stevetheupsguy
sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
Oh, I totally got your point, Upstate. My point was, had your union not negotiated that contract, you would not have a "good paying job with benefits".
Does UPS make you join the union?
- Thread starter bste11
- Start date
If he's under the New England Supplement like you and I are, for example, health care coverage will cost him $8.56 per hour. That's more than the $8.50 part-time starting wage!!!
If he doesn't work enough hours, he may well get an inferior level of coverage, and perhaps have to contribute personal money to buy-in to the the fund to make up for the hours shortfall.
A New Englander doesn't have to wait for a year or a year-and-a-half for coverage, however since we are in Teamster-sponsored funds, and not the UPS-sponsored fund.
- - - -
By the way, dues money has nothing to do with financing health care. Dues money, and the initiation fee, cover the salaries, pensions and health care of the Teamsters Officers and Business Agents; and all the expenses of running the union. The many H&W Plans are financed technically by "contributions" from UPS, but which are really monies earned by UPS employees as part of our compensation package. Instead of the $8.56 per hour going into our paychecks, it is earmarked to finance the H&W fund and goes directly to the fund. It's like the way UPS withholds taxes from our paychecks and remits it to the IRS to pay for the operations of the government and Social Security and Medicare. Similarly, $7.86 per hour is withheld and transmitted by UPS to the New England Teamsters & Trucking Industry Pension Plan.
TANSTAAFL
The pension and no cost health care we receive are benefits above and beyond are pay. It doesn't mean we would be making $20 hr more than we do now if we didn't have a pension or free health care.
UPSGuy72, UPSers are in numerous H&W plans across the country. Even in New England you and I are in different funds. The rules vary somewhat from fund to fund.
The New England Supplement says a part-timer will have $8.56 per hour contributed to the appropriate H&W fund for all paid hours (including vacations, sick days, holidays, optionals, etc.) up to 40 hours per week. Of course most part-timers only work 17.5 hours a week or more, but rarely anything near 40.
The $8.56 and $7.86 contributions are part of an employee's overall compensation package. The money contributed to the two benefit funds is on behalf of the employee, in lieu of wages. The money, or any portion of it, can be redirected from one fund to the other, or even into our paychecks so long as that's what is negotiated. Changing the allocation this late in the game would be difficult, and major changes would require contract renegotiation, but it is our money, and if enough people felt strongly enough, we could get it in our paychecks. We wouldn't get all of it though, as there are other factors at play.
The New England Supplement says a part-timer will have $8.56 per hour contributed to the appropriate H&W fund for all paid hours (including vacations, sick days, holidays, optionals, etc.) up to 40 hours per week. Of course most part-timers only work 17.5 hours a week or more, but rarely anything near 40.
The $8.56 and $7.86 contributions are part of an employee's overall compensation package. The money contributed to the two benefit funds is on behalf of the employee, in lieu of wages. The money, or any portion of it, can be redirected from one fund to the other, or even into our paychecks so long as that's what is negotiated. Changing the allocation this late in the game would be difficult, and major changes would require contract renegotiation, but it is our money, and if enough people felt strongly enough, we could get it in our paychecks. We wouldn't get all of it though, as there are other factors at play.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Jon, keep in mind that contractual raises can also be diverted to an underfunded Pension fund, with the approval of the membership.
menotyou
bella amicizia
In our fund, you have to work 17.5 hours a week to maintain your benny's. The gateway employees are 13 hours a week.
There's a side agreement (I think) in New England that a part-timer will get four hours H&W credit so long as he works for even just a few minutes that day.
The problem is, my fund (I'm in Local 42, but our H&W coverage is under Local 25,) requires 225 hours per quarter to qualify for second-rate coverage, and 400 hours per quarter to qualify for better coverage. Some part-timers fail to qualify even for the second-rate level of coverage.
The problem is, my fund (I'm in Local 42, but our H&W coverage is under Local 25,) requires 225 hours per quarter to qualify for second-rate coverage, and 400 hours per quarter to qualify for better coverage. Some part-timers fail to qualify even for the second-rate level of coverage.
BLACKBALLED
Well-Known Member
First off to answer your question honestly and without undue comments, you are not obligated to join the union, in reality your job is a union job unless you are management, your benefits and everything else is provided because of the negotiations done during the contract talks with Union organizers and UPS. The union has its ups and downs like anythnig else, I was on both sides of the fence, hourly Union and PT mngmnt. when I was hourly I was a proud member of the Teamsters, i never had to use the stewards or file grievances but I always knew my options were there, personnally I think it would be in your best interest to join the union and your dues wont be much. Talk to your union rep. ask about the other perks offered outside of the great benefits negotiated i knew people who lost out finacially because of not being in the union.
brown_trousers
Well-Known Member
many many years ago, UPSers got together to negotiate good wages and benefits. I appreciate that... but those negotiations were bought and paid for a long time ago, by the union members back then.
The question then is, what are we paying for now?
rocket man
Well-Known Member
stop paying see what you pay then , ask fed x what they pay if they even have bennies ask managment what they pay ? you are a duce bag
barnyard
KTM rider
When I had feeder school, my trainer and I talked about benefits at length. He is married and 2 young daughters. I am married and have 2 daughters in college. He pays prescription copays much higher then I do, plus he paid over $500/month for the plan he had. Higher deductibles than us, etc.
In Central States, our health insurance plan is a "cadillac plan." The only way a blue collar guy gets such a plan is to belong to a union.
In Central States, our health insurance plan is a "cadillac plan." The only way a blue collar guy gets such a plan is to belong to a union.
There are so many with blinders on about "THE UNION" and "THE GOOD JOB, GREAT PLACE TO WORK COMPANY" that UPS is. Wether you are a part-timer just starting out, or a 20 year veteran, the union has or will beefit you in many more ways than "free" or "$84 healthcare".
