April 10, 2009: Good full-time jobs are at a premium in this economy.

Enforcing Article 22.3 would make UPS create thousands more full-time jobs.

So why isn’t the International Union doing it?

In 1997, UPS Teamsters went on strike to tell the company, “Part-Time American Won’t Work.” Today, UPS Teamsters are teaming up in a national petition drive to make UPS create the full-time jobs we’re owed under the contract.

The 1997 strike forced UPS to combine 40,000 part-time jobs into 20,000 full-time “combo” positions by August 1, 2008.

Article 22.3 of the contract requires the company to maintain the 20,000 full-time combo jobs no matter what. Declining volume does not allow UPS to lay off combo Teamsters or to eliminate these full-time positions through vacancies and attrition. But UPS is doing just that.

Grievances Deadlocked

The International Union has left it up to individual members and local unions to file grievances. Management is deadlocking these grievances and eliminating more full-time jobs.

The International Union has the power to put a stop to this by filing one national grievance and demanding that UPS fill all 20,000 full-time combo positions immediately. The result would be an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 more full-time jobs for Teamsters who need them.

National Petition Drive

Members have launched a national petition drive that calls on the International Union to file a national grievance and to conduct a national audit to document full-time job elimination.

The contract requires UPS to give the International Union a detailed list of the 20,000 combo jobs the company is maintaining under Article 22.3. The International Union should give every local union a copy of this list to document the status of each of these jobs.

That way the International Union can present indisputable evidence to win the national grievance and force full-time job creation.

The next national grievance panel is June 8-11 in Philadelphia. The International Union has plenty of time before then to put a national grievance on the docket and complete a national audit.

Good full-time jobs are at a premium in this economy. Our union is in the unique position of having contract language at UPS that legally requires the company to create more full-time positions. Enforcing this language is a no-brainer. It’s time for the International Union to act.

Do you have question or a comment about the petition drive? Would you like to set up a meeting or conference call in your area with other UPS Teamsters? Click here to send us a message and we will get back to you.

Click here to download the petition and an informational leaflet to pass out to other Teamsters.

No Excuses

“Part-timers deserve a chance at a full-time job and a real career. There’s no excuse for not enforcing the contract and making UPS create all 20,000 full-time combo positions.”

Landy Butler, UPS Local 804 Shop Steward, New York

Hope for Our Future

“The company has eliminated some full-time combo jobs by not filling vacant positions. Now management is talking about layoffs. I’m worried about the future. The petition drive and the information from TDU gives me hope that we can enforce the contract and win full-time jobs.”