New contract keeping our part timers at min wage

blacknproud

Well-Known Member
This is a good read, basically in a nutshell at the end of this contract (proposed one) a new part time employee will start out at $8.50 per hour. In IL by 2010 Min wage will be $8.25 per hour....
CHICAGO – Delivering on his promise to improve the quality of life for thousands of Illinois’ hard working families, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich was today joined by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, U.S. Congressman Danny Davis and other legislators, labor leaders and workers to sign Senate Bill 1268, increasing the minimum wage to $7.50 per hour in July 2007 and to $8.25 an hour by 2010. Senate Bill 1268, co-sponsored by State Representatives Marlow Colvin (D-Chicago) and Larry McKeon (D-Chicago), and State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) will help 647,000 workers in Illinois.

Under the terms of the legislation, the state’s minimum wage will rise by $1 to $7.50 per hour beginning July 1, 2007. Beyond that date, the legislation includes annual increases for three years: to $7.75 in July 2008, $8.00 in July 2009, and $8.25 in 2010. The legislation goes into effect July 1, 2007. Based on the Governor’s increase, a full time minimum wage worker will see their income increase from $13,520 to $15,600 per year. By 2010, the yearly income for a full-time minimum wage earner will be $17,160.

“One of the best things we can do as state government is to help make sure people who work hard all day, make enough to live on. Thousands of hard working Illinoisans benefited when the minimum wage went up to $6.50 an hour. But it’s not enough anymore. Raising the minimum wage again will make it a little easier for thousands of families to pay the bills, put food on the table or buy clothes for their children. For people like Diane Elliot of Jacksonville, it means she can afford the constant cost of living increases,” said Gov. Blagojevich as he signed the bill during at event at the Bethel New Life center on Chicago’s West side.

“A minimum-wage increase was my top priority in the fall session of the Illinois General Assembly,” said Mayor Daley. “Low-income working families are among the people who deserve our support the most, and I think every caring person would agree they’re entitled to a raise. I want to thank all the people and organizations who worked so hard on this legislation. I thank the legislators who voted for it, and Governor Blagojevich for signing it,” said Mayor Daley.

“The people of Illinois need and deserve to earn wages that are comparable to the hard work they do every day. This bill is just one more step in helping make life a little bit easier for Illinoisans,” said Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago).

“The cost of raising a family increases all the time, but minimum wage earners haven't seen an increase since 2004. As prices increase, it becomes harder and harder to pay the most basic expenses on a minimum wage salary. I applaud the Governor for his commitment to the people of Illinois and am so proud to be the sponsor of this bill,” said Senate bill sponsor Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood).

“Raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do for our state. The Governor signing this bill into law will allow working families in Illinois to keep up with cost of living increases. I am glad the Governor and the General Assembly worked to together to make this possible to help the hard working people of Illinois,” said Rep. Colvin, Sponsor of the legislation.

This marks the second time during his administration that Gov. Blagojevich fought for and signed legislation raising the minimum wage. He first increased the wage in 2003 above the federal level of $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour (the federal minimum wage remains at $5.15, where it has been stagnant since 1997). When the final rate of $8.25 per hour takes effect in 2010 that will mean Gov. Blagojevich has helped boost pay for minimum wage workers in Illinois by $3.10 per hour, or 60 percent. This makes Illinois a national leader in wages for workers.

“I’m so glad the Governor’s raising the minimum wage. I feel like he, more than anyone else, understands that we need this raise. I’m getting minimum wage. I work two jobs. I live by myself. I pay my bills myself. But, I know I’m not the only one. There are so many people working two jobs just to pay the bills. My doctor tells me to slow down, but I just can’t. This increase will be a big help for me,” said Diane Elliot, a minimum wage worker in a Jacksonville nursing home.

Despite predictions from opponents of the minimum wage that its increase would harm the economy, since the Governor’s first minimum wage hike went into effect in January 2004, Illinois has added more than 152,000 new jobs, which is more than any state in the Midwest according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Illinois has led the nation in job growth twice this year (April and July), which has never happened before in recorded history, and has been named the third best state in the nation for attracting new and expanded corporate facilities by Site Selection Magazine. Inc. Magazine recently named Gov. Blagojevich as the second best Governor in the nation for fiscal policy (Blagojevich was also named the top governor for health care policy). In addition, the unemployment rate has fallen from 6.7 percent in January 2003, when the fight for the higher minimum wage began, to 4.1 percent today, which is the state’s lowest level on record.

Who's getting screwed?
 

Brav989

Member
Well in Oregon and Washington (at least), it will reach $8.50 within a year or two. Contract or not they're going to be obliged to pay the minimum wage, not a lower $8.50 stated in the contract.
 
I cannot believe that there is no increase in the starting wage in this contract. Who will hump packages for $8.50 an hour when they can go flip burgers for that. They already can't get enough help because no one wants to work for that money.

I don't work for UPS anymore but when I got hired I started at $8 an hour and minimum wage at the time was around $5. So at that time UPS paid roughly 1.5 times the minimum wage. Apply that today (minimum wage approx $7 an hour) and the starting pay should be around $10.50.

