To those who DIDN'T attend their contract meeting...

[over9five]

Shame on you. There is absolutely NO excuse for not attending a meeting that only happens once every five years.
Jeez, it's only your GD future, only your GD employment. I heard all the stupid lame-ass excuses "Oh, my son had soccer", "had to drive my daughter to cheerleading practice". Give me a friend'n break.

Then on Brown Cafe, you see all the stupid questions that should have been answered in the meeting!

This shows our WEAKNESS as a union. You don't think the company knows about the low turnout? They're LAUGHING at us.
We are undeserving of a good contract when 90% of the members can't be bothered to show up at a once in five years meeting.

I was embarrassed for Sean O'Brien at the Local 25 meeting. For the CHEMA contingent, FIVE feeder drivers showed up. ONE shifter driver, a few package guys, and a couple of inside guys.

Disgusting.

 

[Jones]

Ours wasn't much better, way too many empty seats. Sad.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

Shame on you. There is absolutely NO excuse for not attending a meeting that only happens once every five years.
Jeez, it's only your GD future, only your GD employment. I heard all the stupid lame-ass excuses "Oh, my son had soccer", "had to drive my daughter to cheerleading practice". Give me a friend'n break.

Then on Brown Cafe, you see all the stupid questions that should have been answered in the meeting!

This shows our WEAKNESS as a union. You don't think the company knows about the low turnout? They're LAUGHING at us.
We are undeserving of a good contract when 90% of the members can't be bothered to show up at a once in five years meeting.

I was embarrassed for Sean O'Brien at the Local 25 meeting. For the CHEMA contingent, FIVE feeder drivers showed up. ONE shifter driver, a few package guys, and a couple of inside guys.

Disgusting.

Excluding myself, we had four PT'ers at our contract meeting. Roughly 10-15 package car drivers and maybe 15-20 feeder drivers. The Saturday contract meeting I attended was for UPS employees in my area, which has one major hub and two package centers employing over 1,500 bargaining unit members.

45/1,500.



Edit: That's actually less than 3%, since I low-balled the 1,500 number.

 

[InsideUPS]

Shame on you. There is absolutely NO excuse for not attending a meeting that only happens once every five years.
Jeez, it's only your GD future, only your GD employment. I heard all the stupid lame-ass excuses "Oh, my son had soccer", "had to drive my daughter to cheerleading practice". Give me a friend'n break.

Then on Brown Cafe, you see all the stupid questions that should have been answered in the meeting!

This shows our WEAKNESS as a union. You don't think the company knows about the low turnout? They're LAUGHING at us.
We are undeserving of a good contract when 90% of the members can't be bothered to show up at a once in five years meeting.

I was embarrassed for Sean O'Brien at the Local 25 meeting. For the CHEMA contingent, FIVE feeder drivers showed up. ONE shifter driver, a few package guys, and a couple of inside guys.

Disgusting.

Same with our Local... No more than 10% of the employees bothered showing up. The thing I dislike the most is when I'm constantly asked by those that didn't go, "what happened the meeting?". Un-friggin believable. I now tell them to go down to the Hall and pick up a copy of their TA, Central Language, and Rider..... I REFUSE to "spoon feed" lazy Union employees who do nothing but whine and take no active role in their future.

​

 

[Brownslave688]

Yep had about 15/180 at mine. I got on some guys pretty good. One guy said my son has a t ball game. I said if u miss one game in the next 5 years make it this one!!!!

 

[WESLA]

Shame on you. There is absolutely NO excuse for not attending a meeting that only happens once every five years.
Jeez, it's only your GD future, only your GD employment. I heard all the stupid lame-ass excuses "Oh, my son had soccer", "had to drive my daughter to cheerleading practice". Give me a friend'n break.

Then on Brown Cafe, you see all the stupid questions that should have been answered in the meeting!

This shows our WEAKNESS as a union. You don't think the company knows about the low turnout? They're LAUGHING at us.
We are undeserving of a good contract when 90% of the members can't be bothered to show up at a once in five years meeting.

I was embarrassed for Sean O'Brien at the Local 25 meeting. For the CHEMA contingent, FIVE feeder drivers showed up. ONE shifter driver, a few package guys, and a couple of inside guys.

Disgusting.

Agreed! We didn't have a good turnout either. Sad.

 

[728ups]

728 had a really big turn out. I guess we were the exception

 

[bogeyball]

Have you consider the fact that perhaps most people's eyes are now open? That perhaps this tentative agreement is a sellout?
Maybe they did their own research and came to the conclusion that it is a sellout and why waste a perfectly good Saturday morning?
I didn't go because I was out making money, securing in my future, something this tentative agreement falls short of doing.....

 

[frivolous petty small.]

I don't know if my local is even having one.

 

[sortaisle]

While I agree that the turnouts are probably less than ideal, isn't it the unions job to inform? I know for a FACT that every center has a union info board. I work Saturday air. I'm in good with all my representatives. If I have a question, I ask them. It's a stewards, BA, and Sec Tres job to answer the questions and get the info out. If 1500 people showed up to one meeting, they'd have to turn people away. I understand the frustration, but BC is just a small section of UPSers. Most of them somehow get onto a computer, sign up for a forum, but forget to Google/Bing/Yahoo! their questions before they post here. Your best friend is that union info board. Once a month, you should have a steward remind people at the beginning of their shifts that the board exists. Then it's the unions job to keep it up. Cheap. Effective. I'm not entirely sure why Teamsters doesn't have their own local forums. It's a connected society.

