contract priorities

[silkee]

What does everyone think should be the top priorities in the contract talks?
I would personally like to see less overtime with the Union actually doing something about the frequency of it, but because of the age of most drivers, I would bet the Union will go with the pension topic.

 

[speeddemon]

restoring my pension with central states or give it to UPS.

 

[shock3rd]

Not too sure if this is a top priority but I think that if you are a Saturday air driver you should get credit for it in progression, when you decide to take a full time driving job or a 22.3 job that includes driving. The only credit you get in progression now is if you are a temp driver. Progression is progression no matter if its saturdays or temp driving.

 

[disneyworld]

What does everyone think should be the top priorities in the contract talks?
I would personally like to see less overtime with the Union actually doing something about the frequency of it, but because of the age of most drivers, I would bet the Union will go with the pension topic.

Definitely less overtime,more 8 hr days requested. A huge penalty for over 10,maybe an hour pay.

 

[browniehound]

How about more sick and option days? Normal people who work indoors get more than 5 sick days per year

 

[wkmac]

How about more sick and option days? Normal people who work indoors get more than 5 sick days per year

My guess is the hot topic will be pension and insurance but UPS will be resistant to funnel more more into a leaky bucket that they really aren't getting any return on. Can't say as I blame them either. Pensions across the board are dying folks so it's time we all just face realities. Best thing IMO may be nothing but maintaining the pensions as they are but move towards 401k matching. The 12% UPS Freight is getting would be excellent IMO.

As for more option days? I'd be surprised if you still have any at all as they may be one of the lambs to the slaughter if UPS does pony up for the pension. UPS has never liked what the options have become and way to many people abuse them with last minute calls and the ole" "put me down for another option day" and as long as you never exceed your option day limits, they have little to stand on. I remember the day when 3 attendence infractions in a 90 day period started up the pen to paper cycle and personally we need that back in a very bad way and yes I to believe that.

UPS saving the day will not come without a cost and I'm willing to bet it's a big one in their favor.

 

[Cezanne]

Forget it guys, it is going to be the pension. Problem is if they fix it for anybody to retire at any reasonable age, you will lose 3/4 of the employees who makes this company run. Seriously look at our replacements, been dragging the bottom of the well for any employee to stay longer than a year. Frankly would not mind staying till 60 if they enforced the contract to benefit the heath and well being of it's employees. Seems to be happening the other way around, with if terminating good employees who cannot do the work due to a disability, or am I the only one who has seen good long term employees denied any accommodations to provide a living due to a physical disability, unless of course you are in management.

The problems that we have seen and are seeing is due to many things, one major one is an apparently weak union. Is anybody listening to any of our concerns or is it just business as usual, protecting the status quo. This last contract was forced down our throats, six years of the same old same old, people better get educated about these issues or it is going to be same next contract and the one after that. You know why Carey didn't permit our right to vote on the "97" contract, because he knew if you put a contract in front of the average UPS employee they would vote "YES" in secret even if it meant selling out our brothers.

Face it we been lied to so many times that we do not know what the truth is by both sides. I personally will be paying close attention to this upcoming one, it is going to be the last one for a vast majority of us at UPS, can you imagine an eight year contract of no pension or health and welfare improvements. Just keep your head in the sand and see what happens.

 

[browniehound]

wkmac,
I agree it will be the pension, but like you said, they're a dieing breed. I, too, would be in favor of dumping the pension all together for a 12% 401(k) match. It would be the best of both worlds: UPS wouldn't be feeding a leaking bucket and if we invest right we'll all have a secure retirement

 

[helenofcalifornia]

We get 9 days of sick pay every July 1 and our "option" days are tied into an extra week of vacation which most people take. Our pension out here in Norcal is pretty solidly funded, though a matching 12% 401K plan sounds enticing.

 

[tieguy]

if you want the 12% , 401 K match like overnight has then you will have to petition your union to ask for it. Your union likes control of the pension money and will not give it up willingly. The company will not push and propose the match if the union shows disinterest in the concept. The company will not inovate an offer they want the union to agree to an offer and settle quickly.

Hoffa agreeing to a UPSers only pension plan would possibly cost him the election with the non-upsers in the teamsters union.

 

[bisongolfer]

Hoffa agreeing to a UPSers only pension plan would possibly cost him the election with the non-upsers in the teamsters union.

I think there would be plenty of people who would be happy to see Hoffa gone. It would be a win-win situation with Hoffa losing the next election, and a UPSers only pension plan.

 

[tieguy]

if you want the 12% , 401 K match like overnight has then you will have to petition your union to ask for it. Your union likes control of the pension money and will not give it up willingly. The company will not push and propose the match if the union shows disinterest in the concept. The company will not inovate an offer they want the union to agree to an offer and settle quickly.

Hoffa agreeing to a UPSers only pension plan would possibly cost him the election with the non-upsers in the teamsters union.

With all that said I would like to see a contract that gives us the competitive flexibility we need. An early settlement would be the biggest competitive advantage we could gain.