I'm not a UPSer anymore but if I was, that would concern me. I'd want the starting rate to be higher so that UPS could be more selective in the new hires. That way, I'd be working alongside a person who stood out above the rest and wasn't the only person that applied for the job. With the current rate staying the same, then turnover will continue to skyrocket and the end result will be UPS squeezing more work out of the existing employees. And eventually they will just quit. Maybe that's the goal, but it doesn't make any sense to me.

Higher pay = more productivity, more reliability, less theft, less turnover. At least that's what my logic tells me. UPS must be applying some other logic because I just don't get it.
 
There is just as much future in flipping burgers as there is in loading boxes. Who's to say a crew member at McDonald's or Wendy's could never become the manager or higher?
 

tieguy

Banned
There is just as much future in flipping burgers as there is in loading boxes. Who's to say a crew member at McDonald's or Wendy's could never become the manager or higher?

you comparing a 32 dollar an hour delivery job to senior burger flipper?

compare the manager job at MCD to a managers job at UPS? Big difference.
 

Fnix

Well-Known Member
There is just as much future in flipping burgers as there is in loading boxes. Who's to say a crew member at McDonald's or Wendy's could never become the manager or higher?

True, it is easier to become upper management in a place like this, but you'll still be making the same as a driver around 50k per year at a really high rank.

btw, what hub in FL are you
 

Foamer Pyle

Well-Known Member
I dont agree with you. There are lazy $28 an hour drivers. A higher wage does not guarantee you will have less milkers. I know more $28 slackers than $8.50.
 

#1angelfan

Well-Known Member
you comparing a 32 dollar an hour delivery job to senior burger flipper?

compare the manager job at MCD to a managers job at UPS? Big difference.
you are right tie, at least the manager at mcd's is not on the computer all day putting down ups employees. thay acually have to work all day, unlike you.
 

705red

Browncafe Steward
you comparing a 32 dollar an hour delivery job to senior burger flipper?

compare the manager job at MCD to a managers job at UPS? Big difference.
Tie i have to disagree here. A manager at mcdonalds is encouraged to be a free thinker. Its their responsibilty to make sure they have enough food during the rush times, what will sell better, what sales to offer. While a manager at ups cant take a crap without calling his boss, who then has to call his boss, who then has to call his boss, before they can cut your puppet strings to allow you to go by yourself! You know im right tie, the management team cannot make a move without the district managers, ie manager, business manager to the building managers give the approval, which now encourages non thinking on your part. Management now are nothing more than yes men and woman and thats another reason this company is only worried about the bottom line.
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
Tie i have to disagree here. A manager at mcdonalds is encouraged to be a free thinker. Its their responsibilty to make sure they have enough food during the rush times, what will sell better, what sales to offer. While a manager at ups cant take a crap without calling his boss, who then has to call his boss, who then has to call his boss, before they can cut your puppet strings to allow you to go by yourself! You know im right tie, the management team cannot make a move without the district managers, ie manager, business manager to the building managers give the approval, which now encourages non thinking on your part. Management now are nothing more than yes men and woman and thats another reason this company is only worried about the bottom line.
Red,
McDonalds is a very controlled franchise. No independent thought or changes are allowed.
The managers are told what they can sell, when they can sell it. It is a tight managemnet style, akin to WalMart.
Your analogy, to the freedom of management to make independent decisions in a franchise, does not hold water.
So I assume, you think it would be better for the company being directed from the bottom up.
How would the flow chart of decision making work in your concept?
 

705red

Browncafe Steward
It is in IL!!
Please keep in mind that the national language does not directly effect us at this time. Now our contract is a mirror image, but we do have some better language than our national brothers and sisters. If you have been around a while you do know if theres anything that ups teamsters can do in chicago, its campaign. Now if the national gets voted down it would make it easier for us here, but if it doesnt we will be in for a fight, our union leaders and ups labor already cant stand each other.
 

tieguy

Banned
Tie i have to disagree here. A manager at mcdonalds is encouraged to be a free thinker. Its their responsibilty to make sure they have enough food during the rush times, what will sell better, what sales to offer.

Red you need to revisit that point. Franchisee's especially Mcdonalds are very controlled.

While a manager at ups cant take a crap without calling his boss, who then has to call his boss, who then has to call his boss, before they can cut your puppet strings to allow you to go by yourself!

I honestly think I have more leeway then a mcdonalds manager.

Management now are nothing more than yes men and woman and thats another reason this company is only worried about the bottom line.

no more then shop stewards in the union. You do realize you are part of the management team at the union don't you.

Red honestly I think your post highlights the degree that people sometimes want to find fault with this company. I have areas of my job and times when I am expected to follow the overall game plan. Same as you when you report to work. I think I have quite a bit of auntonomy on what I can and can't do. Its not always asking permision to do something so much as communicating what I'm doing or what I did. Big difference. The nature of the management job in general would lead me to believe that some parts of my job are controlled some are not. It would also lead me to believe that i have more autonomy to make decisions as I move up the chain. I found that to be true.
 
Top