Did the UPS Agreement Protect Teamster Jobs?

[OT+]

[OT+]

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Automation not just for inside.

[Thisischange?]

Coming to a truck near you.

[sammo1245]

Reportedly, 43,000 jobs lost since the Aigust 1, 2023 contract was signed.

That's does make this a historic contract, in the same way the titanic was a historic sinking, the way Katrina was a historic hurricane and the way 9-11 was a historic attack on America.

[teamsterdriver25]

Ask Dorothy, The Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.

[Mr. Teamster]

Reportedly, 43,000 jobs lost since the Aigust 1, 2023 contract was signed.

That's does make this a historic contract, in the same way the titanic was a historic sinking, the way Katrina was a historic hurricane and the way 9-11 was a historic attack on America.

If the volume went significantly do n and we don’t need 340,000 employees anymore what do you do Keep paying the hm?

[sammo1245]

No, but many contracts have stronger layoff language. And, many have severance language.

If it costs a company to lay someone off, sometimes they find work for them.

The other component of this is that since 2020, Tome' has been talking about better not bigger. She has been implementing changes since 2020, that are I tended to cut volume.

With that background, how did this not come up at negotiations?

I think.it did. And, that's why the had the non-disclosure agreement, because the IBT didn't want it getting out that they negotiated away jobs (43,000 since last August).

I'm just guessing, but I believe UPS offered a dollar package ( I've had companies do this in a contract negotiation), then told the IBT, you put the money where you want. Wages, benefits, pensions, severance packages.... it's your call.

Incidentally, there were lots of people sitting on that committee, that have secret severance packages at their locals, joint councils and conferences. Some of those people are near millionaires after they grab their severance packages as they walk out the door.

I would never expect that, but in one of my contracts where we knew they were potentially closing we included stronger severance language. One week pay for ever year, up to ten years. No one was getting rich, but that was a nice parting gift.

After ends baraining, the 53 workers collected $1.2 million in severance and the company agreed to extend their health insurance for 6 months.

The laid off 43000 at UPS ger nothing. The 22000 at YRC that became unemployed get nothing.

[Tony R Cochran]

If the volume went significantly do n and we don’t need 340,000 employees anymore what do you do Keep paying the hm?

Recent layoffs at UPS, involving tens of thousands of workers, are not merely a reaction to fluctuating package volumes. Instead, they signal a profound strategic shift towards comprehensive automation under the company's "Network of the Future" plan. Here are key points that underscore this broader reorganization:

1. Strategic Automation Vision

Statements from Leadership

• Carol Tomé's Vision: CEO Carol Tomé’s explicitly said UPS would be automating “everything.” This clearly indicates a deliberate and strategic focus on replacing human labor with automated systems. This reflects a long-term commitment to embedding automation deeply within UPS operations, beyond short-term volume adjustments.

2. Investment in Technology

Heavy Investment in Automation

• Capital Expenditures: UPS has significantly increased its capital investments in automation technologies, including advanced sorting systems, robotics, and autonomous delivery vehicles. These investments are part of a larger, planned transformation rather than a response to temporary market conditions.

3. "Network of the Future" Plan

Comprehensive Overhaul

• Holistic Reorganization: The "Network of the Future" plan aims to revamp UPS’s entire logistical framework. This involves integrating cutting-edge technologies across all stages of the supply chain, from warehousing and sorting to final delivery. Such a comprehensive overhaul cannot be solely justified by changing package volumes but represents a strategic pivot to "future-proof" the business. The CBA did nothing to address this issue.

4. Impact on Workforce

Beyond Temporary Adjustments

• Job Displacement: The scale and nature of the layoffs suggest a structural shift rather than temporary downsizing. Tens of thousands of job cuts align more with a systematic transition towards automation than with adjusting to seasonal or cyclical changes in package volumes.

The layoffs at UPS should be viewed within the context of its ambitious "Network of the Future" plan, which aims to fundamentally transform its operations through extensive automation. This strategic move is designed to position UPS at the forefront of the logistics industry, leveraging technology to maximize short and longterm profit margins, rather than merely responding to short-term changes in package volume.

[sammo1245]

These are all conditions if employment, subject to negotiation with the union.

The IBT lawyers (they have a bunch of them) have not filed any labor charges for 8(a) 5 unilateral change without negotiating.

That tells me that UPS Teamsters were sold out last year at the negotiating table.

[Mr. Teamster]

What about the volume loss of a few million packages a day. Where do you think that factors in layoffs?

[Tony R Cochran]

sammo1245 I agree.

[DanaCos]

Some things never change.jpg

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Local 638 Change of Operation

[Tony R Cochran]

These are not changes based on package volume fluctuation. They are structural and permanent realignments. Many asked here at Local 162 about the Swan Island Day Sort shift closure, and Ben Vedus was unequivocal: that shift is never coming back. Shift closures under the WARN Act aren't coming back. As volume returns it will be, in every possible instance, routed through automated facilities because package-for-package it is far more profitable to have two people (unload and load) handle the bulk of packages rather than 4-5 people in conventional facilities. This is something that the IBT negotiators (O'Brien et al) clearly knew and they did nothing.

[PreloaderZzz]

Screenshot 2023-10-28 at 3.27.28 PM.png #historicalcontract

We gotta fight for an 8 hour day with no loss in pay & 100% voluntary overtime to claw back union jobs in 2028. The “change of operations” language also is such a major loophole where thousands of low seniority part timers are losing their jobs to automation. We needed to strike for a stronger contract last year, we had the momentum, the leverage, and the will to win!

[Faust]

We gotta fight for an 8 hour day with no loss in pay & 100% voluntary overtime to claw back union jobs in 2028. The “change of operations” language also is such a major loophole where thousands of low seniority part timers are losing their jobs to automation. We needed to strike for a stronger contract last year, we had the momentum, the leverage, and the will to win!

There wasn't enough money in the strike fund to cover a third week. Most full-timers would be crying by the second week.

With all the RTW states half of them would scab.

[WTF891]

You left out the O'Brien is a tool part, and Perrone is Tome's girlfriend.

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UPS Change of Operations

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"action expected to be permanent" Ontario Air Hub