Ten Years ago today

retired · 08-20-2007, 11:10 AM

I read this in today's paper:

Ten years ago: United Parcel Service drivers put away their picket signs, put on their brown shirts and shorts, and called on customers again as the delivery giant began to sluggishly recover from its costly strike.

toeknee2gx · 08-20-2007, 12:46 PM

10 yrs ago today i was in 10th grade in high school. I remember my freind's dad and all of his buddies striking. I had no idea I would be working for UPS after I saw that.

badpal · 08-20-2007, 06:19 PM

Would never want to go thru it again. But looking back maybe the funnest 3 weeks of my life. kinda like a 3 week vacation the employees in our center were never closer.

BCFan · 08-20-2007, 06:45 PM

A great vacation and a great chance for the brown nation to show that we really were capable of bringing a giant to its knees...... Sure do miss Ron Carey he was a bad-azz dude!!!

BC (not Boston Creme)

under the radar · 08-20-2007, 06:56 PM

Totally unnecessary and disruptive. It brought out the worst in some of my cohorts. The company rebounded but it was the very lowest part of my career.

DS · 08-20-2007, 07:03 PM

In Toronto,I had some splits from hell,but I got 9 hours every day you guys were out.The worst part was 3 weeks of everyone saying...
I thought you guys were on strike!

samiam · 08-20-2007, 07:24 PM

That was a scarry time. Still have my WOPPING $55.00 teamster check for the week. Made a scrape book of all the fliers both UPS and the Teamsters sent us, and all of the newspaper clippings for the week. And I still have 2 strike signs.....somewhere in the garage.

satellitedriver · 08-20-2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DS

In Toronto,I had some splits from hell,but I got 9 hours every day you guys were out.The worst part was 3 weeks of everyone saying...
I thought you guys were on strike!

DS,
Is 9 hours a light or heavy day for you?

DS · 08-20-2007, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by satellitedriver

DS,
Is 9 hours a light or heavy day for you?

Myself I usually have a 10 hr day,some guys have a hard time staying under 12.I wont let them do that to me.There's no under9.5 rule here.

Just Lurking · 08-20-2007, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DS

Myself I usually have a 10 hr day,some guys have a hard time staying under 12.I wont let them do that to me.There's no under9.5 rule here.

The way the company violates contract language on 9.5 it really does not matter here.

To what ever panel decided that you cannot use days over for 9.5 grievances is ignorant. Over on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - file grievance. The company get Thursday and Friday before they need to reduce dispatch.

paidslave · 08-20-2007, 09:30 PM

Lets vote no to a bad offer and celebrate a 10 year anniversary for life in hell!

Miss RON CARE"Y toooo!

diesel96 · 08-20-2007, 09:58 PM

I still have fond memories of the one day strike we had concerning over 70 lbs pkgs and no language in our contract reguarding safety handling, proper equipment and requesting help with no retribution. Must be around the earlier 90's, anyway, my picture and a few other co-workers was printed on the front page of the local newspaper in our area carrying "on- strike" billboards. Mngmt was also taking Polarized pictures of everyone( digital wasn't around those days). Boy, was I ever a target after that.....like being on the most wanted list. I survived the bombardment but some of my co-workers did not. If I remember correctly this over 70 lb service was imposed on us soon after a ratified contract year. To make a long story short,there was an agreement the next day to install new language in our agreement reguarding over 70lb pkgs. With foresight ,this could of been avoided.

area43 · 08-20-2007, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badpal

Would never want to go thru it again. But looking back maybe the funnest 3 weeks of my life. kinda like a 3 week vacation the employees in our center were never closer.

I would totally have to agree with you on this. I still have one of the picket signs. It was one that you wore around your neck. A lot of heart to heart talks. Especially during the late night shifts. A little partying went on, too. LOL One thing I remember was one of the sups in his attempt to draw people across the picket line would drive a full p1000 around the yard with the back door open showing all these packages. Hmmmm. I wonder if the they were real pkgs or just props. Also, we had about 7 that crossed the line. I have no pity on these people. Hypocrites to say the least. They had no problem in taking the raises and bennies, if I were the company I would have knocked them down to mim wage.

