NO STRIKE in 08

Rafterman

Member
Benefits of not striking in 08. Once read that strikes in Europe were smarter because people went to work but were not as productive(slower), thus keeping their income coming. I remember a UPS contract many years ago where it took 1 to 2 years after the old contract expired to reach a new one(1980s). This also takes away UPS' ability to hire scabs if we go out. Some food for thought!
Went throught 2 strikes at UPS and believe me its not fun. You will never make up what you lost. Our last strike in the 90's, the last person to get laid off didn't come back for 2 years and lost his new boat and house.. Also , Jessie (give me money) Jackson came to a rally at our hub and wanted to shake my hand. I told him to friend*#K off. The guys a jerk. If that strike went longer then 2 weeks, UPS was going to shut down and come back as an only air carrier. Over 300000would have lost their jobs
 

705red

Browncafe Steward
Correction,
you might go on strike on 01 Dec 2008.
Many others won't.
Just my personal opinion.

This coming from someone that we all know crossed the line in 97 and now has a satelite route.

Went throught 2 strikes at UPS and believe me its not fun. You will never make up what you lost. Our last strike in the 90's, the last person to get laid off didn't come back for 2 years and lost his new boat and house.. Also , Jessie (give me money) Jackson came to a rally at our hub and wanted to shake my hand. I told him to friend*#K off. The guys a jerk. If that strike went longer then 2 weeks, UPS was going to shut down and come back as an only air carrier. Over 300000would have lost their jobs

I was at that rally at jeff st when ron carey and others came to speak in 97. We were out on strike in 97 for 19 days if you recall and then we had an 8 hour shut down again in 98 over sups working. We also struck the cach facility in i believe 95, so in chi-town its been 3 strikes. In 97 we went on strike in chicago to honor the national strike and show support, we then stayed out after the national went back until our own contract was settled.
 
W

westsideworma

Guest
Management has a little thing on their side. Maybe you've heard on it, it's called PAS.:ohmy:

Might want to rephrase that to "a microscopic little thing" seeing as the hub sorts that get the packages to preloads (to be infected with PAS) DON'T use that system. They are still Zip/internal slic sorted. Actually, without the feeder drivers they wouldn't get there anyways. I know for a fact we don't have enough supes etc to cover the sorts in our building and I'm sure its the same elsewhere. If we strike we're crippled no matter what. PAS can't save save this company during a strike especially since its track record during this contract is unproven even with veteran loaders. Can you imagine those who have never done it?

A strike would would kill UPS and its image this time around. Regardless of what anyone says, FedEx and DHL are much better able to pick up a majority of our volume this time. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. Would the service be as good as us? No, but it would be guaranteed to get there while we're fighting over a contract. Don't get me wrong I don't want the teamsters to settle short, the PTimers NEED this contract to improve their quality of life here. Theres a reason PT hub sorts/preloads staffing is worse than its ever been in recent years. The FTimers NEED to get their pensions settled. You guys work your asses off, put up with long hours, shoddy dispatches and deserve the peace of mind that you get what you're owed when the time comes. UPS and the Teamsters NEED to get it done. IBT needs to be realistic in what it asks for (and strikes for if it DOES get to that point) and in turn, UPS need to suck it up and get it done. They (UPS) can afford to pass on some the money that their teamsters' blood, sweat and maybe even tears in some cases has earned them but they can't afford not to.

I am in management now its true, but the fact that this company seemingly shortchanges the people who do most of the work day to day (teamster and frontline management alike) that makes them all this money and rewards those that take the credit for it is inexcusable.
 

Penguin

Well-Known Member
Re: pay attention to the world

Look at the stock price and compare it to FedEx we earn more than them yet their shares are always about 30-40% higher. Just look at the airlines-steel mills-and auto industries do you think we are next?

Ok, I'm sooooo sick and tired of seeing this kind of thing (not the spelling errors...heh). A higher stock price doesn't mean a stock is better and or performing better. Most corporations try to lower their stock prices to a reasonable level. That way, people are more likely to buy and keep buying stock. If it gets too high people won't buy it. If it's too low people will think the company is doing badly.
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
This coming from someone that we all know crossed the line in 97 and now has a satelite route..
I was already a satellite driver in 97'.
I was informed by the union, that if I did not drive to the center(a 110 mile trip) and walk the picket line for 4 hours a day, every other day, my healthcare coverage for my family would be cutoff. I was on that line for 2 weeks before I had had enough of the BS lies coming from the union.
My comment that many drivers might not go on strike comes from drivers at the center, not just me.They told me that they were not going to go out over the pension issue.
They feel were burned by the teamsters in 97' and trust UPS more with their money.
A strike will hurt everyone. Customers,UPS and the teamsters.
 

RockyRogue

Agent of Change
I watched the company close Alaska back in the '80s when they could not reach a labor agreement. Everything sat including the building and equipment.:crying:

Good point, Lifer. Since our last strike, there have been a number of strikes in the airline industry. I forget what year but Northwest was hit by a several month strike. The company straight-up told strikers, customers, stockholders and the government right before the strike: "We will not even try to operate in the event of a strike. We will shutdown at X time on X day." Indeed, the company did shutdown. I don't recall details but the company was calling in special teams from manufacturers to prepare aircraft for long-term storage when the strike was settled.

