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TForce | Teamsters to Focus on Wages in Early Talks With UPS

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Job security, health care and pensions are also expected to dominate negotiations

An early start to negotiations with UPS will allow the Teamsters union to focus on discussions over job security, wages, health care and pensions in January, the union said.

Teamsters leaders unanimously agreed earlier this month to begin negotiations on contracts covering approximately 250,00 union members on Sept. 27, roughly 10 months before the current five-year contract expires. The UPS and UPS Freight contract is the largest Teamsters contract and biggest U.S. collective bargaining agreement, said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters general president.

The UPS contract covers package delivery drivers, loaders and sorters, while the UPS Freight agreement covers drivers, dock workers and clerks.

“The struggling economy and the company’s recent announcements about record quarterly profits make this good timing to open negotiations,” said Ken Hall, Teamsters general secretary-treasurer. “We want to address operations issues now so we can concentrate next year on other important issues such as wages, health care and pensions.”

UPS profit in the first quarter rose 6.3 percent to $1.6 billion year-over-year, as revenue expanded 4.3 percent to $13.1 billion. The union said it plans to address work preservation related to subcontracting, workload and safety, and health this fall. ..............................

Teamsters to Focus on Wages in Early Talks With UPS | Journal of Commerce
 
Union get 2 1/2 times your base pay... Are they looking out for us or them?
Just asking

Better bennies such as the same medical as parcel... Etc...
If we get higher pay but have to pay more for bennies it's a win - lose
 
They need to really focus on Article 9 as well... I am thinking that UPS has been pushing on this article as a diversion from something else... Just a thought.
 
We need penalties for not paying won grievances, and an arbitrator to sit in at national panels, no more delaying deadlocked cases for years
 
How about we get NMFA contract rules and language . And keep our Ups Freight Health@Wealth Fare fund as is, And our Ups Freight Pension as is, Separate.
 
Wages are taxed benefits & working conditions are more important.

Smart that the union is starting out early,kinda gets the company warmed up to what is in their future.
 
The union better start early because if they don't do anything productive about these problems, They might lose a lot of members.
 
Question,with so many contractors allowed to run a lot of UPS's Freight.
Why is the union focusing on wages?

Here is the thing with wages,raises are the first step in the merry-go-round effect.

Starting with the employees receiving an increase,next the company has to raise their rates to cover the raise.
In turn the customers have to increase the price of their products to compensate for the freight rate hikes.
Which in the end it proves to be a merry-go-round,where the raise does not get you very far ahead.
Plus you have to pay higher taxes as you go a little higher up with your annual gross pay.

However if you can get your union rep.'s to focus their efforts on working conditions.
As well as decreasing the use of contractors,my opinion at least the ones at the bottom of the line haul lists would benefit.
There are also the local articles that I am sure could be improved above any wage increases.
 
Why is the union focusing on wages?


because improving working conditions doesn't put more money in your pocket which doesn't put more money in Hoffa's pocket.
 
Dracula said:
Why is the union focusing on wages?


because improving working conditions doesn't put more money in your pocket which doesn't put more money in Hoffa's pocket.
Click to expand...
If they don't get something done about the contracting issue, there will be less money going into Mr. Hoffas pocket because there is no reason to pay dues to an organization that is supposed to protect our jobs and doesn't. No fix to contractors, no union.
 
Apostolic said:
Question,with so many contractors allowed to run a lot of UPS's Freight.
Why is the union focusing on wages?

Here is the thing with wages,raises are the first step in the merry-go-round effect.

Starting with the employees receiving an increase,next the company has to raise their rates to cover the raise.
In turn the customers have to increase the price of their products to compensate for the freight rate hikes.
Which in the end it proves to be a merry-go-round,where the raise does not get you very far ahead.
Plus you have to pay higher taxes as you go a little higher up with your annual gross pay.

