EFCA Why you should be worried

[denverbrown]

The Employee Free Choice Act has been introduced into Congress again. This is the best chance it may ever have of passing and reviving the labor movement. Should you be worried? Yes, you should.
UPS drivers have the best wages and benefits in the industry. With the recent cutbacks at FedEx, we now far outpace all the competition. That's good for us this Friday, but it's bad for us on Aug. 1, 2013.
It's not good to make far more than your competitors. It puts your employer at a grave disadvantage. But the best way to protect your wages and benes is not to lower yourself to their level, but to raise them to a level close to what you make. Then your employer can compete and may pay you a little more than them, just to keep you happy.
The best way to bring FedEx wages up anywhere close to UPS wages would be to unionize them. And the best way to unionize them would be card check.
If the Employee Free Choice Act passes, UPS drivers may be the big winners.
If it doesn't pass, there may be trouble in Mudville.
George

You can do yourself a big favor by calling your Senator today.

 

[UPSNewbie]

I've been thinking about how two competing companies using the same union would turn out, and that's how I see it. Leveling the p(l)aying field.

 

[dannyboy]

Ah uionism. Where all employees are paid the same across the board.

While unionism has it areas where they have benifited the worker, there have been a ton of areas where they are in the stone age in todays business environment.

I figure what will happen with the auto workers over the next two years will affect us to a greater extent than this law ever will.

d

 

[pickup]

I've been thinking about how two competing companies using the same union would turn out, and that's how I see it. Leveling the p(l)aying field.

Well, I've seen many instances of competing companies whose drivers were in the same local. Many times what happens is that company management of one company gets a "sweetheart" deal and then it sends waves through the rest of the industry as the other companies' management tell the union they want the same deal that the one company got. Don't get me wrong, this is not an argument against the unionization of Fed ex.

 

[trplnkl]

Ah uionism. Where all employees are paid the same across the board.

While unionism has it areas where they have benifited the worker, there have been a ton of areas where they are in the stone age in todays business environment.

I figure what will happen with the auto workers over the next two years will affect us to a greater extent than this law ever will.

d

It really shouldn't, comparing UPS to the Big 3 is like apples and oranges.
I sure hope the Teamsters are not as stupid as the UAW. The UAW is indeed responsible for many of the auto industries troubles today, plus pretty bad decisions by the companies.

 

[local804]

Shop stewards should have planty of cards to save you the time of the call.

 

[brett636]

You're right, I will be calling my Senators about this bill immediatly. I will urge them to vote NO for the EFCA and if you all value your jobs and futures I cannot stress this enough the importance of everyone here to do the same. The original poster obviously does not know that the reason fedex is not unionized has nothing to do with the card check program, but everything to do with its classification under the federal railway act. Unless that classification is stripped from fedex, card check or not, we will not be able to unionize them. What will happen is this will make it easier for unions, not just the teamsters, but all unions to go after small and medium sized businesses to unionize them. While I do support the right to unionize and am a union member myself I do realize that not all businesses can pay union wages. When some small businesses need to borrow money just to make their current payroll I don't see some of them keeping their doors open should they become a union shop. This will cause businesses to shutdown meaning they are not shipping packages causing us as UPSers to lose jobs. Call your Senators and tell them to vote this POS legislation out of existance as some of our futures depend on it.

 

[some1else]

ignoring the sky is failing rhetoric from anti-union groups, card check has problems.

hopefully most unions will not resort to unethical tactics but the card check system really opens the door to ALOT of harassment problems.

 

[pupnadolly]

Card check is dead in the water. According to a column I read the other day *******doent have enough votes to get it through the house.
She dished it off to **********where it will roll around for a long long time.
If the unions dont like it , so what? They got what they wanted from us
didnt they?

 

[denverbrown]

The argument I was trying to make is that FedEx is already cutting wages and pensions, UPS will need to find some level of parity to compete. The best way to keep our middle-class lifestyles is to bring FedEx wages up close to ours. I know they can't be organized in the old way, one department at a time. It has to be all or none, top to bottom. That is almost impossible under the current labor laws where elections are a farce. With the EFCA, we would have a better chance. If we don't bring their wages up and we continue to get raises, we will price ourselves out of the market. If we can't help our FedEx brothers and sisters, then our high wages and benefits will become an albatross around our company's neck.
And.... I don't think organizing small businesses is bad thing either. We have small businesses in our local that make $12-14 an hour and the companies are successful. But what the union brings in is a contract, a grievance procedure, seniority, etc,. Those are benefits the company can afford. Unionization is not a death nell. It's time for American workers to stand up. Canada has card check and is 35% unionized. Collective bargaining is not a bad thing.
George

 

[705red]

The whole country would benefit from the EFCA! Companies that don't want the unions coming in will have better benefit packages for its employees. Companies like fedex and others would be easier to organize in the future with this bill being passed.

I am a volunteer organizer for local 705 and as it sits now its almost impossible to organize. You must have 30% of the employees sign a card. Here we will not even go to the nlrb without 60% of cards. The nlrb notifies the company and a secret ballot takes place 90 days after. Well now the company has 90 days to fire! Threaten employees! Threaten to close its doors! Brow beat, kiss ass, etc.

But the unions are the crocked ones! Bs! Companies have already spent including ups over 100 million trying to defeat this bill! People are being laid off across this country, millionaires are being bailed out with our tax dollars and companies have 100 million dollars to throw at this?!

Your a fool especially if your a ups union employee if you do not call your senators and encourage them to vote on behalf of this bill!

 

[Catatonic]

Your a fool especially if your a ups union employee if you do not call your senators and encourage them to vote on behalf of this bill!

