UPS Will See Wage Pressure Not From IBT But From Washington

wkmac

Well-Known Member
This thread is not about a political debate, let's do that in the "current events" forum, but instead how a min. wage increase could place some pressure on starting PT. Wage in the upcoming labor talks between the IBT and UPS. I would encourage everyone to go to the "How Can UPS Survive" thread and read "thebrowntruths" response to Dave on the first page concerning PT starting wages. He flat nailed it IMO.

If Congress does raise the min. wage and I believe they will, this IMO will force UPS to do one of 2 things. First, raise PT. starting pay which should have been done years ago or 2nd, prepare for the already horrible labor pool from which we choose to get even worse!

If UPS and the IBT can come out of these upcoming talks with a contract that addresses the many issues facing us all and still keep everyone generally happy, I'll be in utter shock! Houdini or Criss (Mindfreak)Angel they ain't!

JMO.
 

nhguy

Well-Known Member
WKMAC
You left out one important element. Benefits, most of those companies that pay minimum wages don't also pay benefits. Far from a minimum wage job when you add in the bennies!!!
 

No Talent Clown

Active Member
Benefits help the company keep you here if you are older and/or have dependents. But a majority of the new hires that are brought in are students. 9 times out of 10 they are still on their parents insurance roll. Thus, they could care less if they get benefits. You give a horned up college freshman the opportunity to work at the mall (where there are women galore) or at UPS (where its a sausage factory) and the decision won't be difficult at all.:alucard:
 

disneyworld

Well-Known Member
wkmac said:
GOP makes conditions on wage increase - Yahoo! News

This thread is not about a political debate, let's do that in the "current events" forum, but instead how a min. wage increase could place some pressure on starting PT. Wage in the upcoming labor talks between the IBT and UPS. I would encourage everyone to go to the "How Can UPS Survive" thread and read "thebrowntruths" response to Dave on the first page concerning PT starting wages. He flat nailed it IMO.

If Congress does raise the min. wage and I believe they will, this IMO will force UPS to do one of 2 things. First, raise PT. starting pay which should have been done years ago or 2nd, prepare for the already horrible labor pool from which we choose to get even worse!

If UPS and the IBT can come out of these upcoming talks with a contract that addresses the many issues facing us all and still keep everyone generally happy, I'll be in utter shock! Houdini or Criss (Mindfreak)Angel they ain't!

JMO.
30 million Americans work on minimum wage and most without healthcare.How does the richest country in the world let this happen? We are more concerned with giving aid to other countries than we are about our own.
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Here's some interesting facts from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on the Minimum Wage worker.

Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2002

According to Current Population Survery estimates for 2002, some 72.7 million American workers were paid at hourly rates, representing 59.6 percent of all wage and salary workers.1 Of those paid by the hour, about 570,000 were reported earning exactly $5.15, the prevailing Federal minimum wage, and another 1.6 million were reported with wages below the minimum.2 Together, these 2.2 million workers with wages at or below the minimum made up 3.0 percent of all hourly-paid workers. Tables 1 - 10 present data on a wide array of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for these low-wage workers. The following are some highlights from the 2002 data.



This and more can be found at:
Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2002

I know the report above is 4 years old but that was the latest I could find and I doubt things have changed so much in the last 4 years that we've seen the increase to the number previously suggested.

And also from the BLS the latest Labor Report of 7/7/06 concerning total number of US workers:


Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)

The civilian labor force (151.3 million) and total employment (144.4 mil-
lion) continued to trend up in June. The labor force participation rate was
essentially unchanged over the month at 66.2 percent and was about the same
as a year earlier. The employment-population ratio, at 63.1 percent, also was
essentially unchanged over the month, but was 0.4 percentage point higher than
a year earlier. (See table A-1.)

That and more can be found at:
Employment Situation Summary

The way I see it based on the numbers above and in one case they are dated numbers so I'll add that caveat, with 151 mil total US workforce with 2.2 mil being paid at or below min. wage then this works out to about 1.5% of total US workforce.

Just some interesting facts that to be honest I had no idea on until I went and looked. Thanks Disneyworld for making the post that pushed me to go look!
 
