Your Vote= Success/Failure On the Next Contract

   Vote For Your Life  How you vote politically has a direct effect on the success, or failure of your National Negotiating Committee to win, or even maintain benefits you have come to expect, and rely on at UPS. Many of you give in to the rhetoric of the anti-union factions, and feel that voting for those candidates with those views is going to help you in the long run. The fact is, most of those candidates feel you should be paying 100% of your health care, and your family should be responsible for their own health care. They also believe that forcing the company to provide you with a pension, places an unreasonable burden on the company, and the company’s profit margin.
     They also believe that all services provided of any kind, should be payed for by you if you use them. Believing Social Security should be privatized only dumps the trillions of dollars within that system into the pockets of the big bankers, and allows them to put another notch in their handle for their profits, and the destruction of the middle class, (which is you by the way).
     Unfortunately, because so many of you continue to vote that way, the Pro-union factions are moving towards corporate support. Politicians are simply “vote whores”, and will follow what their constituency wants, during the election process. After the election, they become “corporate whores”.The banking legislation, and the health care reform laws are examples where Politicians feel more comfortable voting with the corporations, than voting with the people.
     Politicians simply continue to lie to the people during the election cycle, because the corporations continue to control the purse strings, and the media in our country. We, the people, continue to be stupid, and believe the T.V., and the radio talking heads, and vote our emotions, not our pocketbooks.
     Repeal of health care reform will take you down the same road. So far, the good things out of health care reform act have begun to be implemented. No more maximums when you are sick. Child coverage to age 26. No rejection for pre-existing conditions. The insurance companies have shown their true, (we’re in it for the money) spots by raising rates at a double digit figure, then blaming the new health care. Had there been a public option, they would have lost two thirds of their customers by now due to these rate increases. Even the Anti-healthcare types would be jumping ship into the public option. Of course our political “vote whores” know they can spin it, and end up making you believe that health care reform was either the greatest thing ever, or the worst thing ever. Depends on which fence you sit on. 
      To address the upcoming contract negotiations, if the company feels empowered politically through the negotiations, you will be giving up a number of benefits. The probability of losing some, or all of your pension is real. Within UPS you all ready have a 401 K, but if you haven’t been investing in there, you may find your retirement is out the window. 50 years as a driver, what a wonderful thought. Couple that with the destruction of Social Security, and Medicare, and buddy are you screwed. If the anti-union types have been placed into the Labor Board, and are in charge of the presidency, you will have effectively given up your right to strike. You can easily expect a reduction in wage levels. You may see them implemented as new progressions, or lower wages for the new hires. It all happened once in the part time ranks back in the 90’s. Ever hear of a “red circle employee”. Those were the guys that were paid at the higher rate, but the company has systematically eliminated them over the years. There will be no fixing it “tomorrow”.
     With the Supreme court allowing unlimited corporate money into the political system, what chance does the working person have. The simple belief surrounding “voting the bums out” will give us nightmarish politicians with even less ability to help the working person, and fight the corporate takeover of the country. 
        The average UPS driver, makes around 5 to 6 dollars and hour more than the average Fed Ex driver. Do you think UPS wil allow that kind of wage differential to go unnoticed? Of course not. They will scream bloody murder about competition in the workplace. Let us not forget that your whole monetary package, including pension cost, and health care cost are also included in your overall wage package, and again, you are the highest paid in the industry. A balance will be sought by UPS if they know they have all of the tools on their side.
   Please realize how important your vote is. Corporate America follows the plan, “eliminate people’s perception that their vote is important, and we control the country”. “Coerce them into voting our interests, and we will control them”.
     Support the candidates that have your personal interest at heart. Don’t be sold a bill of goods by the corporate media. (That does include 99% of all the media). Listen carefully to what each candidate has to say, and what they say about the other guy. There may be a little truth that can be gleaned through the lies. Mostly vote for the real issues in your life. Stay away from the fringe issues. We have allowed the corporations to steal our economy by selling us on fringe issues. 
                                                      Vote for your life! Your future depends on it!


    

Keep Your Hands by Your Side

   Ten Hut!  One of the very first rules I learned to live by when I went to work in the Denver Hub, was to keep my hands by my side. One of the favorite tricks there was to thrust some unwanted, troublesome package into your hands, then walk away. Once you had that package in your hands, it was yours to deal with.
     Of course the natural reaction for most people is to take the package, and see if it’s something you could help with, of course assuming that if you could not do anything with it, the person handing it to you would then take it away. Not at UPS. You touched it, it’s yours.
     When the end of the sort came, you could count on the Supervisor running the primary to kick all of the trash, open boxes, damages, etc. onto the belts, sending them to the outlying belts for those people to deal with. Happened every night. Probably still happens.
     That’s the wonderful thing about UPS. Pass off the problems to someone else. The hope is that, if you are slippery enough, you won’t get stuck with it. It happens in every aspect of the company. Drivers dump on the drivers next to them. Supervisors dump on the drivers. Managers dump on the supervisors. Division managers dump on the center managers. The “Lord and Master” dumps on everybody.
     To keep out of the fight, just remember one thing. Keep your hands by your side!

Ten rules for working safe and smart at UPS

1. Carry a small notebook and document everything—weather, traffic conditions, management orders, or any other unusual circumstances that may throw off your SPORH.

