Enforcing the UPS Contract

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tdu

Guest
UPS has a game plan. We need one as well. Here are some ideas that can be adopted by activists, locals and the International Union.

Steps Needed from the International Union
The dues increase gives the IBT more resources than ever. Resources should be put to use now by:

Setting-up contract enforcement teams in regions, states and areas to coordinate and focus our resources and power. Rank and file UPS Teamsters can be used as special organizers to help coordinate enforcement campaigns.

Starting aggressive organizing drives at FedEx, Airbornes nonunion operations and UPS Logistics.

Tracking and making available grievance decisions. Computerized tracking of panel decisions is imperative.

Working with local unions to establish model enforcement strategies.

Developing a plan for dealing with smart label technology and UPS logistics.
Strategy for Rank and File Members and Stewards
Get up to speed as quickly as possible. Member discouragement can build if problems are allowed to drag on.

Get, use and distribute the Contract Guide. Even when new contract books get into the hands of members and stewards (and that could take months) it can take time to sort out and find ways to use the new language. The Guide to Enforcing the National Contract helps with suggestions on how to attack some problems using old and new language.

Sponsor a contract enforcement workshop. Where a local or the IBT is unwilling to set up a workshop, contact the UPS Committee of TDU and we will arrange one for your area. Get the most out of your workshop by building into it a strategy and goal-setting session.

Organize new member orientation activity. In the so-called right to work states stewards have the right to attend new employee orientation meetings to give a rap on the union. Locals and stewards should use this right. And no matter what region you are from, members and stewards can come up with their own orientation plans like leafleting and talking to newer members in the parking lot.

Get the word out. Expose problems and report on victories. Here are some things you can do to overcome the information brownout:

Hold quick meetings before or after work.

Post or hand out copies of grievances.

Gather e-mail addresses and phone numbers and use them to update co-workers.

Ask that your local union hold craft meetings on a regular basis.

Put New Language to Use
Clerks in the bargaining unit. Nolater thanFeb. 1, 2003 certain clerks are to be brought into the bargaining unit.

Double-breasting. UPS uses UPS Logistics to handle drop shipments and zone skips. Article 2, Section 4, in addition to other articles, says they cant do it.

Dues check-off. UPS must correct improper deductions within two days of being notified of the problem.

Supervisors working (and coverage system). Penalties have been increased. A coverage system has also been added whereby employees are to sign up for coverage work on the first day of each month. Enforce it.

New technology. New language states that any work that replaces, enhances or modifies bargaining unit work will be performed by bargaining unit work. Clerks, smart label repair, maintenance personnel and others can come under this definition.

Monetary awards made within 10 days. Article 7 says management must pay members their awards within 10 days of getting notice of the grievance panel decision.

Fifteen day limit for notice of loss/damage. Article 10 states that UPS forfeits its right to discipline or demand reimbursement from members if they wait more than 15 days (from getting shipper notice of claim) to notify the employee. The same time limit applies to bad checks.

Payroll errors. UPS will pay employees a penalty of one-half their daily guarantee for every payroll period in which shortages are not paid. Enforce it.

Full-time job creation. The number of full-time jobs created under the old contract cannot be reduced (Article 22). Part-time employees will be give the chance to fill full-time jobs on a six-to-one basis (formerly five-to-one).

Overtime. Management will let a minimum of 10 percent of the drivers in a center off after eight hours on a given day.

Over-70-pound packages. No over-70 will move through the system without tape visible from all sides identifying it as an over-70 package
 
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lr1937

Guest
tdu
What are your suggestions for strengthening ups's competitive conditions with fdx? TDU's only interest at least in this post is to talk about all the contract language that does nothing to enhance our competitive postition. What are your concerns about loss of volume? Loss of jobs because of volume loss?
All you care about is enforcing those parts of the contract that enhance you political goals and care less about finding ways to work together to increase volume.
I don't think organizing fdx does anything for the company you work for. You guys had your chance with Cary and screwed it up with your militant us against them attitude.
I think the company and the union have an
obligation to ups employees and teamster members to find ways to work to together to build a more competitive work force and to take on the threat of loss of volume to non union competitors. What are your proposals in regards to some positive actions versus your same old "the company is screwing us" attitude.
 
