a toe hold into FedEx - that failed miserably and the IBT won't even look at FedEx now with the possible exception of Freight and possibly the Express mechanics - hope is fading fast there), the IBT isn't going to waste its resources on what it sees as a losing proposition. They got burned back in the late 90's when they made some small effort towards Express - they won't do it again. YOU, the Express employee are going to have to do ALL of the legwork, get the cards signed and have 20,000 of them sitting in DC leaving the IBT with only needing to petition the NLRB for a certification election. In the VERY small chance that you do manage to pull off a grass roots organizing drive, it will be YOU, the employees of Express who did the legwork and EARNED the union. Couldn't agree more. Life is rough, nothing worth having is ever given away freely. The facts in regard to Express aren't going to change. The window of opportunity to have the rules of the game changed (pulling the RLA status) ended with the 2010 election. I did what I could back then to get things to change - most didn't want to believe that things could get worse or just plain stuck their head in the sand and choose not to listen. Who's to blame? That's why my advice has always been to look for an exit strategy and get the hell out. If for whatever reason you can't or won't look for an exit strategy, you'd better start using your free time to start organizing and stop all the bitching and moaning that goes within this forum, and just get out there and do it. Getting on here and kicking some mud in Fred's face may make you feel better, but you're going to end up going to sleep, waking up tomorrow and going right back into his shearing shed tomorrow morning and doing the same thing over again. It is often stated (Albert Einstein) that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. All I see going on here is tribute to that definition. When will you (plural) recognize that bitching and moaning isn't going to change your life one bit? The IBT sees you as a losing bet at this stage. That is why I advised everyone to call, so YOU could get first hand evidence of that fact. It is going to be tough, DAMN TOUGH for the Couriers/RTDs of Express to organize - Fred has paid millions to make it as tough as possible. In the end, all it will take is enough of you to get the courage to start signing those cards, sending them in, get your coworkers to sign them, and start a movement to get Express organized. There is no 'wishing' needed - just some determined legwork. I honestly don't see the IBT looking at Express as a 'prize' that they are missing out on. UPS is their cash cow. Conversely, the IBT is having a little laugh right now in that the wage employees of Express decided to trust Fred and not organize when it may have stopped what is going on right now. This is the GIANT misconception out there among Express employees. It's not the IBT's obligation to expend its resources and come to your rescue. It is YOUR obligation to expend some of your resources, and do some grassroots organizing and then hand off the proverbial ball to the IBT once critical mass is reached. If it wasn't for the RLA, the IBT would start some campaigning in locations that are favorable to unions. Fred S saw to it that the cost to the IBT to mount an organizing drive with the RLA in place would be prohibitive for them - thank Fred for that rather than blaming the IBT. Fred spent over $50 million in 2009-10 to lobby to keep the RLA - that was chump change for him. He is spending $650 million to get rid of the dead weight in Memphis right now (like I said he could) - again, chump change to him. The IBT CAN'T compete against those kinds of numbers - can't do it. YOU need to spend some of your time in talking to your co-workers, spending a bit of your cash and organize the old fashioned way. I've said it before, you've got the 'luxury' of the internet and social networking which didn't exist 15 years ago. This is your BEST asset to attempt to organize. USE THEM. Don't expect someone else out there to go to the effort to fight YOUR battle with YOUR employer - they've got their own problems to handle. You need to decide if the battle is something you want to fight, or recognize that you'd be better off in finding other employment and getting the hell out. If for whatever reason you decide you can't get out, then you had better start using your heads and fighting by organizing - and forget about kicking some occasional mud in Fred's face. He can handle lots of mud being kicked in his face - after all, tomorrow you are going to go to work, and deliver his volume. At what point does the insanity end, and the organizing begin? [/QUOTE]
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