1)I would like to see some type of profit sharing plan for all our full time employees whether its a 401 K match or a xmas bonus. The profit sharing plan requires a higher degree of trust on both sides because there may be times we have to ramp up capital expenditures which might reduce the profit for that year.

2) Okay now I go out on a huge limb on a concept that may not be possible. Central states is on its knees. The leaking bucket. The teamsters will work to shore up the plan and hopefully slow down the leak or even stabalize the plan. Our people who belong to the plan worked just as hard as the rest of us and deserve their hard earned pension.
dismantling CS plan too complex and too expensive. How about a supplemental pension plan for upsers only funded with a percentage of each years profits.

 

[mittam]

I want to see the next contract be handled by the APWA. I see no good coming to us from the teamsters if they handle our contract.Our pension will not get better with them, they just want the UPS money to keep coming in,that's all they care about. Hoffa will sell our souls and well being to cover his own and salary.
The leaking bucket will not get fixed, especially running our pensions as social security is ran. The best thing we can do is act now and get rid of the teamsters.Go to Parcelworkers - A NEW LOOK! WHAT MAKES THIS UNION LOOK DIFFERENT'' see the sight get the contact newsletter and see what you can do to spread the word at your center. On the sight there is a "contact us" section you can e-mail them with questions, they even have phone numbers listed you can call. If you want a retiement and benifits it iis time to sign up with the APWA and vote the teamsters leaking bucket out of UPS.
The way the majority of people talk here it seems they want the pension fixed it sounds like a lot of "what ifs", it also sounds like extremely few trust the teamsters to fix the leaking bucket. Hell no they won't fix it, if they stop the leak that is money out of their own pockets, where do you think that which leaks goes? It's not like leaking water that just rolls away or evaporates it is pocketed by teamsters in office, afterall they need to have the 2 & 3 pensions they can get. It's time to stop the union corruption we currently have(which most all agree there is) and vote in a new UPS only union, it's time to stand up for ourselves and redirection our futures...........
IT'S TIME TO JOIN AND VOTE IN THE APWA

 

[disneyworld]

I want to see the next contract be handled by the APWA. I see no good coming to us from the teamsters if they handle our contract.Our pension will not get better with them, they just want the UPS money to keep coming in,that's all they care about. Hoffa will sell our souls and well being to cover his own and salary.
The leaking bucket will not get fixed, especially running our pensions as social security is ran. The best thing we can do is act now and get rid of the teamsters.Go to Parcelworkers - A NEW LOOK!* WHAT MAKES THIS UNION LOOK DIFFERENT''* see the sight get the contact newsletter and see what you can do to spread the word at your center. On the sight there is a "contact us" section you can e-mail them with questions, they even have phone numbers listed you can call. If you want a retiement and benifits it iis time to sign up with the APWA and vote the teamsters leaking bucket out of UPS.
The way the majority of people talk here it seems they want the pension fixed it sounds like a lot of "what ifs", it also sounds like extremely few trust the teamsters to fix the leaking bucket. Hell no they won't fix it, if they stop the leak that is money out of their own pockets, where do you think that which leaks goes? It's not like leaking water that just rolls away or evaporates it is pocketed by teamsters in office, afterall they need to have the 2 & 3 pensions they can get. It's time to stop the union corruption we currently have(which most all agree there is) and vote in a new UPS only union, it's time to stand up for ourselves and redirection our futures...........
IT'S TIME TO JOIN AND VOTE IN THE APWA

A union agent lives on my route and he is home pretty much every day.His $50000 King Ranch Ford Expedition sitting pretty in the driveway. As usual working hard for us Teamsters.

 

[wkmac]

Tie,
You're right about us having to push the union towards the 401k match but I'd take it one step closer. A letter to Hoffa, Hall and your union Local on this would be well served at least to the point of expressing your feelings on the matter but I'd "CC" Eskew as well. Even if 70% of the UPS union membership requested this in writting to the union only, I'm not sure that the union would follow through. Remember, they don't just have UPSers at stake here but also other union companies. They will sacrifice the better for us specifically in order to make the larger collective survive.

For someone like myself, the 401k would be a huge win but for those who have never availed themselves of this option will pay dearly in trying to play catch up if they are in their late 40's to early 50's. Those in their 20's or 30's already looking at 30 plus years to go, this will be an excellent opportunity to make big bucks in the longhaul without having to invest in higher risks trying to chase bigger returns. If we could get a 12% match and the employee put in 12% with a 5% return over 30 years, I think the math would suggest a nice pot of money. Much has been said about what APWA is suggesting in the way of retirement and the way I read this, APWA will in fact set up individual accounts for each member in much the same way as a 401k works. When you start working out the scenarios using the current monies paid in and the returns on investment I can see the $7k per month. What I challenge is the rate of return even over time. I think that figure should come down some to a more modest, less risky figure which would still grant us a better monthly check than what we get now.

