August 11, 2010: When Hoffa and Hall inked the current contract with UPS, the company was making record profits of more than $6 billion a year. The reward for working Teamsters was a 35¢ raise.
To add insult to injury the contract also included no COLA in 2008. That year, UPS Teamsters were entitled to a 15¢ COLA because of skyrocketing food and fuel costs. We got nothing.
In all, the 2008 contract had more concessions than any UPS deal since 1982.
UPS CEO Carole Tomé’s Better, Not Bigger strategy is about cutting volume and Teamster jobs. South Carolina Local 509 has fought back and won new driver positions. Shop Stewards John Gacsey and Russell Sires share how the fight played out in their building in Palmetto.
President Shawn Fain led members of the United Autoworkers (UAW) to victory in the Stand Up strike against the Big Three automakers. Now, he’s facing trumped up allegations from a federal monitor who’s trying to tip the balance in the upcoming UAW election for International Union officers. Here’s what you need to know.