T

Thebrowntruth

Guest
WKMAC,
I hope we are not alone and someone will come to power in Atlanta that understands the facts of what is happening on the front lines. If we keep our heads in the sand and Fedex and DHL will continue to run up our rear ends!!!!
I have to laugh at the WONDERFUL BENEFITS comments that keep coming up. Please people UNDERSTAND this....those that need benefits are usually older employees with children. I hate to sound cruel but understand that 30-50 yr old employees joining us as PT workers are not what we need long term. Consider the job and the physical shape you we in when you were 18 to 25. Then put yourself in the shoes of that older newly hired employee. When their kid is sick will they pay a babysitter 10 bucks an hour to come into work to earn 9? NO, they will call off sick and the ball starts rolling with PT sups working and on and on and on....
The part time wage DOES NOT and IS NOT giving us the strong pool of workers in our PT ranks that ANY of us feel comfortable about stepping into our shoes to keep UPS rolling when we are gone. But then again, I have to admit, our current leadership that doesnt recognize the problem isnt giving me a warm feeling all over either!!!!
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Thebrowntruth said:
WKMAC,
I hope we are not alone and someone will come to power in Atlanta that understands the facts of what is happening on the front lines. If we keep our heads in the sand and Fedex and DHL will continue to run up our rear ends!!!!
I have to laugh at the WONDERFUL BENEFITS comments that keep coming up. Please people UNDERSTAND this....those that need benefits are usually older employees with children. I hate to sound cruel but understand that 30-50 yr old employees joining us as PT workers are not what we need long term. Consider the job and the physical shape you we in when you were 18 to 25. Then put yourself in the shoes of that older newly hired employee. When their kid is sick will they pay a babysitter 10 bucks an hour to come into work to earn 9? NO, they will call off sick and the ball starts rolling with PT sups working and on and on and on....
The part time wage DOES NOT and IS NOT giving us the strong pool of workers in our PT ranks that ANY of us feel comfortable about stepping into our shoes to keep UPS rolling when we are gone. But then again, I have to admit, our current leadership that doesnt recognize the problem isnt giving me a warm feeling all over either!!!!

Well said browntruth. I've had numerous discussions with folks about the part time pay and although just about all agree it SUKS the parties on both sides seem to want to throw the blame on the other. I personally tend to blame both sides as they both benefit from the current system.
 

spitt2000

Well-Known Member
The only way to fix the real problem with part time wages, is through the union. In our warehouse, the only people active in the union are the drivers, so who do you think the union pays attention to.. THE DRIVERS. None of the part timers give a **** and therefore get no voice. just my opinion.
 

nhguy

Well-Known Member
How about this solution. Why don't we give the part time employee the choice, they can get paid a lower hourly rate with benefits or if they choose no benefits then they would get paid at a much higher hourly rate. How do you think that idea would sit with the teamsters? The company pays the same either way. I'm sure they don't care how it gets distributed.
The union would have a heart attack at this idea.:ohmy:
 

laborer

Well-Known Member
nhguy said:
How about this solution. Why don't we give the part time employee the choice, they can get paid a lower hourly rate with benefits or if they choose no benefits then they would get paid at a much higher hourly rate. How do you think that idea would sit with the teamsters? The company pays the same either way. I'm sure they don't care how it gets distributed.
The union would have a heart attack at this idea.:ohmy:

UPS offers the benefits knowing that a large number of part-timers are younger and many are on their parents insurance or don't use the bennies like the older full-timers.
I believe that UPS controls the benefits for most part-timers so the union would like the higher hourly rate(increased dues) so UPS would then be paying out more in wages instead of saving on the unused benefits. I don't think UPS would go for that.
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
nhguy said:
How about this solution. Why don't we give the part time employee the choice, they can get paid a lower hourly rate with benefits or if they choose no benefits then they would get paid at a much higher hourly rate. How do you think that idea would sit with the teamsters? The company pays the same either way. I'm sure they don't care how it gets distributed.
The union would have a heart attack at this idea.:ohmy:

Funny you should bring that up because I do believe that is the best solution and we've discussed this at lenght at my center (both hourly and management) and all agree it makes the most sense for all parties. However like you we also found one stumbling block and you said it best.

The union would have a heart attack at this idea.:ohmy:
 
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