You should ensure your comments are factual. UPS Freight does NOT now and NEVER has contributed to ANY MEPF.UPS Freight lost their leverage when Hoffa ratified the Package contract. It's easy for you to talk about pensions when you are already retired collecting a pension from a Local fund that is fully funded not in danger of going kaput mainly because UPS package and UPS Freight still contributes. Local told me I will only get $7 dollars a year at 25% contribution 2009 rate so what is the point of my contribution going into the fund when I will only get $216 dollars a month after 30yrs newer guys like me should have option of contribution going into a 401k or IRA. So what are they going to do when Central States goes bankrupt and Locals that have their own funds fully funded still want contributions?
"Should there be meaningful dialogue on what should be done with the revenue that otherwise ought to
be contributed MEPFs, of course. But rational thought would lead to the realization that, with the exception of a handful of MEPFs, any money contributed would be wasted. Due to the inescapable conclusion that most MEPFs are on the verge of collapse. And no amount of money from YRCW will prevent that."
Jealousy is very dangerous emotion, be careful with it. The brothers and sisters who preceded me and many other Teamsters enjoyed employment conditions that were, in some cases, better than those that me and my contemporaries had. I accepted that and did my best every day I worked. Were conditions better 50 years ago before my time, yes. Were conditions better 30 years ago when I started, yes. But you need to come to terms with the fact that when Carter signed Deregulation, that was the beginning of the long, slow decline of Teamster influence in the trucking industry. I DO feel fortunate to have been able to somewhat enjoy a career that you will never know. FYI, my pension benefit is about $500 a month less than it otherwise would have been. Due to YRC Freight curtailing pension contributions.