 

[frivolous petty small.]

Sortisle, while I could ask have you been to one of our meetings lately(I know you couldn't due to the shift you work). Attendance is dismal usually around 20.

 

[sortaisle]

It's a sign of the times. 70% of the employees couldn't care less about the union. They honestly couldn't. They just want to show up and leave. On an intelectual level they know that the union bargains hard for what we get, but they honestly don't understand how it all works. Sheep. And there's a lot more sheep than shepherds.

 

[over9five]

You guys want to know who's really at fault for this sub-standard contract being forced down our throats?

Think of all those faces you know who don't bother to show up at contract meetings. THEY are to blame. UPS has no incentive to offer a good contract because they know 90% of the members don't participate.

Are you on Brown Cafe complaining about the contract when you can't even be bothered to go once every five years to a contract meeting? YOU are to blame for that crap contract.

Are you going to be locked into a four year progression with zero over 9.5 protection? Blame those faces you didn't see at the contract meeting. THEY are to blame.

Healthcare and pension getting worse? Blame those no-shows at the contract meeting.

The negotiating team would have a lot more leverage if it were seen by UPS that the membership had their back with PARTICIPATION. Aint gonna get a good contract with 10% of the members showing up at these meetings.

 

[EOfeeder]

Well maybe if we had a local that would support us,then there might have been a meeting to inform us about it....

 

[frivolous petty small.]

Well maybe if we had a local that would support us,then there might have been a meeting to inform us about it....

We can dream, and implement changes within our locals bylaws!

 

[srvhero]

You guys want to know who's really at fault for this sub-standard contract being forced down our throats?

​

So why is Hoffa and Hall telling us this is the best contract " EVER ". We sheep need stronger shepherds. The union is crumbling because of it's lack of leadership. There is no way in hell the IBT could afford a strike, and UPS knows it. I have been paying my dues for 27 years and i feel those dues were now paid in vain. Fault lies with the leadership, or in this case, lack thereof. Part time wages are only slightly higher than they were when I started 27 years ago. That's some great negotiating skills !! Benefits are being reduced, raises that are pathetic when inflation is considered. And I have had the luxury of being in Central States HW for some time. Get ready to pull out your wallets and appeal ever other claim. I hope the same pinheads that ran the Central States pension into the ground stay away from the HW.
​

 

[anonymous6]

what happened at the meeting? my answer: you shoulda fn been there.
why do they keep harassing us? you shoulda fn been there.
why are they cutting feeder runs? you shoulda fn been there.
why do we havta pay for healthcare now? you shoulda fn been there.
why do I have to delay my retirement? you shoulda fn been there.
why are we being sold out? you shoulda fn been there.

and last but not least.. why am I out of a job? YOU SHOULDA FN BEEN AT THE MEETING YOU IDIOT!

 

[stink219]

Have you consider the fact that perhaps most people's eyes are now open? That perhaps this tentative agreement is a sellout?
Maybe they did their own research and came to the conclusion that it is a sellout and why waste a perfectly good Saturday morning?
I didn't go because I was out making money, securing in my future, something this tentative agreement falls short of doing.....

I found it to be opposite. Our biggest meetings tend to be about a gripe. We had a low turn out too, but at the facility it was mostly,"Why am I gonna go? I already like the contract."

 

[Brown_Star]

Have you consider the fact that perhaps most people's eyes are now open? That perhaps this tentative agreement is a sellout?
Maybe they did their own research and came to the conclusion that it is a sellout and why waste a perfectly good Saturday morning?
I didn't go because I was out making money, securing in my future, something this tentative agreement falls short of doing.....

I really HOPE that's the case! Mostly drivers and a handful of pters last Sunday.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Shame on you. There is absolutely NO excuse for not attending a meeting that only happens once every five years.
Jeez, it's only your GD future, only your GD employment. I heard all the stupid lame-ass excuses "Oh, my son had soccer", "had to drive my daughter to cheerleading practice". Give me a friend'n break.

Then on Brown Cafe, you see all the stupid questions that should have been answered in the meeting!

This shows our WEAKNESS as a union. You don't think the company knows about the low turnout? They're LAUGHING at us.
We are undeserving of a good contract when 90% of the members can't be bothered to show up at a once in five years meeting.

I was embarrassed for Sean O'Brien at the Local 25 meeting. For the CHEMA contingent, FIVE feeder drivers showed up. ONE shifter driver, a few package guys, and a couple of inside guys.

Disgusting.

I highly disagree with this post. The reason is that the contract meeting doesn't change a thing. The meeting that has the most potential to have any affect on contract negotiations is the contract proposal meeting (which I attended) and not a meeting where everyone just sits there and whines about what they like or praises what they do like AFTER the two sides have already gone to the table. In a contract proposal meeting everyone has the opportunity to let our union and company know what they want added or changed BEFORE they both show up at the table.

With that said.....the turnout at my local's contract proposal meeting was pathetic. I was the only one from our center there and I'm not even a steward. I know it's open to all members but you'd think a steward would show up. Our steward and alternate both say they don't want to "waste a saturday or sunday to go to a meeting." Enough said.