“The union plans to address pensions and healthcare first.”
IBT press release on UPS
early bargaining, Oct. 2, 2006

December 6, 2006: Less than two months after the IBT announced that it would “address pension and healthcare first” in UPS bargaining, the company imposed a 30 percent pension cut on thousands of UPS Teamsters in New York City (see article on page 3).

In pushing through the cuts over the objections of Local 804, management was testing our International negotiators.
Local 804 is one of our union’s largest UPS locals and, as the first local to win 25-and-out retirement, a symbol of top-notch Teamster benefits.

If the Hoffa administration was serious about protecting Teamster benefits through early bargaining, this was a place to make a stand. Instead, they took a pass and thousands more Teamsters took a pension cut.

It’s time to put reality to the promise to “address pensions and health care first.”

More Issues At Stake
Pensions are just the beginning. There are many other issues left unresolved in Hoffa’s “Best Contract Ever” that can’t be neglected again.

• Organizing UPS: We have to win the right to organize UPS Freight, without a union-busting campaign by management.
• Excessive Overtime: We have to win protections against unwanted excessive overtime, and make our jobs livable, so we can make it to retirement.
• Full-Time Jobs: We have to win more full-time jobs, at least 2,500 per year.
• Fairness for Inside Workers: We have to win justice and upgrade the wages of full-time insiders and combo jobs (22.3), and upgrade the miserable $8.50 part-time base wage.

These are issues that all UPS Teamsters can unite around to win.