The Teamster bargaining demands for the UPS contract were approved by representatives from UPS locals today at the Two-Person meeting held near Washington, DC. (reprinted from www.TeamstersUnited.org)
Members submitted a record number of proposals and Teamsters United put forward a platform of must-have contract improvements.
Some of these were adopted, including proposals on 9.5, new full-time jobs, minimum penalties for harassment, subcontracting, Surepost, safety, and dishonesty.
Many good language proposals will be on the bargaining table. But some key language proposals were ignored by the Hoffa administration or badly watered-down.
On economics, no proposals were presented today on wages, pensions, healthcare, retiree healthcare, or reducing the four-year progression.
Information Brownout
In an unprecedented move, all copies of the Bargaining Proposals were confiscated at the end of the meeting.
Package Division Director Denis Taylor even threatened officers with internal union charges if they informed members about the union’s bargaining demands.
Fred Zuckerman denounced this unprecedented information brownout and voted against the Hoffa administration’s bargaining package.
The IBT should make the bargaining demands available to all members and start mobilizing UPS Teamsters to win them.
Management knows what our issues are; they create the problems every day. The members who live under the contract should not be kept in the dark.
Saturday and Sunday Work
No national contact proposals were presented on Saturday and Sunday work or other scheduling issues.
In supplemental contract negotiations, UPS is demanding Sunday deliveries and work weeks of any five days. Days off would not have to be consecutive.
The company is also proposing work weeks of four 10-hour days and even three 13⅓-hour days.
UPS wants to negotiate all these issues on the supplemental level, where management can look for the weakest link to push through the worst language.
Uniting to Win Good Contracts
National negotiations are scheduled to start in January in San Diego.
Teamsters United will continue to inform and unite members to win good contracts.