UPS Strike

Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
2,956
No point in going to college. Go do low skill delivery work and get a total compensation package of $170K at UPS.

Interesting, not really, that a foreign news source will provide information that the US media did not. One example includes prior to the deal the average salary was $95K plus another $50K in benefits. Hard to paint those averages as woefully underpaid especially for a low skill position.

So I guess the UPS workers really were being taken advantage of by the "greedy owners".

 

2531usmc

WKR
Joined
Apr 5, 2021
Messages
373
I don’t begrudge any man or woman from trying to earn more money or benefits to support themselves or their families. If a recent high school graduate can work themselves into a $170k job, more power to them. That is the American dream.

The problem with unionized companies is that the salaries, benefits, and work rules only ratchet up contract to contract and economic cycle to economic cycle.

On a up economic cycle, the companies can afford these benefits, but in down economies they have little flexibility to lower costs and end up taking on debt. Sometimes lots of debt.

And along comes a very severe downturn and the companies burdened with significant debt, high salaries/benefits, and work rules that prohibit flexibility to lower costs cannot keep their head above water. They go under and the workers they claim to care about lose their jobs.

It was 22,000 workers at Yellow Freight that lost thei jobs this week. Before that is was the American shipyards and steelworkers. The unions helped GM go bankrupt and helped Chrysler go bankrupt twice.

I don’t say this as an outside observer. I worked in a Pittsburg steel mill and I lost my job there. I saw the process first hand.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2020
Messages
524
Location
Collinsville Oklahoma
I don’t begrudge any man or woman from trying to earn more money or benefits to support themselves or their families. If a recent high school graduate can work themselves into a $170k job, more power to them. That is the American dream.

The problem with unionized companies is that the salaries, benefits, and work rules only ratchet up contract to contract and economic cycle to economic cycle.

On a up economic cycle, the companies can afford these benefits, but in down economies they have little flexibility to lower costs and end up taking on debt. Sometimes lots of debt.

And along comes a very severe downturn and the companies burdened with significant debt, high salaries/benefits, and work rules that prohibit flexibility to lower costs cannot keep their head above water. They go under and the workers they claim to care about lose their jobs.

It was 22,000 workers at Yellow Freight that lost thei jobs this week. Before that is was the American shipyards and steelworkers. The unions helped GM go bankrupt and helped Chrysler go bankrupt twice.

I don’t say this as an outside observer. I worked in a Pittsburg steel mill and I lost my job there. I saw the process first hand.
I can’t relate to those situations were the strikes went wrong and everybody lost. Our local was so weak we had very little leverage and no chance of striking.
So I’m curious, in your steel mill case, what was the attitude amongst the membership? Was there a high percentage of members in favor of the strike? Did the local pressure the membership to strike?
 

49ereric

WKR
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Messages
839
I don’t begrudge any man or woman from trying to earn more money or benefits to support themselves or their families. If a recent high school graduate can work themselves into a $170k job, more power to them. That is the American dream.

The problem with unionized companies is that the salaries, benefits, and work rules only ratchet up contract to contract and economic cycle to economic cycle.

On a up economic cycle, the companies can afford these benefits, but in down economies they have little flexibility to lower costs and end up taking on debt. Sometimes lots of debt.

And along comes a very severe downturn and the companies burdened with significant debt, high salaries/benefits, and work rules that prohibit flexibility to lower costs cannot keep their head above water. They go under and the workers they claim to care about lose their jobs.

It was 22,000 workers at Yellow Freight that lost thei jobs this week. Before that is was the American shipyards and steelworkers. The unions helped GM go bankrupt and helped Chrysler go bankrupt twice.

I don’t say this as an outside observer. I worked in a Pittsburg steel mill and I lost my job there. I saw the process first hand.
Business models have to adjust for ups and downs before the swing happens but easier said than done.
yellow freight was mismanaged.
steel mills didn’t upgrade.
as an IUOE local 49 member when worked slowed they just laid us off but if their overhead was to high still trouble for the company but not caused employee wage and benefit package as we were not working.
IUOE jobs are different employment though as we have no job protection what so ever.
not productive? Yer gone asap!
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
2,956
I truly appreciate you looking out for my financial well being. But I'll make do with my current job situation being a greedy business owner. My lowest paid employee makes more than the average UPS driver so I must be doing something wrong. After all, all business owners are greedy and go out of their way to screw their employees at every opportunity.

But maybe when it comes time to sell my business, specifically for even more "F You" money, I'll consider becoming a UPS driver.

It would be fun being a UPS delivery driver on some of the routes that some WKRs live on. Be a great way to get fired by having some fun on the job.

Just joking on the last paragraph. I know that lots of WKRs are delicate little flowers that get triggered by the slightest of things.
 

CJohnson

WKR
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
309
Location
SC
I truly appreciate you looking out for my financial well being. But I'll make do with my current job situation being a greedy business owner. My lowest paid employee makes more than the average UPS driver so I must be doing something wrong. After all, all business owners are greedy and go out of their way to screw their employees at every opportunity.

But maybe when it comes time to sell my business, specifically for even more "F You" money, I'll consider becoming a UPS driver.

It would be fun being a UPS delivery driver on some of the routes that some WKRs live on. Be a great way to get fired by having some fun on the job.

Just joking on the last paragraph. I know that lots of WKRs are delicate little flowers that get triggered by the slightest of things.
You hiring?
 

RS3579

WKR
Joined
Apr 2, 2020
Messages
1,197
I truly appreciate you looking out for my financial well being. But I'll make do with my current job situation being a greedy business owner. My lowest paid employee makes more than the average UPS driver so I must be doing something wrong. After all, all business owners are greedy and go out of their way to screw their employees at every opportunity.

But maybe when it comes time to sell my business, specifically for even more "F You" money, I'll consider becoming a UPS driver.

It would be fun being a UPS delivery driver on some of the routes that some WKRs live on. Be a great way to get fired by having some fun on the job.

Just joking on the last paragraph. I know that lots of WKRs are delicate little flowers that get triggered by the slightest of things.
You win!
 

malpal21

FNG
Joined
Aug 3, 2023
Messages
25
Usps is now very competitive with ups and FedEx rates. I sell quite a bit on ebay and I'm now using Usps for way more items than before. That may start to hurt them too.
 

DuckDogDr

WKR
Joined
Aug 24, 2019
Messages
648
You would think if they had gotten what they wanted in their strike then they would be more appreciative and do their jobs better.

I have always been partial to UPS vs FedEx but this week they are challenging that decision.

Brand new bow shattered in shipping upon arrival to the dealer ….
Ordered a mig welder for my Redheaded step child . Looks like the box was beat by Mike Tyson and there’s a huge dent where the wire spool would go.. so won’t hold the wire ..

And the bag of dog food looks like the Tasmanian devil got ahold of it with the bag open and all the food is inside the box…

That’s close to $2850 worth of shit DESTROYED in one week.. WTF
 
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