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tdu

Guest
lr1937, I agree with you that we all need to be concerned about staying competitive and keeping our customers. I have issues with UPS management but the customer is king. Anything that I can do to improve service for the customer is the most important thing that I do at my job. The worst way to lose union jobs is to screw the customer because you are having a problem with UPS management.
 
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thedrooler

Guest
tdu

I have an idea for you. Why not take your organization's "enlightened" views on labor relations and really put it to work for you. Start your own business, help your new employees start their own "democratic" union to "help" you run your business,and get on with the business of making yourself some real money. This way you won't have to spend so much of your time worrying about the company you work for screwing you at every turn. I'm sure you can come up with a beauty of a business plan that would have investors chomping at the bit to give you money.

Drooler
 
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therodog

Guest
hmmmm, print out and give out at work...heheh

(Message edited by therodog on January 07, 2003)
 
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dannyboy

Guest
Hey Drooler

Jim Casey invited the teamsters in. And look what happened.

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excalibur

Guest
... well in actuality, "the company is screwing us!!! ?" Case in point with the cut with the Full-Time Air Hub Wages https://web.archive.org/web/20041104075603/http://www.tdu.org/html/ups_air_hub.html , but because so many of you have progressed through most of the BS, you don't care anymore. Of course, there's the fact that pt-supervisors work on a daily and UPS refuses to work overtime, that's another slap in the face. So, while your main concern is your aggressive stock portfolio, the real workers and in the grind getting pimped as usual...

Lets get real, this world isn't perfect and I'm down with those who fight to get it, esp. at UPS, as close to perfection as possible!!! ?
 
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dannyboy

Guest
Actually Jr. we do work over time. Lots of it. More than they want. And as far as being a real worker.....hehehe, you must be part time, when you get your full time job, come back and talk to me about being in the grind. After you have been in the workforce for 20 years you might be better able to address the problems.

As to pay cuts, there was an inside fulltime job that came open. Close to 75 part timers signed the bid list. But over 20 full time drivers also signed it, ALL KNOWING that they would be taking a $7.00 cut in pay. Note, this was a VOLUNTARY cut in pay to get the job. Now why do you think that is???

One of the part time workers that bid on it has been there for 22 years, and was griping that HE should have been allowed to get the full time job. Over the years he has been able to bid on a full time delivery job, but has refused. All he wants to do is gripe about someone keeping the brothers down. Turned down 20+ full time positions, but is crying about not getting this one.

As for the Air language, the Union AGREED to this contract. Said it was for our best intrests. But if you will notice, the contract also says that that is the minimum that can be paid. In other words they can pay more than the stated amount.

We have a hub called Whitescreek. They have a turnover of 900% per year. Give away free computers for employees that stay just 6 months. They just cant compete with the other employers in the area with wages. I showed them that language in the contract, suposedly they were shocked. No one had ever shown that to them before! or so they stated.

So the wage minimums in the contract are just that, the least they can get by with paying people in that job classification. They can pay more.

As to the lost greivances that you linked to, that just showed poor handling of the case. UPS can afford top notch attorneys to help with wording of the contract, and suposedly our union dues are to be spent on the same. Sounds to me like some bed shareing going on there to me.

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excalibur

Guest
OK Advanced Member DannyBOY... as for your 20 year part-timer, was this a new combo job or an already exisitng combo job that became avilable, because there is a difference. Yes the 20 year PT should have been awarded the job on the now 6 to 1 ratio, however, if the combo job had been vacated and was being put back up for bid, this job is not "newly created" and would go to the highest seniority employee.

As for the pay cute that package car drivers are willing to take, it has happen here in Greensboro as well. Most, just don't want to drive anymore and now that they can work back in the building doing what ever combo job they can get, a cut in pay is obviously worth it.

