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FedEx Ground warehouse workers are unionizing right now.
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<blockquote data-quote="Ricochet1a" data-source="post: 866766" data-attributes="member: 22880"><p>There no way at this point to know if the vote would've been a bloodbath, or a close call. It doesn't matter. To the Teamsters it mattered, since they were worried about their image enough to cut and run.</p><p></p><p>At this point, no one knows how many of those 70+ handlers signed cards. It takes at least 30% in the location/craft to get a petition for a certification vote approved. So we know at least 21 or so signed cards, and back in June, the IBT believed that there was a decent chance to get a majority of those choosing to vote, to vote yes. Why else file a petition for a certification election?</p><p></p><p>So obviously IBT underestimated either the willingness of the handlers who didn't sign union cards, but were desiring union representation, to actually vote yes if an election were to occur - or the IBT underestimated the machine of FedEx. I think it was a combination of the two.</p><p></p><p>But again, this isn't the issue. The issue is that the handlers of that small, tiny terminal went out on a limb and gathered enough signatures to get a petition for certification going - then shortly before the vote was to take place, the Teamsters cut and run. What about "solidarity", the handlers of that terminal came more than half way to the Teamsters, they risked their necks and got enough signatures to get a certification election scheduled. <u>The Teamsters should've followed through on the election, to prove that they wouldn't back out if things looked a bit bleak.</u> What the Teamsters gained in terms of saved public "face", they more than lost in terms of trust of FedEx employees. </p><p></p><p>The Teamsters went along with the certification process, thinking that they could finally create a crack in the armor of FedEx's anti-union stance. Hell, everyone thought that this vote was going to be the one that got the ball rolling for the Teamsters and put FedEx on the defensive. When the IBT did their vote count, they decided that they either wouldn't risk a loss, or just plain couldn't win. In the end, their perceived image of invincibility was more important than maintaining solidarity with the handlers that took the risk and wanted to vote. Unions lose certification elections all the time, but very few cut and run 48 hours before an election. </p><p></p><p>"Teamsters are competing against other unions for those bargaining units"</p><p></p><p>You're absolutely correct. At this very moment, there are many who have been working behind the scenes to try to get Express to organize (presumably under the IBT), to find another union in the AFL-CIO (not in the CTW coalition) who would be willing to take up the challenge. Right now we are trying to find a union that currently represents non-pilots in the airline industry (which has RLA experience) to accept the challenge of attempting to organize Express. Honestly, it is a near futile attempt, but virtually no one I know that has been working to organize Express will place their trust in the IBT in the future. </p><p></p><p>As I stated in another sting, at this point, Express employees should be either creating an exit strategy, or grit their teeth for as long as they can stand it. Express employees aren't going to throw away their income, to gum up the works at Express - Express can and will terminate employees in a flash if they are even suspected of sabotage, work slowdowns, organized sick outs or actively engaging in union organizing. There is absolutely NO PROTECTION for employees of Express (or Ground) with regards to their jobs. All are presumed guilty unless they can either prove their innocence or are willing to hire an attorney to give fight to the FedEx legal department. An Express employee can take a brochure from the IBT into a meeting with Express management and state, "I have these legal protections as detailed here...". To which management would state, "Fine"; then they'd proceed to terminate the employee if that was indeed the decision made prior to the "meeting". Damn few employees were in the position I was prior to voluntarily leaving to try to do some open organizing within an Express station. </p><p></p><p>I still don't blame the Teamsters for backing out in '97 - THERE WAS NO CERTIFICATION VOTE UNDERWAY - thus no implicit contract between the Express employees and the Teamsters. In this instance with the Ground handlers, a certification vote was established, and the Teamsters cut and run. Again, who in their right mind is going to put their career at risk (as bad as it has gotten) to attempt to organize for an outfit that has demonstrated a "cut and run" mentality when there wasn't a slam dunk set up for them?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ricochet1a, post: 866766, member: 22880"] There no way at this point to know if the vote would've been a bloodbath, or a close call. It doesn't matter. To the Teamsters it mattered, since they were worried about their image enough to cut and run. At this point, no one knows how many of those 70+ handlers signed cards. It takes at least 30% in the location/craft to get a petition for a certification vote approved. So we know at least 21 or so signed cards, and back in June, the IBT believed that there was a decent chance to get a majority of those choosing to vote, to vote yes. Why else file a petition for a certification election? So obviously IBT underestimated either the willingness of the handlers who didn't sign union cards, but were desiring union representation, to actually vote yes if an election were to occur - or the IBT underestimated the machine of FedEx. I think it was a combination of the two. But again, this isn't the issue. The issue is that the handlers of that small, tiny terminal went out on a limb and gathered enough signatures to get a petition for certification going - then shortly before the vote was to take place, the Teamsters cut and run. What about "solidarity", the handlers of that terminal came more than half way to the Teamsters, they risked their necks and got enough signatures to get a certification election scheduled. [U]The Teamsters should've followed through on the election, to prove that they wouldn't back out if things looked a bit bleak.[/U] What the Teamsters gained in terms of saved public "face", they more than lost in terms of trust of FedEx employees. The Teamsters went along with the certification process, thinking that they could finally create a crack in the armor of FedEx's anti-union stance. Hell, everyone thought that this vote was going to be the one that got the ball rolling for the Teamsters and put FedEx on the defensive. When the IBT did their vote count, they decided that they either wouldn't risk a loss, or just plain couldn't win. In the end, their perceived image of invincibility was more important than maintaining solidarity with the handlers that took the risk and wanted to vote. Unions lose certification elections all the time, but very few cut and run 48 hours before an election. "Teamsters are competing against other unions for those bargaining units" You're absolutely correct. At this very moment, there are many who have been working behind the scenes to try to get Express to organize (presumably under the IBT), to find another union in the AFL-CIO (not in the CTW coalition) who would be willing to take up the challenge. Right now we are trying to find a union that currently represents non-pilots in the airline industry (which has RLA experience) to accept the challenge of attempting to organize Express. Honestly, it is a near futile attempt, but virtually no one I know that has been working to organize Express will place their trust in the IBT in the future. As I stated in another sting, at this point, Express employees should be either creating an exit strategy, or grit their teeth for as long as they can stand it. Express employees aren't going to throw away their income, to gum up the works at Express - Express can and will terminate employees in a flash if they are even suspected of sabotage, work slowdowns, organized sick outs or actively engaging in union organizing. There is absolutely NO PROTECTION for employees of Express (or Ground) with regards to their jobs. All are presumed guilty unless they can either prove their innocence or are willing to hire an attorney to give fight to the FedEx legal department. An Express employee can take a brochure from the IBT into a meeting with Express management and state, "I have these legal protections as detailed here...". To which management would state, "Fine"; then they'd proceed to terminate the employee if that was indeed the decision made prior to the "meeting". Damn few employees were in the position I was prior to voluntarily leaving to try to do some open organizing within an Express station. I still don't blame the Teamsters for backing out in '97 - THERE WAS NO CERTIFICATION VOTE UNDERWAY - thus no implicit contract between the Express employees and the Teamsters. In this instance with the Ground handlers, a certification vote was established, and the Teamsters cut and run. Again, who in their right mind is going to put their career at risk (as bad as it has gotten) to attempt to organize for an outfit that has demonstrated a "cut and run" mentality when there wasn't a slam dunk set up for them? [/QUOTE]
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