CHICAGO (Reuters)
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Teamsters union and
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Commentary On The Contract
Under a deluge of fear tactics and propaganda from both Brown and our Local 804 Executive Board, the Great Concessionary Contract of 2007 has been passed. Yet it passed with about 1000 less members voting than the first agreement.
Why did it pass? Well, that is a good question: I think members just figured with this present ineffectual Executive Board, this was the best we were going to get. In all truthfulness, it sucked less than the previous deal, but nevertheless...it still sucked!
Back on November 14, we voted by a huge 3 to 1 margin that our Executive Board do better and get back from UPS what Brown had stolen from us! Our "Leadership" was only able to retrieve a few of our stolen possessions, but they allowed the perpetrators to keep several of our things!
We, the rank-and-file, knew we deserved better...we had Brown by the balls...804 as well as two other Locals in Pennsylvania were holding up the entire National Agreement. We had great leverage to demand not only returning what was already ours, but something more..something positive (returning the givebacks was neutral). But our Executive Board let it slip away!
And now they prance around expecting us to be so content with what they "did" for us in getting back the $3600/month pension without the givebacks eliminating the 25 and out for new hires and the 10cent diversion from our "raises".
Amazing...UPS management and Local 804 Officers mismanaged the Pension Fund ..and they both wanted us to subsidize their incompetence! Moreover, it is great that the $3600 is restored, but in places like Syracuse in upstate New York, those UPS Teamsters are retiring with $5500per month!
The Brightside
Granted we have to live with this awful contract, there is a brightside in all this. We, the rank-and-file, took the initiative and began the fight to take back our union. Our ineffective leadership was compelled by us to renegotiate because we, the rank-and-file stood up and said no to all the givebacks.
This is the first time since the Carey years and the 1997 Strike that the rank-and-file forced our collective will on the Executive Board. Both Brown and the Executive Board saw what an empowered local can do! So let’s not give up the fight yet. It’s not over by a long shot.
For UPS, it’s good to be angry about how they tried to disrespect us with this contract. Stay angry about it. Remind them everyday. Let them feel it everyday. Remember: the contract language goes into effect January 1, 2008!....its here now! Of course, the half "raises" don’t kick in til August.
More importantly, it wasn’t just UPS Corporate pushing this contract...it was lower and middle management too. The guys you see everyday...with maybe a few exceptions. They looked you in the eye and regurgitated Brown’s Corp talking points...and told you how good is was for you.
So, fine. Abide by this contract. But if they blatantly circumvent this "fair" contract, let them feel it....put in a grievance! It’s our right! They pushed for this contract...let them live with the consequences.
As for our "representatives" on the Executive Board, shame. Let’s hope this will be their last contract they ever have to negotiate. And I’m talking about the entire Review Ave Eleven. Brothers and sisters, this was a team effort. And that team failed us all massively.
The Future
It will be this entire Executive Board who will come to you in November of 2009 and hope you will forget all this and ask for you to re-elect them to their well-paid jobs ($130,000 to 150,000 a year plus perks) .
But don’t be fooled if one or two of the Board members "retires" or jumps ship. They will only replace them with another "friend of the Board". Folks, one or two new faces just won’t wash! What is needed is a full break with this entire Executive Board ... a New Direction because fundamental change is badly needed.
Some members understood this years ago when they ignored Tom Ledham in 1998 and 2002, when they backed Hoffa, snubbed Ron Carey during his legal fight ,and endorsed the 2002 "Best Contract Ever".
Some understood when the whole Pension Fiasco exploded in our faces. And finally now, even more members understand, after they endorsed this Sellout Contract! That 3 to 1 vote against the first agreement was a sort of referendum on their Administration.
It was the first action by this new rank-and-file rebellion against the tired leadership of this Executive Board. A new leadership is needed with fresh ideas and a New Direction. A leadership with the boldness to stand up against the onslaught of UPS management.
This rank-and-file rebellion has meant the END OF APATHY in Local 804! So feel good about getting back some of what was stolen. But don’t be fooled. Both UPS and our Local Officials owe us big time. This fight is not over yet!
Regional Supplements Approved in
New York and Pennsylvania
Votes Pave Way for Ratification of National Contract;
Contract Enforcement Tops Make UPS Deliver's Agenda in 2008
The UPS national contract is moving toward being officially ratified as Teamsters in New York and Pennsylvania have voted to approve their supplements.
UPS Teamsters in metro New York voted to approve the Local 804 Supplement
by a 1,367 to 854 margin today after UPS took several pension
concessions off of the table.
