To brown666: You will have to forgive me if someone has already asked you this, but why did you use 666 (the mark of the beast) as part of your username? The person bearing the symbol 666 is supposedly going to bring chaos to the world. Are you admitting that you are trying to bring chaos to the teamsters contract negotiations? Judging by your postings, that seems to be your goal.
I'm in Business Development (a supervisor position), so I'm not anywhere near as familiar with the IBT contract as most writers at this site are. But, I can tell you that chaos is the last thing that ANYONE at UPS should want during these negotiations. In 1997, our most loyal shippers were hurt the worst because their packages were totally locked up. Today, UPS shippers have options from FedEx, and even Airborne Express, that didn't exist in '97. Right now, FX and Airborne sales reps are knocking on the doors of almost every mid-to-large UPS shipper, and they're being let in because those shippers remember getting burned 5 years ago. And, FX & Airborne reps are coming in loaded with deep discounts to show that they will do the job for less. They're persuasive, and they are winning away some of our customers. These are the facts. I didn't hear this stuff from a PCM, I'm living it as I deal with our accounts and I have to scramble to keep them.
Trust me. Both sides need a contract that is fair, and UPS packages need to keep flowing smoothly. If there is a strike this year, our customers will not forgive us, but they will forget us... and switch to FX or someone else. It really will be the end of UPS as we know it. Is that what you want 666?