However if you can get your union rep.'s to focus their efforts on working conditions.
As well as decreasing the use of contractors,my opinion at least the ones at the bottom of the line haul lists would benefit.
There are also the local articles that I am sure could be improved above any wage increases.
Click to expand...

The easy way for the company to fix this problem is to eliminate the bottom of the board. If we had fewer drivers, no one would be sitting home. The company knows that, but they also know that new drivers are less likely to vote for a strike, so they load the board up with new drivers and give them just enough work to make them think they have hope. Then after we vote, the company lays off all the extra board drivers, the story will be loss of business due to the increase in rates needed to cover increased driver wages, (our fault).

As long as the contract companies can find people to driver for 30 cents a mile and sleep in the truck for free while they are waiting for a load, it will always be cheaper to move freight with contract drivers. We are victims of our own success.
 
My belief is when the company makes boat loads of profit, we can ultimately put our hands in the coffers at negotiating time and share.
It's the only time we can. So it makes absolutely no business sense as Teamsters to not bargain on wages.


Rates will always increase, it has been since the beginning of our contract. Fuel, Health Insurance and economy etc. (Things they cannot control) play a huge part in rate increases with our wages being the least. They can control our wages with effective and efficient managerial decision making. (The balls in their court to save money)
Some of our competition never saw a raise, yet they still raised their rates. So negotiating for higher compensation in my opinion will not break the UPS bank nor will it cause an ill effect ripple in the system.

We also don't lead the pack in highest rates, we lead the pack in our portfolio of business offerings. In a business sense, we are awesome.
In the UPS Freight driver sense, we seem like a rip off and most are disgruntled. (I hope that part changes)

Whatever the customer has to do to make ends meet, is their own business, we are not in the business to feel sorry for them.
They have their own competition to deal with and it's in their best interest to keep prices low.
 
BrigPilgrim said:
The easy way for the company to fix this problem is to eliminate the bottom of the board. If we had fewer drivers, no one would be sitting home. The company knows that, but they also know that new drivers are less likely to vote for a strike, so they load the board up with new drivers and give them just enough work to make them think they have hope. Then after we vote, the company lays off all the extra board drivers, the story will be loss of business due to the increase in rates needed to cover increased driver wages, (our fault).

As long as the contract companies can find people to driver for 30 cents a mile and sleep in the truck for free while they are waiting for a load, it will always be cheaper to move freight with contract drivers. We are victims of our own success.
Click to expand...

This is loaded with too much common sense. All you other knuckleheads should read this until it sinks in.
 
Dockworker said:
My belief is when the company makes boat loads of profit, we can ultimately put our hands in the coffers at negotiating time and share.
It's the only time we can. So it makes absolutely no business sense as Teamsters to not bargain on wages.


Rates will always increase, it has been since the beginning of our contract. Fuel, Health Insurance and economy etc. (Things they cannot control) play a huge part in rate increases with our wages being the least. They can control our wages with effective and efficient managerial decision making. (The balls in their court to save money)
Some of our competition never saw a raise, yet they still raised their rates. So negotiating for higher compensation in my opinion will not break the UPS bank nor will it cause an ill effect ripple in the system.

We also don't lead the pack in highest rates, we lead the pack in our portfolio of business offerings. In a business sense, we are awesome.
In the UPS Freight driver sense, we seem like a rip off and most are disgruntled. (I hope that part changes)

Whatever the customer has to do to make ends meet, is their own business, we are not in the business to feel sorry for them.
They have their own competition to deal with and it's in their best interest to keep prices low.
Click to expand...

This too is loaded with common sense. Good post
 
I am a non teamster diver but very pro union. allowing non union drivers to haul UPS freight is a major violation. You guys need to write HOFFA everyday explaining to him that these contract drivers drivers are taking money out of your wallets and food off the table. And that his dad would had never allowed this on his watch
One other thing you guys can do, something i have done with my company and coworkers is tell drivers from other terminals about this site. It spreads the word much quicker. My coworkers have all thanked me for turning them on to trucking boards. good luck,
HONKEY LIPS
 
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