And Lifer, I got a little too bored for my health yesterday. I went looking online and found out UPS has had a number of very long, very destructive strikes. One in the late '60s was 84 days. A couple in the '70s were a month or more. Indeed, Ron Carey pushed UPS a little far when he was at Local 804. He pushed so hard that UPS threatened to shutdown Metro New York City package operations. Anyone know how close UPS came to carrying out that threat? TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!!You can say UPS wouldn't have shutdown Metro New York City but all you have to do is look at the Alaska shutdown to know UPS will do so. Be warned.......-Rocky
 
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Fredless

APWA Hater
<----Child of a destroyed Eastern airlines family right here. In 89 when the **** hit the fan, my dad lost everything. Lost his mind practically, bankruptcy..everything. But we made it somehow.

My dad worked for Eastern airlines for 34 years, and lost everything. He's living proof, and being 73 years old and still working 40 hours a week to live decently, why I do NOT trust UPS or the teamsters with my retirement (or ANYONE/ORGANIZATION) with my retirement.

I will have to do it with my own hands and mind.

Those of you part timers that are still in college and considering dropping out because you finally won a bid to a cover driver or friend/t driving job - DON'T. WAIT it out. I can't tell you how many guys/girls have dropped out of school, lost scholarships etc..for that 22.xx an hour cover driver job. I too was tempted.

I really hope we do not go on strike, and as a part timer, we NEED some quality improvements. With all of the air driving jobs nearly taken by the full timers (rich get richer), its becoming very difficult to survive..and we can't keep good employees at our building either. Who the hell is going to work their asses off for 8.50 an hour in the heat? Not many.
 

RockyRogue

Agent of Change
Those of you part timers that are still in college and considering dropping out because you finally won a bid to a cover driver or friend/t driving job - DON'T. WAIT it out. I can't tell you how many guys/girls have dropped out of school, lost scholarships etc..for that 22.xx an hour cover driver job. I too was tempted.

I know a few people that dropped out to work for UPS full-time. One of those was my full-time supe at my old hub in Illinois. He told me, "If I could do ONE thing over, I wouldn't have dropped out to work here full-time." I was urged not to transfer to a 4 year school by another supe/manager. Good Heavens I was so close to NOT quitting. I really enjoyed my job at that hub. Told my mother about that manager's words the next morning. I came home that day from school and found my father home from work around noon. When the conversation started, he looked like he was about to go atmospheric. About ten minutes later, I assured him I was transferring but told him, "I'm not happy about this." He answered, "Yeah, well, jobs come and go. The chance to go to college usually only comes around once." I'm in grad school now, wrapping up in June '08 :). -Rocky
 

hondo

promoted to mediocrity
I think the strike fund is like 200-250 a week now not $55 like in 97. But that is still a 75% pay cut. There has got to be strike deadline or they will shove whatever contract they want down our throats.

You might be right that the fund is to pay 200-250 a week, that is what I thought back in 97 but the money was not there. I am sure the money is in Hoffas pocket or his big airoplane. Some of us in Central states are stilled owed money from the strike fund. You need to check it out first.

Can we get this cleared up? Its my understanding friend/t would receive 10 times their hourly wage for each week out (and that would be taxed). Can anyone else vouch for that? Extrapolating from this, would p/t receive somewhere around 4-5 times their current wage for each week out?


No worries pas, we have a vote this sunday for the strike fund $2 a week for ftimers an $1 a week for ptimers. Anyone out there already paying into a strike fund across the country? I got $55 a week in 97, chump change we need a healthy stash just in case!

Just to clarify to everyone, the $2(ft)/$1(pt) per week here in 705 is over and above what is called for by the IBT bylaws, and even required approval from them. And, hopefully Red can back me up on this, is for all 705 TEAMSTERS, not just UPSers.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
You can all just vote "NO" on a strike and not have to worry about collecting ' fractions' of you regular paycheck. :)

Too simple? :)
 

705red

Browncafe Steward
Can we get this cleared up? Its my understanding friend/t would receive 10 times their hourly wage for each week out (and that would be taxed). Can anyone else vouch for that? Extrapolating from this, would p/t receive somewhere around 4-5 times their current wage for each week out?



Just to clarify to everyone, the $2(ft)/$1(pt) per week here in 705 is over and above what is called for by the IBT bylaws, and even required approval from them. And, hopefully Red can back me up on this, is for all 705 TEAMSTERS, not just UPSers.
Hondo you are correct it is a strike fund paid by all of the teamsters in 705. Like many here im not anxious to strike over the contract, but lets not forget that this is a biggest bargaining tool at the table. The more people that voice their opinion against it on here only builds ups's confidence at the table. So in the best interest of bargaining a good and fair contract for all im asking that you refrain from anti-strike talk, we all know that ups reads these posts.
 

Cole

Well-Known Member
Those of you part timers that are still in college and considering dropping out because you finally won a bid to a cover driver or friend/t driving job - DON'T. WAIT it out. I can't tell you how many guys/girls have dropped out of school, lost scholarships etc..for that 22.xx an hour cover driver job. I too was tempted.

Amen to that! I hear my Father's voice all the time telling me to keep my a_ _ in school (college) when I started making alot more hrs driving air and working on the reload shift way back etc...I didn't listen and I pay for it everyday! I try to tell the younger one's today that, but like me many are very stubborn.
 
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