Anyhow, Moderators don't worry about me. I appreciate your concern to protect me. If there are certian people that are on this site that want to take a shot at me. Than go right ahead. Thanks again Mods, but I can handle this myself. I'll try not to let it get to out of hand. LOL take care area43

longlunchguy · 08-21-2007, 01:58 AM

Looking back, those 3 weeks were fun. I got to know the other drivers in our building a lot better than I could in the few minutes we have together in the morning before work. It was also a pretty scary time. I had just gone to full wage the monthbefore, my wife was pregnant, and none of us knew how long it was gonna last. I really don't want to do that again. But I hope the company knows we will if we have to. We had one guy cross our picket line. The guy who loaded my car back then crossed and every time he drove by us he would hold up pictures of his kids. It got ugly for him very quickly. Guys followed him and picketed around his pkg car when he made deliveries, one guy spit at him as he crossed the line one morning. All of us held up pictures of our kids the third day as he drove by. Like I said, I don't want to have to do that again. Well, except maybe the hanging out and barbqueing on the corner part!

brownmonster · 08-21-2007, 05:10 AM

Iv'e said it before. Kids or not, if you can't afford 3 weeks without pay then your'e doing a fine job of managing your money.

Penguin · 08-21-2007, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownmonster

I've said it before. Kids or not, if you can't afford 3 weeks without pay then you're doing a fine job of managing your money.

Thats great sarcasm.

wyobill · 08-21-2007, 09:53 AM

The pension seemed to be the main focus of the strike with UPS offering a 30 and out yielding 3,000 a month but now Im not sure who they were
offering that to. I had 15 yrs vested then in CS. Was I going to recieve 3
grand at 30 yrs from UPS, or was this offer only to brand new employees? This next contract should be very interesting being the Teamsters are having a change of heart in negotionating a UPS withdraw.
10 yrs ago I was on packtrip on horseback. I was probably the last person to know that UPS was on strike.

Dfigtree · 08-21-2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retired

I read this in today's paper:

Ten years ago: United Parcel Service drivers put away their picket signs, put on their brown shirts and shorts, and called on customers again as the delivery giant began to sluggishly recover from its costly strike.

Ten years ago ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997

August 31 - Diana, Princess of Wales, is taken to a hospital after a car crash shortly after midnight in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. She is pronounced dead at 4:00 a.m. that morning.

JustTired · 08-21-2007, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyobill

The pension seemed to be the main focus of the strike ............ This next contract should be very interesting being the Teamsters are having a change of heart in negotionating a UPS withdraw.

They've had a "change of heart" because they know it's the only way UPS will even bargain a new contract. It's not so much an attempt to help the UPS employee obtain a fair pension as it is a "fight for survival" of the Teamsters union. Without UPS in the equation, the writing is on the wall. Not only would the UPS employees not have a pension worth anything, neither would the rest of the Teamsters who are not UPS employees. Mainly talking the Central States plan, but there are others.

You're right! It should be interesting!

browned_out · 08-21-2007, 04:19 PM

I remember that strike well, 3 weeks vacation, hanging with the crew(walking the line), following management around and harassing them when they tried to dlvr pkgs. The best part was other teamsters (Budwieser, Wonderbread etc) dropping off tons of beer and snacks so we could party while making a statement. I will say it was rough thinking about when we might get paid again, the savings account runs out quick when your only making withdrawals.

helenofcalifornia · 08-21-2007, 04:41 PM

For those of you who had people cross the picket line, what happened to them? The one part-timer who crossed here, quit a couple of months later. Might have been the fact that a couple of drivers never missed the opportunity of yelling "scab" when the scab came in sight. I remember rotating shifts and able to watch the Persiedes meteor shower in the dark.

tieguy · 08-21-2007, 05:50 PM

Hey Red,

Not trying to start anything or set you up but I'm wondering if you can share that story you alluded to about a chicago local not going on strike in 97. I heard two spins to it one that they did not go out right away and two that they did not return when everyone else did?