May 31, 2013: The International Union has screwed up the balloting on the UPS and UPS Freight contract. Thousands of UPS Teamsters have received a return envelope to send their ballot to the P.O. Box for UPS Freight ballots.

UPS Teamsters can still use these envelopes to mail in their ballots and have your vote counted. There is no need to request a replacement ballot. All of the return envelopes have the member's name and ID code, and all ballots are color coded.

The Independent Election Supervisor who is supervising the vote count will be able to read this coded information to make sure every ballot is counted as part of the vote on the UPS national agreement and the proper supplement. Ken Hall has directed all local unions to post this notice "at all of your UPS facilities."

Major Ballot Screwup in Louisville Local 89

The ballot screwup went from bad to worse in Louisville Local 89. The IBT screwed up the Local 89 Air Rider so badly that they are resending 9,000 ballots to the members. Members who have already voted have to VOTE AGAIN for their vote to count.

The Local 89 Air Rider is opposed by the local union's Executive Board and shop stewards. Management has offered a $1,000 bonus as a bribe to try to buy a yes vote. The company's offer was forced to a vote by Hoffa and Hall over the objections of the Local 89 Bargaining Committee.

Apparently, Hoffa and Hall are in such a hurry to ram through the contract they can't even get the balloting done right.

Click here to read Ken Hall's letter on the Local 89 ballot screwup.

TDU: Your Contract Watchdog

Teamsters for a Democratic Union works to enforce the rights of all members to a fair and informed vote, regardless of how you intend to vote. Rank-and-file observers will be present at the vote count.

If any member has concerns about the balloting, feel free to call TDU at 313-842-2600 or send us a message.

We urge all UPS and UPS Freight Teamsters to discuss the issues and vote on the contract.

"It's amazing that Hoffa and Hall can't even get the contract balloting right," said Tim Hill, a UPS feeder driver and member of the TDU Steering Committee. "That's why we have TDU as a contract watchdog—from negotiations to the vote count."

Click here to read more on how the contract vote works and our rights.

Now is the time to talk about the contract, distribute information, and encourage fellow Teamsters to vote. You can access complete contract coverage and leaflets here.