Calling all UPS Teamster Stewards!
     The attack on the hard working people at UPS has begun with Telematics. The first shots have been fired in a number of locations around the country. The intent to eliminate senior drivers is becoming more evident everyday. 
     Telematics is being used by management as a harassment tool. They will soft speak you during implementation, telling you it’s being put in for safety, not to be used for production, or harassment. The fact is it’s only purpose is to eliminate management, and make the surviving sups. more powerful amongst the drivers. Sups. can sit at a desk and monitor 30 or more drivers at a time. They can pick the fly-sh-t out of the pepper of every minute of every day. They will do all of that.
     Every steward out there needs to make a call to his or her Business Agent and tell them they are afraid of what is going to happen with the implementation of Telematics. The Teamsters have been very complacent about the systems implementation, I feel, because they are wrapped up with legislation to organize Fed-Ex and get EFCA passed. While both of those issues are extremely important, the company is letting the dog in the back door. The Teamster officers and BA’s just aren’t up on the new technologies, so their reaction time is very slow.
     You can be terminated and slam dunked through the panel system before you even know what hit you. The Teamsters on the other side of the table at the panel hearings have a “well that’s pretty solid information”, attitude when they hear a case. They think the system is infallible, and they are buying into the, “we are all cheats, and thieves”, mentality of the company. See the company can show them some fancy chart, manipulated to demonstrate whatever point they are trying to make, to show in fact that the driver sitting in front of them is a cheat and a thief. Our Teamsters union is allowing this to go on.
     The first plan of attack is for every one of you Stewards to be squeaky clean in your delivery day. I’m not talking about production. I’m talking about delivery methods, times, and reasons for being where you are. Keep a notebook if you have to unless you have an excuse at the tip of your tongue for everything like some of us. Practice you area as if that sup. is sitting there so you feel you have a grasp of what is a “fair day”. Do that practice, because once Telematics is implemented, that Sup. will be on the car with you, every minute, of every day!  Next you must begin to train your people the same way. Meet with them as much as you can, whenever you can, to help them understand what is coming.
                          Directing them to Denver Brown.com can be a very big help.
      The final suggestion is to contact your BA’s and let them know you are concerned about what is happening to you at UPS. Quiz them to see if they even understand the level of scrutiny you are going to have to endure. Many of you will find that these people have never even heard of Telematics, or they have some perspective of it that has grown out of the old freight days of the Teamsters. 
     My feeling is, this is the greatest attack on the Teamsters Union membership since replacement workers were allowed during a strike.
                              It allows a company to selectively target Union members. 
     It’s frustrating for me, because as I watch, nothing will happen till many good, caring, senior people, lose their jobs. It’s simply a call to arms. Educate yourself as a steward. Become vocal. You will arm the people around you.