'97 Strike Resulted in UPS Going Public

[Catatonic]

The UPS Board had been looking at going public since as early as 1992 but the UPS Management Committee was adamantly against it because it would destroy the culture of UPS and change the relationship between Management and other employees.
These same Committee Members felt the drivers had betrayed UPS by striking and changed their mind.
At the time, I agreed ... I thought it was the stupidest thing the Teamsters had ever done.
Unfortunately for me, UPS was able to implement the "publicly owned" policies on management and other non-union employees more easily than Teamsters.
However, UPS is figuring it out as times goes on.
UPS Teamsters royally screwed themselves in that strike ... ask the retirees.
I feel most sorry for the Teamsters that retired prior to 1997 ... they did not bring this on themselves.

 

[PT Car Washer]

The UPS Board had been looking at going public since as early as 1992 but the UPS Management Committee was adamantly against it because it would destroy the culture of UPS and change the relationship between Management and other employees.
These same Committee Members felt the drivers had betrayed UPS by striking and changed their mind.
At the time, I agreed ... I thought it was the stupidest thing the Teamsters had ever done.
Unfortunately for me, UPS was able to implement the "publicly owned" policies on management and other non-union employees more easily than Teamsters.
However, UPS is figuring it out as times goes on.
UPS Teamsters royally screwed themselves in that strike ... ask the retirees.
I feel most sorry for the Teamsters that retired prior to 1997 ... they did not bring this on themselves.

The way I remember it was UPS drew a line in the sand and dared the Union to step over it. Their last and best offer was crap. Biggest mistake UPS ever made was forcing a strike. Of course some people say my memory sucks.

 

[542thruNthru]

Make sure to start an ORION thread after this also. I don't think these two subjects have been talked about enough on this forum.

 

[Catatonic]

Make sure to start an ORION thread after this also. I don't think these two subjects have been talked about enough on this forum.

Will do.

 

[Inthegame]

Make sure to start an ORION thread after this also. I don't think these two subjects have been talked about enough on this forum.

Kinda makes me think twice about retiring...

 

[Catatonic]

The way I remember it was UPS drew a line in the sand and dared the Union to step over it. Their last and best offer was crap. Biggest mistake UPS ever made was forcing a strike. Of course some people say my memory sucks.

UPS made a mistake?
What was UPS's profit back in fiscal 1996?
What was the market value of UPS in 1997?

Based on these two indices, UPS is much more focused and successful as a Corporation than it ever was prior to 1997.

 

[Turdferguson]

The UPS Board had been looking at going public since as early as 1992 but the UPS Management Committee was adamantly against it because it would destroy the culture of UPS and change the relationship between Management and other employees.
These same Committee Members felt the drivers had betrayed UPS by striking and changed their mind.
At the time, I agreed ... I thought it was the stupidest thing the Teamsters had ever done.
Unfortunately for me, UPS was able to implement the "publicly owned" policies on management and other non-union employees more easily than Teamsters.
However, UPS is figuring it out as times goes on.
UPS Teamsters royally screwed themselves in that strike ... ask the retirees.
I feel most sorry for the Teamsters that retired prior to 1997 ... they did not bring this on themselves.

No mention of the strike in this article.
UPS' Scott Davis: 'We Needed to Be Public'

 

[Wally]

The way I remember it was UPS drew a line in the sand and dared the Union to step over it. Their last and best offer was crap. Biggest mistake UPS ever made was forcing a strike. Of course some people say my memory sucks.

Seems sharp to me.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Don't worry, you will never see another strike.

 

[Catatonic]

No mention of the strike in this article.
UPS' Scott Davis: 'We Needed to Be Public'

Really ... you expect the 97 strike to be mentioned in propaganda?

My knowledge was gleaned from sitting in the Corporate cafeteria where the Management Committee (MC) members ate and drank.
I heard one MC person myself and others heard them as well.
It was openly discussed around Corporate for a few years before the word cam down not to discuss the 97 strike anymore ... it was time to move on.

 

[Catatonic]

Don't worry, you will never see another strike.

Not until another goofball like Carey comes along bent on settling a personal gripe.
As you can see on here, Teamsters will blindly follow any charismatic leader that comes along.

 

[Catatonic]

Seems sharp to me.

Hell, everything seems sharp to you ... just saying.

 

[Catatonic]

The way I remember it was UPS drew a line in the sand and dared the Union to step over it. Their last and best offer was crap. Biggest mistake UPS ever made was forcing a strike. Of course some people say my memory sucks.

Obviously, not your selective memory.

 

[Returntosender]

Didn't someone say profit sharing was offered during the negotiations but union said no?

 

[Wally]

... it was time to move on.

Just like the Browns.

 

[trickpony1]

These same people felt the drivers had betrayed UPS by striking and changed their mind.

When has management ever cared what the drivers thought or did?

Management screwed themselves by going public as far as I'm concerned. Before going public, stock split like rabbits and management pretty much controlled the price. Multimillionaire managers were getting "hypo" loans and becoming even richer. Not true now.

Going public benefited two groups of people:
1) the descendants of the founding fathers who were already filthy rich and;
2) the multimillionaire managers who became even richer.

The union employee buying $20 of stock per paycheck isn't really gaining anything.

Don't blame the drivers.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Not until another goofball like Carey comes along bent on settling a personal gripe.
As you can see on here, Teamsters will blindly follow any charismatic leader that comes along.

We did get a lot more full time jobs out if the strike. Kinda sucked the way it went down

 

[Catatonic]

Didn't someone say profit sharing was offered during the negotiations but union said no?

That's offered almost every negotiation but the Union always turned it down.
In '97, it was UPS offering to bail out UPS Teamsters from Central States and that infuriated Carey and the other Teamster leaders.
They were concerned that the Union would lose control of that money.
UPS wound up bailing out CS anyway for a lot more money and leaving UPSers screwed along with other orphaned Teamsters.
I guess the UPS Teamster retirees can feel proud they stood up for other companies' Teamster employees.
Surprising since these same people had been screwing their Par-Timer UPS brothers and sisters for decades.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

 

[Catatonic]

We did get a lot more full time jobs out if the strike. Kinda sucked the way it went down

You mean the way those "full-time" jobs went down?
If you think driver's get beat up after 30 years of physical labor ... look at some of these friend/T insiders that can walk slowly and can barely lift anything above their shoulders.