I also think that if my understanding of APWA's approach on this is true, meaning individual accounts, then we also should be afforded a kind of menu option where you can choose a payout schedule where you can take less per month growing your pot even higher while being in retirement and then say in years ahead you needed nursing home care or assisted living care, you could then opt for a higher monthly pension to either cover or help cover those costs. Even if you never needed this and your account grew and you passed on, your heirs would enjoy the fruits of your labor. As I see the APWA deal, it really is a type of collective 401k plan but I'd still rather have my own from start to finish. But I still applaud the APWA tinking and effort.

Face it we been lied to so many times that we do not know what the truth is by both sides.

No arguement from me on that one Cezanne!

UPS wouldn't be feeding a leaking bucket and if we invest right we'll all have a secure retirement

Not to mention that once we leave we have no more strings attached and we're free to do as we please. In other words, no bigger brother saying, "you can't work that job and get a pension check from us!"

 

[mittam]

Tie,
You're right about us having to push the union towards the 401k match but I'd take it one step closer. A letter to Hoffa, Hall and your union Local on this would be well served at least to the point of expressing your feelings on the matter but I'd "CC" Eskew as well. Even if 70% of the UPS union membership requested this in writting to the union only, I'm not sure that the union would follow through. Remember, they don't just have UPSers at stake here but also other union companies. They will sacrifice the better for us specifically in order to make the larger collective survive.

For someone like myself, the 401k would be a huge win but for those who have never availed themselves of this option will pay dearly in trying to play catch up if they are in their late 40's to early 50's. Those in their 20's or 30's already looking at 30 plus years to go, this will be an excellent opportunity to make big bucks in the longhaul without having to invest in higher risks trying to chase bigger returns. If we could get a 12% match and the employee put in 12% with a 5% return over 30 years, I think the math would suggest a nice pot of money. Much has been said about what APWA is suggesting in the way of retirement and the way I read this, APWA will in fact set up individual accounts for each member in much the same way as a 401k works. When you start working out the scenarios using the current monies paid in and the returns on investment I can see the $7k per month. What I challenge is the rate of return even over time. I think that figure should come down some to a more modest, less risky figure which would still grant us a better monthly check than what we get now.

I also think that if my understanding of APWA's approach on this is true, meaning individual accounts, then we also should be afforded a kind of menu option where you can choose a payout schedule where you can take less per month growing your pot even higher while being in retirement and then say in years ahead you needed nursing home care or assisted living care, you could then opt for a higher monthly pension to either cover or help cover those costs. Even if you never needed this and your account grew and you passed on, your heirs would enjoy the fruits of your labor. As I see the APWA deal, it really is a type of collective 401k plan but I'd still rather have my own from start to finish. But I still applaud the APWA tinking and effort.



No arguement from me on that one Cezanne!



Not to mention that once we leave we have no more strings attached and we're free to do as we please. In other words, no bigger brother saying, "you can't work that job and get a pension check from us!"

right on Mac, and the APWA does have plans for someone to take a lesser pension amount and a payout for part of your retirement

 

[Takenabeatin]

Only thing last contract did was make my union rep rich. Word is he is receiving 4 diffrent pensions through the iteamsters if possible. Lot of over 20 drivers down here, depending on next contract we could lose 10 drivers easily. No one on reload preload over 21 wants to become fulltimer. Hired 8 drivers off the street 6 quit in the last 2 months. Union does nothing for over 9.5 let alone 10.5. Vote out the teamsters and get something for your years of service or keep them and get crapped on year after year after year until your injured, say at age 55 after 30yrs of service and your scrwed.

 

[mittam]

Nearly all of the replies to this posting shows why we need to make the move to the APWA, get our pensions back, stop excessive overtime, not have to deal with the corruption of the teamsters, if everyone would read all these posts and take them to heart you will see the need to change union to the APWA and get rid of the teamsters, stand tall let's make American labor history and start our own union for UPS workers only, it's time to have a voice in our work place and our union

 

[tieguy]

Nearly all of the replies to this posting shows why we need to make the move to the APWA, get our pensions back, stop excessive overtime, not have to deal with the corruption of the teamsters, if everyone would read all these posts and take them to heart you will see the need to change union to the APWA and get rid of the teamsters, stand tall let's make American labor history and start our own union for UPS workers only, it's time to have a voice in our work place and our union

Does APWA have the Ooomph to represent? Many have never even heard of APWA. You have to be ready to answer detailed questions on what APWA would do that would be different and better?

 

[mittam]

Does APWA have the Ooomph to represent? Many have never even heard of APWA. You have to be ready to answer detailed questions on what APWA would do that would be different and better?

yes they do it's a matter of going to the web sitewww.parcelworkers.com a lot of answers are there along with ways to contact them and set up a meeting for areas not yet covered they have been in 26 states it takes awhile to get across the country, they were in Utah last weekend and Texas weekend before I should get update over this weekends meetings tomorrow evening(Sunday)