Under the terms of the new deal, the Local 804 30 & Out pension will be restored
to $3,600 a month, without key givebacks that were included in the first offer,
which would have eliminated 25 & Out pensions for new hires and diverted 10
cents in members' wages to subsidize UPS's pension costs.
The new Local 804 deal still includes givebacks, which may explain why nearly 900 fewer members voted on the second offer. The first offer was rejected by a vote of 2,203 to 895.
Members of seven locals covered by the Central Pennsylvania Supplement have also voted to approve the company's second offer, by a slim 51 percent margin.
The national contract can only be officially ratified when all supplements
and riders have been approved. The passage of the previously rejected
supplements paves the way for the contract to go into effect by January 1, which
is the company's goal.
The language givebacks in the new national agreement will go into effect upon
ratification, but members will not see any wage increases until Aug. 1, 2008.
Although the new contract will not require UPS to create any new, full-time
combo jobs, the company is still on the hook for 2,500 new combo jobs by Aug.
1, 2008 under the terms of the 2002 contract.
Making sure that these 2,500 jobs are created will become one of the first of
many contract enforcement battles under the new agreement.
The Make UPS Deliver website and network will continue to provide up-to-date
information and to bring UPS Teamsters together to enforce our contract and our
rights.
(Courtesy of www. makeUPSdeliver.org)
A Message from
Former Local 804 Secretary-Treasurer Pat Pagnanella
We
Went on Strike To Win
25 & Out: Do Not Give It Back
I would like to thank all Local 804 members who had the courage to stand up and fight for a good contract when called upon to vote down the supplement that UPS offered.
I am so proud of all of you Local 804 members, and Teamsters throughout the country, who stood up to UPS as well as their Executive Board.
We went on strike many weeks to win a 25 & Out Pension. Do not give it back.
I am sure Ron Carey is just as proud of you.
Pat Pagnanella
Former Local 804 Secretary-Treasurer
(Courtesy of www.makeupsdeliver.org)
UPS Contract Not Ratified: Supplements Voted Down !
UPS Teamsters rejected three supplemental agreements in the East, putting the ratification of the UPS national contract on hold.
Teamsters in the Central Pennsylvania Supplement, the Western Pennsylvania Supplement and the New York Area Local 804 Supplement voted No and sent these agreements back for further improvements.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Local 804 Votes No By Nearly 3 to 1
Local 804 members have overwhelmingly voted to reject the proposed national contract and Local 804 supplement, putting the ratification of the national contract on hold.
Under the Teamster Constitution the national agreement cannot be ratified until all local supplements have been approved....
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Election Protest: Some Teamsters Denied Ballots
Nov. 14, 2007
Do you know UPS Teamsters who never received a contract ratification ballot? If so, you are not alone.
Teamster members in several locals report that they never received a contract ratification ballot, even though they followed the International Union's instructions and requested a replacement ballot from their local union before the Nov. 9 deadline.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Where Do We Go From Here?
In the end, the members get it! We’re not stupid. When the "leadership" leads us astray, it is up to the rank-and-file members to make it real , which means to dissent. And in this case, to dissent means a resounding NO VOTE!
What the members really want is the truth! For instance, back in December at the Union meeting on the Pension Cuts in 804, Howie told us forcefully that "we didn’t need the cut...there is enough $ in there!" Yet at our last meeting on October 14, the same Howie Redmond is now saying "we need the $18 million to make up for the shortfall with the pension." Which statement is true?...
To read the rest of the commentary, click here.
The Truth Behind UPS's Pension Threats
Local 804 members had to go on strike at UPS for 13 weeks to win 25 & Out pension benefits for the first time.
Now UPS is trying to bully us into giving up 25 & Out for the next generation of Local 804 members.
HERE ARE THE FACTS: ...
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Union Speeds Up the Vote: Less Time to Study Contract From Brown Out to Quick Vote
The International Union now says that the UPS contract ballots will be mailed "by October 26", instead of November 5. They will be counted on November 16.
This ten-day speed-up gives UPS Teamsters less time to review and discuss the proposed contract . Many local unions have not even scheduled contract review meetings.
It’s up to active Teamsters to get the word out, distribute Make UPS Deliver leaflets, talk with fellow Teamsters, and encourage
(Courtesy of makeupsdeliver.org)
What Will It Mean to "Vote No" In Local 804
Many Local 804 members have been asking what it will mean if we Vote No on the contract. How can we use our Right to Vote to win improvements?
Here is how our Right to Vote works: ...
To read the rest of the article, click here.
The Facts About the Pension Protection Act
January 1 Is Not a Deadline for Contract Ratification
Rumors are flying that the UPS contract must be ratified by January 1 because of pension legislation that takes effect on that date.