As for the turn-over rate, UPS thrives and depends on paying the minimum wage. I'm guessing that your UPS will have at least two to three colleges, universities or other secondary schools of learning in the area. The theory is, these students will work hopefully no more than 5 years and move on. At the same time, there will always be a steady flow of fresh-new-and unaware victims willing to try UPS out... and the cycle countinues!!! ?

TIEGUY... hmmm! EXACTLY (definiton: faultlessly, to the letter, word for word, verbatim; absolutely, undeniably.) You keep it brown and I'll keep it gully!!! ?
 
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bigbrown

Guest
jeeezzz excalibur, tuition reimbersement was the reason that I took the pt UPS job and I'm still here. It's not a job for everyone but it worked for me and the benefits were great. Most people don't stay with the same job that they worked through college on so I guess your fresh-new-and unaware victims comment could also be said about the restaurant workers etc. Apparently you expect people to stay with their college jobs for life and never aspire to anything else.
 
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upslocal480

Guest
"We have a hub called Whitescreek. They have a turnover of 900% per year. Give away free computers for employees that stay just 6 months. They just cant compete with the other employers in the area with wages. I showed them that language in the contract, suposedly they were shocked. No one had ever shown that to them before! or so they stated."

Free Computer at the Whites Creek Hub??!! I never recieved one! LOL. Actually they started that a month after I was hired there but I did recieve 3 bonuses (one per month) for working there the first 90 days. You are right about the 900% turnover rate there. I don't think I'll ever see that anywhere else. Kids come in there with the idea that they can stack a few boxes and get their schooling paid for but then bolt after their first full night of work. Sometimes even before that. When I moved to the center I moved from a hub with a 900% turnover rate to a center with practically a 0% rate. As far as enforcing the contract goes...it seems like both places are about the same with the occasional attempt by our management to take advantage of someone that knows nothing about the contract or just certain sections of it. Sometimes we kinda of have the "we are a small center so we can do whatever we want attitude" going on here but it's not too bad. Grievances are rare here but if the guys I work with new anything about the contract then I imagine that management would be getting burned here on a daily basis but no one really cares anyway because it's usually just small things. We know when to put are foot down I think.
 
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dannyboy

Guest
480

You know you aren't making any friends with Tie Guy. He still thinks(if that is possible for him) that I am an imposter.

What center do you work out of, I will be in Nashville later this month for the safety conference. THey want us to crow about out new safety numbers, went from allmost a 20, to less than a 7.5. I guess they want to know how?
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upslocal480

Guest
I'm at the Clarksville Center now dannyboy. Where are you at? Its about 40 minutes northwest of the Whites Creek Hub. I guess you can say we are a "satellite"of that hub. It's NOTHING like the hub. I can't even start to compare the two other than that they both have the same brown trucks...LOL. So you are having to talk at a safety conference or something? What's that all about. I thought you were a delivery driver? Our management was passing out sheets for all of us to sign basically saying that we pledge to work safely or something like that...but of course 99% of the people here refused to sign it for some reason.
 
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dannyboy

Guest
Bristol, just a driver. But because of the big reductions in injuries this year they want both of us drivers that are co chairs to go. I guess we are the most improved or something.

We did not sign them here also, they were VERY childishly written.

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upslocal480

Guest
Yeah that was written very weird. I signed it anyway though. It's not like I signed away my job or anything like that. They couldn't use that to fire me or take away my possessions or anything......lol.
 
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dammor

Guest
Over 20 drivers bid on a job that had a $7.00 an hour pay cut? If that is true, I guess you have some really lazy drivers or some really bad conditions to work in. Sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing that.
 
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dannyboy

Guest
Wanna see the bid list?

And some of them have been there from 12-19 years as drivers.

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(Message edited by dannyboy on January 09, 2003)
 
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dammor

Guest
Yes, please post it. I'm sure all 20 of the full time 19 year drivers that were willing to take a $7.00 pay cut would be surprised to see thier names on the internet.
 
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