The Ugly Truth

[Gimliboston9]

What is the ugly truth? The fact that the union wants to settle a contract without striking just as much as the company wants to. Negotiating a contract costs the union a ton of money and exposes them to being viewed as weak or incompetent. That is why there is always a public show of arrogance and tough guy strutting. Practice strikes and rally’s while they already have a “ wink and a nod” understanding with the company. Now that I have said this take a moment and recall the last two or three contracts. Who remembers the supplements being turned down ? Did the union go back to negotiating or did they bust their ass trying to convince the members to accept? Didn’t the company actually complain to O’Brien about members leafleting at the gate to vote no and O’Brien said “ I will take care of it” ? Then there was the historic contract where we were striking and at an impasse, deadlocked ! Then he came back and said “ we have an agreement “ and that agreement has cost us 30,000 jobs. But we got air conditioning, didn’t we?
I could go on, all I have to say is keep your eyes open don’t get distracted by films telling you who delivers America and alleged Amazon campaigns and other “ feel good “ stories. That’s what you are going to get a lot of tough talk and claims of victory. Please look past the bullshit and look at what’s being presented and even more important look for what’s being hidden in that contract.

[AlJackson1962!]

As a Local 251 Delegate to Joint Council 10, I attended the JC10 meeting held at Boston Local 25 in around 2015 (if I recall correctly). The UPS contract had been held up because of the members' rejection of some regional supplements, including Local 89. Sean O'Brien advised the Delegates that the GEB under Hoffa. Jr. was implementing the UPS National Agreement and all Supplements, notwithstanding the IBT Constitutional amendment won at the 1991 IBT Convention requiring ratification of all supplements as a prerequisite for ratification of the national contract.

I stated from the floor mic that we 1991 elected Convention delegates fought for and won the right to vote on supplements for very important reasons. At that time there was a history of IBT leaders bargaining sweetheart deals with LTL trucking companies covered by the NMFA, to locate breakbulk terminals in areas they represented. This led to more NMFA covered work for such sweetheart supplement covered members, at the expense of eroding conditions nationally. I said it was my understanding that Local 89 (under Fred Zuckerman's leadership) had a demand in their UPS Supplement that workers be paid for the long walk to and from the Louisville hub worker parking lots and the members in 89 as well as other Locals had the Constitutional right to reject their supplements.

O'Brien (never happy with any opposing view) responded: "So you're advocating taking UPS on strike over a few Local supplements the members rejected, while the rest of the UPS workers go without a contract?" I said striking was not up to me, but we need to honor the will of the rank and file, in accordance with our ratified Teamster Constitution.
That was O'Brien in 2015. How did Fred Zuckerman respond then when the GEB shoved the Local 89 UPS supplement down the members throats? How did TDU respond then?

Never forget Brothers and Sister the power is in your hands. Organize together and plan accordingly. Raise your concerns collectively at your monthly Local membership meetings.

[Nickjamesups]

A few supplements? It was more than a few!!

[Please Sign for This]

As far as UPS is concerned we should be organizing member to member now, the way 23 came down, there was no time.

[NYNick]

I may be wrong but I believe the purpose of Boston9 post was exactly that. To get people talking now.

[AlJackson1962!]

Nickjamesups: I don’t dispute what you say, I don’t remember how many UPS Suppplements were not ratified when Hoffa, Jr. implemented the contract. Bottom line: O’Brien had not split with Hoffa until the TDU endorsed Slate won all the US vote but lost the election because Canada voted for Hoffa, Jr Slate. Then O’Brien wrote his open letter to rank and file Teamsters complaining about “outsiders” running the IBT. Then came the “Coalition “. The rest is history (or should we call it “historic”).
Obrien’s epiphany resulted in his welcome into the arms of Ken Paff, David Levin, and the demise of TDU as a bottom up rank and file led organization.

[WTF891]

They are all TURDS



TURD (1).jpg