October 10, 2013: The Round Two vote count in the Central Region is coming to the end, and the supplement has narrowly passed by 53.6%: 11,599 to 10,006.
The Yes Votes from Teamsters in Minnesota and Wisconsin put the Yes side over the top. UPS full-timers in those states do not face healthcare cuts they are covered by separate union plans.
Click here for complete local-by-local results.
Hoffa and Hall launched a million-dollar PR campaign with glossy mailers, DVDs and IBT outreach at the gates. to swing some 1800 votes into the Yes column and pass the Supplement. That's about $600 in members' dues for every yes vote they turned.
The narrow defeat in the Central Supplement is disappointing. But the Vote No movement has a lot to be proud of—and the fight is far from over.
By rejecting a record number of supplements, the Vote No movement forced Hoffa and Hall to reverse many healthcare cuts and improve TeamCare benefits. The new benefits are not what members wanted, but they are a whole lot better than what Hoffa, Hall and UPS tried to make members accept.
The Vote No movement can be proud of our solidarity—and members are better off for it.
And, it's not over yet. Yesterday, the Philadelphia Supplement was shot down by 71%. The Louisville Air Rider has not been negotiated yet, because the company is stonewalling Local 89. The Ohio Rider was rejected today. The Indiana Rider is not negotiated yet. The Western Pennsylvania supplement isn't, either, after being rejected by a 5-1 margin.
The Western Supplement and big Southwest Rider and the New Jersey Local 177 Supplements all need to be voted. The details of the renegotiated supplements and new health plan are still under wraps, nearly four months after the first contract vote.
The fight against healthcare cuts and contract concessions has awakened a sleeping giant: the nearly 250,000 Teamsters at UPS and 13,000 at UPS Freight.
Vote No activists are running for local office and organizing for change in the union.
The UPS contract was supposed to be Ken's Halls coming-out party as he prepares to run for Teamster General President. UPS and UPS Freight Teamsters are not about to jump on that bandwagon.
Teamster members deserve IBT leadership that will mobilize to win good contracts. Hoffa and Hall only kicked it into gear to sell contract concessions.
That's why they have to go. Teamsters at UPS and UPS Freight can be the backbone of a powerful movement for change. Don't whine, organize!