https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/05...amster-union-strike/

"The question is how long it will be," said Todd Vachon, professor of Labor Relations at Rutgers. "The union's president ran and won on taking a more militant approach. Even if they're very close [to a deal], the rank and file will be hungry to take on the company."

If that happens, a strike at UPS would affect nearly every household in the country. An estimated 6% of the nation's gross domestic product is moved in UPS trucks every year. The explosive growth of online retail has made the company and its drivers more crucial than ever to the nation's struggling supply chain. Beyond the company's home deliveries, it also delivers many of the goods found in stores, factories and offices.

About 350,000 Teamsters work at UPS as drivers and package sorters out of a global workforce of 534,000 permanent employees. And that's growing fast — the company has added some 72,000 Teamster-represented jobs since the start of the pandemic.

UPS said the average pay for its delivery drivers is $95,000 a year, with benefits such as a traditional pension plan, worth an additional $50,000 a year. UPS' semi-tractor drivers are paid even more.

More at link

Cry babies.

^^^^^
Sometimes the need or desire to strike has absolutely NOTHING to do with pay or benefits. Most of the time, it deals with the vague and debatable contract language pertaining to work rules and how the company takes advantage of those gray and vague areas to their EXTREME advantage. Language such as, "this or this can be done ONLY WHEN FEASIBLE". Well the company/management will ALWAYS deem it feasible IF AND WHEN it benefits THEM. Those contract provisions written in such a manner to benefit the worker/employee are NEVER...NEVER...honored.

My question is, if the drivers/truckers go on strike, will the pilots honor that strike and refuse to load/ship containers on their aircraft delivered to the loading area by scabs?

Of course, JMHO after being in the airline industry of 18 years dealing with unions, but WTH do I know??

Given how much they pay, I’m fairly certain it’s always, “Demanding, and need you when we need you, but we will cut checks.”

That is the nature of modern blue collar work.

I remember when UPS delivery drivers went on strike before, they had management delivering packages.

I remember back when I was a Teamster truck driver way back before I went to College.

I went to a couple of Union meetings and it as always the same thing. We want more money, we want more benefits, we want to work less, ad nauseum.

I finally quit going to the meetings because that's all they thought about.

To this day I have little to no respect for Unions.

My dad worked for UPS in management. In the early 70s he was transferred from Chicago to New Jersey where he had to negotiate with the teamsters on UPS’s behalf. The teamsters had Anthony Provenzano representing their interests. There’s more to the story, but the funny part is I’d heard the story for years before I watched a movie that said Tony Pro was one of the last people to have seen Hoffa before Hoffa’s disappearance. Everyone, except me, my dad told the story to knew who Anthony Provenzano was. You should have seen that light bulb go off when I watched that movie and figured it out.

Speaking of management delivering packages. Every Christmas Eve he when he was a district manager, he and the rest of the staff would take a look at what packages hadn’t been delivered. They’d try to pick out the obvious gift packages (Swiss Colony going to a residential address for example) and grab the ones that were on each staff members way home. He’d get home just in time for us to make it to the 11:00pm candlelight service. When kids would ask what’s your dad do, I’d say he works for Santa.

Interesting timing. FEDEX is having problems with at least one of its contract delivery companies and now UPS may have a strike of its union workers. It would seem the pressure will be on both UPS and FEDEX as we enter into the fall and holiday season.

quote:

Originally posted by uvahawk:
Interesting timing.....

Linked article says contract is up for renewal at the end of July 2023, so we have a little bit of time yet.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
^^^^^
Sometimes the need or desire to strike has absolutely NOTHING to do with pay or benefits. Most of the time, it deals with the vague and debatable contract language pertaining to work rules and how the company takes advantage of those gray and vague areas to their EXTREME advantage. Language such as, "this or this can be done ONLY WHEN FEASIBLE". Well the company/management will ALWAYS deem it feasible IF AND WHEN it benefits THEM. Those contract provisions written in such a manner to benefit the worker/employee are NEVER...NEVER...honored.

My question is, if the drivers/truckers go on strike, will the pilots honor that strike and refuse to load/ship containers on their aircraft delivered to the loading area by scabs?

Of course, JMHO after being in the airline industry of 18 years dealing with unions, but WTH do I know??

C'mon dude, you don't think the workers/employees don't take EXTREME advantage of ANY gray/vague areas of the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) at EVERY opportunity? The contract/CBA is negotiated between both parties so whatever it states was agreed to by both the Union 'rank & file' and management. If the 'work conditions' and compensation were so horrendous, people would leave. The UPS employees obviously have a REALLY good gig there...

I used to work at UPS. As a Teamster, I was an Unloader, and then as a Sorter. I also worked unloading the 'Air Box', delivering 'Irregulars' to the Outbound areas, as well as in the 're-Wrap Cage'. I was promoted to mgmt, where I worked as a Part-Time Supervisor, and I ran both Unload & Sort areas during my tenure. Let me tell you, EVERY time the contract came up for renewal/negotiation the talk was Strike...EVERY SINGLE TIME! At UPS you work hard, and you are well compensated...Just Sayin'

Not to worry USPS will pick up the slack.

A strike will give Obama/Biden an opportunity to take control of private industry as an essential service, bring private business under government control. Supply chain, National Security, delivery of essential goods, will give the meat puppet an excuse to begin controlling private business. Everything run by the state, long range goal.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

My question is, if the drivers/truckers go on strike, will the pilots honor that strike and refuse to load/ship containers on their aircraft delivered to the loading area by scabs?

History says YES. Especially if the pilots have a contract coming up n the next year or two.

In the mid 90's that's what happened, and the pilots even tried to get subcontract carrier pilots declared scabs. I was one of those pilots, flying my employer's aircraft (small jet) on the same routes with the same kinds of loads we'd done for years. As a young pilot looking to go to the majors, it was really ugly to have to choose get listed as a scab by ALPA or lose my job for refusing to fly.

I am a supporter of pilot unions in general, but in that instance they stepped way far over the line. In any case I would expect the pilots to honor the drivers' picket line.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Not to worry USPS will pick up the slack.

Yes, they will!

Maybe they can do some much needed maintenance on those brown trucks. They break down all the time!

Maybe the Amazon drivers will be paying attention.

Maybe they can break the slimy union once and for all. They already make too much goddammed money to be whining.

The only thing unionized in Fed Ex are the pilots. Couriers and truck drivers are not. That’s on the Express side. When Federal Express first acquired RPS and made them Fed Ex Ground they tried to unionize. Federal Express circumvented that by turning drivers into small business owners rather than independent contractors. You had to own at least three trucks and hire your own employees run them. Some of those guys are making a lot more money than a UPS guy.

Federal Express cannot be unionized because of some obscure legislation tied to the Railroad Act passed in the early 1900’s I believe. The railroads were prohibited from striking because of the amount of commerce moved by them. Federal Express is recognized under the same act because of the large fleet of planes and how much commerce they move. Not to mention they move huge amounts of men and military equipment around the world for the government.

UPS spends millions on lobbyists trying to get that piece of legislation tossed and Federal Express spends a equal amount to keep it intact.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Maybe the Amazon drivers will be paying attention.

The 'Amazon drivers' don't work for Amazon...

How many Teamsters does it take to change out a light bulb?

34. What? You got a fucking problem with that?