I recently confronted a union employee about intentionally causing work slow downs. His response "I am working to the best of my ability....so what anyway the company made billions in profits last year.
I do believe in a fair contract and more pay for ptmers, but I'm seeing this attitude more and more.
Do you all think this is a legitmate form of protest or a false sense of entitlement?
Probably both, perhaps with a dash of cynicism and/or laziness - depending on the particular employee.
Not to go off on a rant here, but the motivations of a modern business the size of UPS is more opaque than Alberto Gonzalez in front of Congress. Which is to say, that the view of the average employee (hourly or management) is of themselves and their little world, which expands as you rise up the levels of management into slightly larger contexts, and eventually into the realm of international business. So, when an employee hears how much money UPS makes (or has made), they naturally process that in accordance with their immediate surroundings - and the relative good or bad state that it is in.
As a personal example, when I arrived at work this morning, one of our feeder drivers had just dropped a trailer on a door, when I noticed that one of his head lights was out. My first thought was "billions of dollars, and can't fix a headlight." Then, it also occurred to me that maybe it just died - I didn't notice it out yesterday when I arrived at the same time, and he was in the same feeder. So, I think it's easy to rationalize shortcomings as the failure of an employer - especially a large company. Although, that is not to let the company off the hook, either.
There are many times, where things are crappy, and it is "the company's" fault - that's not to say Scott Davis personally, but as representatives of the company, management should act in accordance with certain standards; not letting conditions deteriorate where they become safety hazards, or just plain bad condition, is a reflection on the local management apparatus; maybe Joe PT Sup reports something on the DECR, and maybe a "least best" fix is employed in the interests of money - while that may not be Joe's fault, is still a failure of the management in general. Although, in the spirit of being a cynical person, I have to expect that there is a bean-counter somewhere who considers it a success of management because money was not spent, and the operation continues (albeit in a possibly unsafe manner).
Long story longer, can you expect an average person to ponder the entire chain of vertical and lateral aspects of running an international business? Probably not; and, it's just easier to just have a false sense of entitlement, be cynical, be lazy, or some combination of all of them. Also, experience is the best teacher, and if the company has spent twenty years giving you the shaft, then there's probably a pattern and/or expectation in that regard.
Cliff note version: It's "easier" (and more comfortable) to think that the company makes billions of dollars, and hates you, so why should I care?