UPDATED March 10, 2010. The results are back from the March UPS Freight national grievance panel, but they aren’t pretty. Out of 27 grievances heard, the union won only five cases.

The union referred back five more grievances for the local to resolve with the company. The panel postponed or put on hold 36 more grievances.

After three days in Ft. Lauderdale, the union has little to show for its time except for a few small monetary victories. The largest victory by far was in a case where the company will pay nine days of back pay.

The panel deadlocked an important Article 44 grievance from Dallas that challenges the use of rail. Now the union can choose to take that grievance to arbitration.

Click here to download the minutes of the UPS Freight panel.

Subcontracting

Over 40 subcontracting grievances were on the docket for this panel, but the union only took action in three cases involving rail, not cases of subcontracting involving nonunion carriers.

Fourteen subcontracting grievances were withdrawn, five were postponed, and 12 were put on committee hold. Three subcontracting grievances were scheduled on the docket “in error.”

At the end of the panel, the union announced that it will take a “lead case” on subcontracting from Dallas Local 745 to arbitration.

In a press release, Ken Hall, the International Vice President in charge of contract enforcement at UPS Freight, said the national grievance committee is doing “an outstanding job” on the issue and the lack of progress on reducing subcontracting is “absolutely not their fault.”

Hall is encouraging members to document cases of subcontracting and file grievances under Article 44.

What do you think? Click here to send your comments to TDU.

Click here to download the minutes of the UPS Freight panel.