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Mr. Hoffa. Get Off Your Ass Right Now
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<blockquote data-quote="MrFedEx" data-source="post: 1101663" data-attributes="member: 12508"><p>I don't think Express couriers are "special" either, but our skill-set is much more comparable to UPS than Ground or anyone else. Yes, we're just truck drivers, but ones where more than average intelligence and reasoning are required to be good ones. Like UPS, we are expected to be extraordinarily productive and mistake-free in comparison with a truck driver, or the more lowly form...the Ground driver. A lot of people simply cannot do the Express courier job. </p><p></p><p>I also think the Teamsters need us, maybe not as much as we need them, but union membership has dropped to around 12%, which isn't a good sign for the IBT. As I have said before, Ground is the biggest threat to UPS because their business model won't be able to compete with the low-cost Ground scam model. On that, we completely agree. But Ground will never organize because the contractors will simply fire all of their drivers. There is nothing stopping this, and a snowball has a better chance in Hell of success.</p><p></p><p>My contact with the IBT has been at the national level because the local won't do anything. I walk-in or call, and I get the brush-off, which isn't the way it should be. Back in 1996, when I helped lead the local organization effort, they provided minimal support, and wouldn't even send reps out to the stations. They talked about legal support, but when Fred's special language was snuck into the FAA Reauthorization Act back then, the Teamsters dropped us completely. </p><p></p><p>I would also like the noises coming out of stations to be "howling wolves", but when the wolves howl, we need a positive response from the IBT. When the cards and calls start coming-in, <strong>they </strong>need to respond with some form of action. It would be very encouraging to have Mr. Hoffa simply address the issue, even if he doesn't make a commitment to Express, and we haven't even seen that. I've heard Hoffa interviewed several times, and he wasn't very strong on talking about the FAA Reuthorization Act even when it was still in play. Rhetoric is important, especially when it is coming from someone who is supposed to be a labor "leader". As you said, the IBT is also doing nothing to challenge the Ground business model. So, exactly what <em>are </em>they doing other than sitting on their hands? IMO, they are laying on the tracks watching the train headlight get closer in the distance. </p><p></p><p>If Ground continues to grow at the rate it has, UPS is looking at a two-tiered wage structure, a huge victory for Fred, and a major loss for the IBT. Sure, they'll still be union (for now), but paying dues is problematic when you're making so much less than the "A-Scale" workers. If Ground continues to eat away at UPS market share, the IBT itself becomes threatened long-term because you can't pay drivers $32 per hour with full medical when the trucks aren't full any more. Fred wins.</p><p></p><p>If we provide the effort and show results, I think the Teamsters need to respond. In the past, the IBT was there when companies started jacking people around, and they took an active role in pursuing members. This is how a union grows. Over time, the IBT have become sheep in the sense that they have stood-by as the "New Normal" of reduced wages and benefits championed by the GOP took hold. A lot of people have come to accept this, apparently including the Teamsters, <em>except </em>when it comes to their bread and butter...UPS.</p><p></p><p>Keep signing the cards and getting the word out, and maybe, just maybe, we'll get some IBT participation in all of this.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MrFedEx, post: 1101663, member: 12508"] I don't think Express couriers are "special" either, but our skill-set is much more comparable to UPS than Ground or anyone else. Yes, we're just truck drivers, but ones where more than average intelligence and reasoning are required to be good ones. Like UPS, we are expected to be extraordinarily productive and mistake-free in comparison with a truck driver, or the more lowly form...the Ground driver. A lot of people simply cannot do the Express courier job. I also think the Teamsters need us, maybe not as much as we need them, but union membership has dropped to around 12%, which isn't a good sign for the IBT. As I have said before, Ground is the biggest threat to UPS because their business model won't be able to compete with the low-cost Ground scam model. On that, we completely agree. But Ground will never organize because the contractors will simply fire all of their drivers. There is nothing stopping this, and a snowball has a better chance in Hell of success. My contact with the IBT has been at the national level because the local won't do anything. I walk-in or call, and I get the brush-off, which isn't the way it should be. Back in 1996, when I helped lead the local organization effort, they provided minimal support, and wouldn't even send reps out to the stations. They talked about legal support, but when Fred's special language was snuck into the FAA Reauthorization Act back then, the Teamsters dropped us completely. I would also like the noises coming out of stations to be "howling wolves", but when the wolves howl, we need a positive response from the IBT. When the cards and calls start coming-in, [B]they [/B]need to respond with some form of action. It would be very encouraging to have Mr. Hoffa simply address the issue, even if he doesn't make a commitment to Express, and we haven't even seen that. I've heard Hoffa interviewed several times, and he wasn't very strong on talking about the FAA Reuthorization Act even when it was still in play. Rhetoric is important, especially when it is coming from someone who is supposed to be a labor "leader". As you said, the IBT is also doing nothing to challenge the Ground business model. So, exactly what [I]are [/I]they doing other than sitting on their hands? IMO, they are laying on the tracks watching the train headlight get closer in the distance. If Ground continues to grow at the rate it has, UPS is looking at a two-tiered wage structure, a huge victory for Fred, and a major loss for the IBT. Sure, they'll still be union (for now), but paying dues is problematic when you're making so much less than the "A-Scale" workers. If Ground continues to eat away at UPS market share, the IBT itself becomes threatened long-term because you can't pay drivers $32 per hour with full medical when the trucks aren't full any more. Fred wins. If we provide the effort and show results, I think the Teamsters need to respond. In the past, the IBT was there when companies started jacking people around, and they took an active role in pursuing members. This is how a union grows. Over time, the IBT have become sheep in the sense that they have stood-by as the "New Normal" of reduced wages and benefits championed by the GOP took hold. A lot of people have come to accept this, apparently including the Teamsters, [I]except [/I]when it comes to their bread and butter...UPS. Keep signing the cards and getting the word out, and maybe, just maybe, we'll get some IBT participation in all of this. [/QUOTE]
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