Make UPS Deliver consulted with actuaries, attorneys and fund managers to cut through the rumors and provide members with the facts.
Here is a summary of the real deal on the Pension Protection Act and what it means for our contract and pensions.
January 1: A Kickoff, Not a Deadline!
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Early Deal Eliminates 25&Out in Local 804
The early agreement with UPS is supposed to strengthen Teamster pensions for the future.
But Local 804 Teamsters in New York City have learned that the new agreement will eliminate 25-and-out for all new Teamsters.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Teamsters, UPS Agree New 5 - Year Contract
UPS Shares Rise on News of Labor Deal
ATLANTA (AP) -- UPS shares rose 1.9 percent Monday on news that the world's largest shipping carrier reached a new 5-year contract with the Teamsters union and will move its workers into a single employer pension fund.Approval of the contract, reached Sunday between union and company officials, is now up to union members.
Hoffa Promises "Very Best Agreement" Ever
If you liked the "Best Contract Ever" President Hoffa has good news for you. In a negotiations update issued on Sept. 11, Hoffa announces that he is committed to bargaining the "Very Best Agreement" this year.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
UPS Wants to Divert Work To UPS Freight
If management gets its way in contract negotiations, UPS will
soon be diverting packages to UPS Freight, the company's nonunion freight
carrier.
Sources close to the negotiations have told Traffic World, a leading industry publication, that UPS is pushing for work rule changes that would allow them to move packages from its parcel to freight divisions.
To read the entire article, click here.
Hoffa Announces Central States Deal
Chief negotiators, James Hoffa and Ken Hall, issued a statement today indicating they will let UPS break 42,000 Teamsters out of the Central States Pension Fund.
Their bulletin headlined, "October 1 or We're Done!" also makes it clear that our union will ink a tentative agreement with the company by the end of September.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
UPS Freight Attacks Teamsters Union
In a June 28 letter to all UPS Freight employees, Senior Vice President Jack Holmes lashes out at a "campaign of deception" by some Teamster locals.
Management's anti-union diatribe requires a strong response by our union.
Stating that the company needs to "deal with the untruths spread by Teamster locals," Holmes states "there is no current card check agreement with the Teamsters" and that no master agreement will be signed.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Will Our Union Settle Short on Supervisors Working and Excessive Overtime?
UPS is reportedly balking at union demands for strong
protections against unwanted, excessive overtime. The company proposed
language that would require Teamsters who want protection from excessive
overtime to opt out in an annual bid.
To read the rest of the
article, click here.
Central States Fund Expands to $21 Billion
April 2, 2007: The Central States Pension Fund ended 2006 with a $1.4
billion gain in assets, reaching $20.7 billion—up from just $15 billion a
few years ago. The fund projects that by the end of 2007, assets will be up
to $21.2 billion, with expected investment returns. With better returns, the
Fund projects that they will surpass $22 billion.
To read the entire article, click here.
Local 804 Members Launch Petition Drive to Stop the Pension Cuts, Win Improvements
Following up on a March 10 pension workshop, members have launched a petition drive to show that Local 804 Teamsters are "United for a Strong Pension."
The petition states that, "Local 804 Teamsters stand united in defense of our pensions. We will not vote to accept any contract offer from the company unless it reverses the pension cuts and improves our pensions for the future."
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Memory of 1997 Strike Strengthens Union’s Position: UPS and Teamsters Working for (Very) Early Contract Settlement
The 1997 Teamsters strike against UPS was one of the biggest events for U.S. labor in the 1990s. Relying on rank-and-file member mobilization, innovative tactics, and a campaign that captured public support, the Teamsters (IBT) won a victory that buoyed union morale far and wide.
Though the current UPS master contract is set to expire more than a year from now on August 1, 2008, Teamster officials opened up early negotiations with the company last year. Ken Hall, director of the Teamsters small package division, even announced recently that a possible settlement could be on the table as early as next month.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
UPS Reports More Record Profits But Working Teamsters Get A Shrinking Share
UPS reported more good economic news this week, further underlining the fact
that the money is there to pay to restore our Teamster pensions and benefits and
address the many problems that were left unresolved by our current contract.
UPS reported a profit of $1.13 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006. The
results were 7.5 percent better than 2005’s fourth quarter. Overall, UPS took in
a record $47.55 billion in revenue last year and $4.2 billion in after-tax
profits last year. Brown’s profits are up by more than 70 percent under the
"Best Contract (for UPS) Ever."
To read the rest of the article,
click here.
Important Links
Visit TeamstersInformation.com
http://troublemakershandbook.org/