That goes for mgt as well...all UPSers should be for this.
But if you don't, I will not call you a fool, Fool!

 

[Int'lguy]

Can someone tell me what problem unions (and some of our fine politicians) have with a secret vote? It seems to work fine for our selection of elected government officials so why do the unions and some politicians want to allow employees to possibly be bullied into allowing a unionization of a shop employer? Seems to me that the only benefit of this part of the legislation is to allow intimidation to flourish.

While I would concede that there have been and may still be some purpose for unions to exist my belief is that it be done without any intervention from the government.

I'd like to make one last point, in today's global economy, being able to make fast decisions/actions to achieve market place superiority are critical in growth and survival. Organizations unduly hindered by bureaucratic red tape incurred by both unionization and government intervention are impediments to success of the company and its employees. Don't take this out of context as I understand that some regulations and union activities protect society and employees from corporate indiscretions. My point is that when these "interventions" do not have any "social/employee" benefit, they are only hindrences.

 

[705red]

Can someone tell me what problem unions (and some of our fine politicians) have with a secret vote? It seems to work fine for our selection of elected government officials so why do the unions and some politicians want to allow employees to possibly be bullied into allowing a unionization of a shop employer? Seems to me that the only benefit of this part of the legislation is to allow intimidation to flourish.

While I would concede that there have been and may still be some purpose for unions to exist my belief is that it be done without any intervention from the government.

I'd like to make one last point, in today's global economy, being able to make fast decisions/actions to achieve market place superiority are critical in growth and survival. Organizations unduly hindered by bureaucratic red tape incurred by both unionization and government intervention are impediments to success of the company and its employees. Don't take this out of context as I understand that some regulations and union activities protect society and employees from corporate indiscretions. My point is that when these "interventions" do not have any "social/employee" benefit, they are only hindrences.

And what problems do you have with the weekend? Holiday pay? Overtime pay? Medical benefits? Pensions?

You dont have a problem with any of those issues because the unions have already gained you as a non union employee those rights. Your reaping the benefits of unionism without being in a union!

I have no problem with a secret ballot! I have a problem with the company having 90 days t intimidate you before the secret ballot takes place!

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Brett was right about FedEx. Until their classification under the Federal Railway Act, which is BS to begin with, is removed this card checking business won't matter. I'm not sure about EFCA overall. I'm still doing a little research on the subject before I form my opinion.

 

[Int'lguy]

And what problems do you have with the weekend? Holiday pay? Overtime pay? Medical benefits? Pensions?

You dont have a problem with any of those issues because the unions have already gained you as a non union employee those rights. Your reaping the benefits of unionism without being in a union!

I have no problem with a secret ballot! I have a problem with the company having 90 days t intimidate you before the secret ballot takes place!

Ok Red but then shouldn't the "EFCA" legislation then go after employers who ntimadate or fire these employees (union busting) be penalized rather than allow the union to take the same tactics? Oh, that's right, that legislation already exists. - My bad...

 

[Sammie]

I've never paid dues and if there was any other way to realign corporate power houses and hold them to higher standards in protecting worker's rights, then Glory Be, but in certain instances I feel the country would be better off with some sort of noncoersive union movement than not, tho the idea of employers intimidating workers before an election or folks being muscled into decisions they may not want aren't good either....

I just look at the times my husband got his job back for the asinine crap that goes on around here (taking lunch two feet off area, etc...etc...)and thank God for the union, which in some cases has become a necessary evil.

And if mgmt has to worry about losing its workforce due to a strike, rather than unjustly firing a few people here and there, they'll be a lot more paranoid about how they conduct themselves..


Wal-Mart would be one of the biggest targets and I don't feel that would be a bad thing. They of course oppose it, claiming they already respects workers' right to "free and fair unionization votes." But that's not what I hear about their labor practices....

 

[UPSNewbie]

I've never paid dues and if there was any other way to realign corporate power houses and hold them to higher standards in protecting worker's rights, then Glory Be, but in certain instances I feel the country would be better off with some sort of noncoersive union movement than not, tho the idea of employers intimidating workers before an election or folks being muscled into decisions they may not want aren't good either....

I just look at the times my husband got his job back for the asinine crap that goes on around here (taking lunch two feet off area, etc...etc...)and thank God for the union, which in some cases has become a necessary evil.

And if mgmt has to worry about losing its workforce due to a strike, rather than unjustly firing a few people here and there, they'll be a lot more paranoid about how they conduct themselves..


Wal-Mart would be one of the biggest targets and I don't feel that would be a bad thing. They of course oppose it, claiming they already respects workers' right to "free and fair unionization votes." But that's not what I hear about their labor practices....

That made me laugh.

 

[sexyupsman]

Sorry for all you Union Members who bought Obama two-faced talk about card check, its never going to happen.
The bill will pass in the house but there is a "gang" of 15 Demcratic Senators( many up for re-election in 2010 or from red states) who are already backing off support or want severe changes in the bill before they will support it.
Millions of dollars in campain money to Obama for nothing

 

[satellitedriver]

The argument I was trying to make is that FedEx is already cutting wages and pensions, UPS will need to find some level of parity to compete.

I try to stay out of labor issues, but here I go.
Let FedEx cutback, their service will suffer.
We (UPS) will pickup their slack, with union jobs at UPS.
The smaller our competition gets makes us larger.
DHL crashed, we picked up volume.
UPS has a far stronger business model that can support a union membership than FedEx.
IMHO, the union would be stronger, if they let FedEx slowly implode, and hire more drivers at UPS.
There is a reason FedEx is cutting wages and pensions, they are running scared.
You state, we need parity to compete.
I say, beat the competition.