As a new employee, you come into a job that if you decide to stay for a year will GIVE you and eventually your family full benefits (eye, dental, prescription) for free. The company will also GIVE you as a part-timer a gauranteed number of hours paid if you are called in on a given day, the wonderful company they are, they will GIVE you a chance to bid on more desired jobs inside your building or hub. They will GIVE you a part-time pension. They will GIVE you a chance to bid a full-time job when your SENIORITY warrants it, not just because you are a favorite of the boss. They will even GIVE you the access to a GRIEVANCE procedure if you do end up in some sort of hot water wether warranted or not. During said process, if need be you will be afforded legal advice and defense and even access to arbitration to settle your issue, which can be very expensive. They will also GIVE you bi-annual raises.
As a full timer, they GIVE you many of the same wonderful things the give part-timers. They also GIVE you depending on where you are, in excess of $1000/month paid into your pension. The GIVE you overtime pay after 8 hours per day instead of 40 hours per week. The GIVE you up to 6 weeks paid vacation. They GIVE you 5 PAID sick days and 5 PAID personal days. They don't even require you to work before and after a holiday to be paid for the holiday, because they are NICE.
I hope you can see through the sarcasm as I write this, that as anyone who has worked here for any amount of time knows, this company DOESN'T GIVE you anything! Everything we get we have earned through negotiations and building on gains from previous contracts and even strikes. This compnay looks to take every chance it gets. I would go out on a limb and say you could not work here without a union. It would not be worth it. That is why we pay union dues. We don't pay union dues to cover our health insurance. We don't pay them just to get higher wages, etc. We pay union dues for the total package (wages, health care, seniority, job security, pension, etc.)
As for the comment about these things we are GIVEN have been bought and paid for long ago, that is absolutely absurd. We struggle daily to not only try to make gains in certain areas, but many times just to maintain what we currently have. There are monthly local panel hearings and quarterly national panel hearings for a reason, and it's not because the two sides missed each other and wanted to spend a day together. It's because there is a constant struggle between a coporate giant with highly paid people always looking for loopholes and ways to take back what we have gained in the past.
Do a little research. Talk to some FedEx or FedEx Ground drivers. Even talk to your mailman. Ask them, if given a choice when picking a job in this industry, where they would choose, and why.
As a new employee, you come into a job that if you decide to stay for a year will GIVE you and eventually your family full benefits (eye, dental, prescription) for free. The company will also GIVE you as a part-timer a gauranteed number of hours paid if you are called in on a given day, the wonderful company they are, they will GIVE you a chance to bid on more desired jobs inside your building or hub. They will GIVE you a part-time pension. They will GIVE you a chance to bid a full-time job when your SENIORITY warrants it, not just because you are a favorite of the boss. They will even GIVE you the access to a GRIEVANCE procedure if you do end up in some sort of hot water wether warranted or not. During said process, if need be you will be afforded legal advice and defense and even access to arbitration to settle your issue, which can be very expensive. They will also GIVE you bi-annual raises.
As a full timer, they GIVE you many of the same wonderful things the give part-timers. They also GIVE you depending on where you are, in excess of $1000/month paid into your pension. The GIVE you overtime pay after 8 hours per day instead of 40 hours per week. The GIVE you up to 6 weeks paid vacation. They GIVE you 5 PAID sick days and 5 PAID personal days. They don't even require you to work before and after a holiday to be paid for the holiday, because they are NICE.
I hope you can see through the sarcasm as I write this, that as anyone who has worked here for any amount of time knows, this company DOESN'T GIVE you anything! Everything we get we have earned through negotiations and building on gains from previous contracts and even strikes. This compnay looks to take every chance it gets. I would go out on a limb and say you could not work here without a union. It would not be worth it. That is why we pay union dues. We don't pay union dues to cover our health insurance. We don't pay them just to get higher wages, etc. We pay union dues for the total package (wages, health care, seniority, job security, pension, etc.)
As for the comment about these things we are GIVEN have been bought and paid for long ago, that is absolutely absurd. We struggle daily to not only try to make gains in certain areas, but many times just to maintain what we currently have. There are monthly local panel hearings and quarterly national panel hearings for a reason, and it's not because the two sides missed each other and wanted to spend a day together. It's because there is a constant struggle between a coporate giant with highly paid people always looking for loopholes and ways to take back what we have gained in the past.
Do a little research. Talk to some FedEx or FedEx Ground drivers. Even talk to your mailman. Ask them, if given a choice when picking a job in this industry, where they would choose, and why.
hellfire
no one considers UPS people."real" Teamsters.-BUG
welcome to brown cafe
UpsOPTOUTOFUNION
New Member
Many people don’t agree with their unions political donations or the fact they take 700 dollars off of each employee a year. I have worked for ups for two years and have not needed the union or benefited by the union in my entire two years. I do not live in a right to work state but guess what! Ever since the supreme court rules it unlawful and unconstitutional to force employees to join a union even in non right to work states. You just have to send the union a letter stating the ruling of janus vs afcme best to send it via certified mail so they can not say they never received it. UNIONS SUCK they leach wages off employees and many people do not need their services. I use the 700 i save every year for christmas gifts for my son and proud to not be a part of something they tried to force on me. They told me i had to join and there was no way around it and told me i would lose my job if i dos not join but i have been here two years strong and still pay the union SQUAT!
bye now enjoy your union =]
rod
Retired 22 years
Try buying your own health insurance for 84 buck a month.
Anthropomorphic Cow
Well-Known Member
This is a joke post right?
Just A UPS Guy
Bully.
Fido
Don’t worry he’s friendly
You would make a great belt supervisor
