Possible Pilot Strike

FrigidFTSup

Resident Suit
I remember the last time their contract took forever to be settled. Seemed like we were getting late air every Saturday because of mechanical issues. After UPS settled the mechanical issues just disappeared and no more late air.
There are some real easy ways to legitimately delay a flight, that pilots may have ignored. The easiest one being write ups using what they call the MEL. Find something really small that you normally would have ignored because it's not really broken, just buggy. Well there's 15 minutes writing it up and making it inactive.

And they can't say anything about it because it would be a huge fine if they made you take off with it since "discovering" it would make your aircraft unairworthy
 

Dracula

Package Car is cake compared to this...
No they won't. We will be told to back them and walk also. Just like they did for us in 97. Although it will never come to that. It would be interesting to see how many are TRUE Teamster's if it did though.

Yeah, I wouldn't count on many that started after the strike. You've heard of RINO's? Well, we are loaded with TINO's. Teamsters In Name Only. This mainly falls on our locals and the International, because they have been lazy. If you rarely show up where we work, and explain what the Teamsters are all about, what they can do for members and how a brotherhood is supposed to be about. I mean, leadership has to come from somewhere. The strong union guys and gals at work do their share, but the body needs a head.

That probably explains why when guys like me try to talk to the newer drivers, and help them do the job right, while at the same time, show them how to stand up for themselves, they tend to shake us off and ignore our hard-won advice. It's frustrating, because they would be better off listening, and it is a real, real bad sign of things likely to come.

What's the old political saying? All politics are local. That goes for union members also. It's great that the international and our local leaders are out trying to organize and get jobs to veterans, but if the main body is dying, what good do smaller numbers of new members do? Organizing is great, but it should be done from a position of strength. It only makes sense that potential new members would want to join something that is obviously thriving. It;s an easier sell.

So, back to the pilots. You're right; a strike won't happen. UPS will use it's political muscle to force arbitration long before a strike would happen. But, if it did, I would be on the pilot's side. I'll never forget our pilots coming down to our picket lines, telling us about their jobs, walking the lines, still in their uniforms. I'd back those guys anytime.

But not many here would.
 

Kicked Your Dog

25 Year UPSer/SoCal Feeder
No they won't. We will be told to back them and walk also. Just like they did for us in 97. Although it will never come to that. It would be interesting to see how many are TRUE Teamster's if it did though.
This is the key to their/our success in bargaining. WE will back them, as THEY backed us. I work at a major air hub and we have not forgot about their loyalty and solidarity. We must do the same and provide the leverage they deserve. Airlines move a few dozen passengers per flight, we move thousands of packages per flight. The revenues aren't even comparable.
 

8000Shelf

Well-Known Member
All of a sudden this week we have had late air everyday. At PCM we were told it was an overloaded air hub in Ontario, CA...

Less cargo room because of mechanical issues maybe?
 
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brett636

Well-Known Member
I vaguely remember them getting like a 6 year back pay check the last time. It took forever to get their contract settled.

That what I was thinking. This isn't the first instance of UPS pilot negotiations taking years to complete including a vote to strike. Given the intense responsibility they have you would think the company could see they are worth every penny. Its sad to think this is how their negotiations will go from now on.
 

brett636

Well-Known Member
Just goes to show you that the company is in no hurry to get the deal done. 4 years? We would have walked long before 4 years.

They are covered under a different set of labor laws than we are. The federal government oversees the negotiation process and they have to ask for special permission to pull from the negotiations for a strike. Unlike us where a simple strike vote is necessary to secure the right to strike.
 
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