2. Inform management of any unusual situations that may occur. Document and notify Loss Prevention of unusual circumstances with customers.

3. Contact the office between Noon and 3 PM if you’ll need your Air or Grounds picked up, or if you will have missed pieces. Call in even if you might make it, just in case.

4. Always sheet every package in your car.

5. Maintain your professionalism at all times. Shouting matches with supervisors do not bring results. Talk to your steward if your supervisor is out of line.

6. Help your fellow brother or sister when you can. Introduce yourself to new members. Build relationships with your preloader and drivers in your area. You may need help yourself one day.

7. Remember: obey now, grieve later. If your supervisor instructs you to do something, do it, unless it breaks the law or jeopardizes your safety. Insubordination can be grounds for termination.

8. If you’re injured on the job, notify your supervisor immediately. Do not let management sway you into not reporting the injury.

3 wishes

9. If you have an accident, notify management right away. If you don’t notify them, they can discipline and even terminate you.

10. Start preparing for telematics right now. Follow the methods every day.

By Lonnie Mishoe, Brush Ave
Local 804, Long Island

Peak Planning

     With the end of summer waning softly away, comes the cool evenings, the turning of the leaves, the thoughts of warm fires, andTime for Peak yes, the dreaded peak planning. Now is the time where a driver gets paid back for their success, on behalf of the company, throughout the rest of the year.
     The “ball of fire” driver will find out that “yes”, the company has no heart, and “yes”, the company can have unreal expectations during the peak season. Even the average performing driver will find out the craziness the company can expect during the Christmas season.
     With the implementation of Telematics, the company expects to make huge gains in performance, not only year round, but during the peak season. Routes will be planned down to the “Nth” degree, and volumes will be put in place, regardless of the reality of the area.
     After all of the plans are made, in comes the “Lord and Master” with his magic marker, ready to slash and burn what would otherwise appear to be reasonable expectations. The company spends a huge amount of money during peak season on helpers, and temporary drivers. You can expect to see huge cutbacks in the hiring levels for peak. They are still all about the “bottom line” these days. They have to keep the stock holders happy, even through Christmas.
     Lettuce not forget an annual “right-of-passage” for the late fall, into the winter. That right is the devastating termination of a very senior employee for some “trumped up” charge. The point of the termination is to set every other driver into “fear mode” for the upcoming peak season. Management is all about intimidation, and loves to keep the fear level up when maximum performance is needed. 
     Experience as a steward has shown, that most major terminations occur in late September, or October. With Telematics the head hunting will be easy, especially for the “Lord and Master”. They may have their target in their sights as we speak, so be sure you are doing the job as they require, and do not leave any doubt as to what you are doing, and why you are doing it.
                                                                     In other words, “Cover your ass“. 


    

Do You Like Your Job?

       People used to ask me what I liked most about my job and I would say I liked 4 things. I liked the money, I liked the challenge and I liked being on my own all day and I liked interacting with my customers. Today if someone asked me what I liked about my job, I say the money. PAS and Telematics have removed the challenge, I’m never really on my own anymore and I’m only supposed to talk if I’m making a sale.
       3 wishes I read an interview with a UPS IE person who said that PAS and Telematics will tell every driver the most efficient way to run the route everyday.  He said that drivers had always “customized their routes” on a daily basis to accomodate their customers or to get the bulk off first, and often these decisions were not good decisions. Allowing the drivers to customize their routes was driving the company into the poor house.
        So I was told not to think of my route as my route. It didn’t even bear my name anymore. It was 31A and I just happened to be the person who was running it. The personal reward that I got each day by taking the route out and getting it organized, satisfying my customers and getting back in safely and successfully is gone. I ran the route the way the computer told me to, I couldn’t customize it to satisfy a customer and I didn’t think about a better way to do it, even though years of accumulated area knowledge told me that there was a better way. I did as I was told. That’s how you survive now at UPS.
        And, you’re never alone. Management has the technology now to watch every move you make. They have reports on everything you do and what time you did it. They know the service class of every package you handle, what time you delivered it, where the truck was sitting, if it was turned off, if you backed in first, how many stops you have off and how many you have left. They might as well be sitting in the seat next to you all the time.
        I was on the same route for over 25 years and I knew all of my customers. I knew them because I took a moment here and there to show them that I cared about them as people and as customers. That kind of caring is what UPS built it’s reputation on. UPS’s own surveys show that what customers like best about the company is usually the driver. But with PAS and now Telematics, you are required to just grab and go, do more stops, no talking, hurry up, run and gun. But that’s not what made UPS special. It’s not our efficiency that the customer likes about UPS, it’s that the driver takes the time to address them by name and even learn their kids’ names. But IE puts no value on what has endeared the UPS man to his customers and that is; taking a moment to show you care.
        It’s not that I didn’t like my job, it’s that the things I liked about my job disappeared.  Now when people ask me what I liked about my job, I say “the money”. The challenge is gone once you surrender yourself to PAS and Telematics. You are never on your own and you’re not supposed to talk unless you can make a sale.
        That’s a shame. Thank God for the money or there wouldn’t be anything to like about the job.

Never Go First

A preloader, a driver and a manager in Denver were taping up damaged boxes when they found an antique oil lamp. They rubbed it and a Genie came out in a puff of smoke.
        The Genie said, “I usually grant three wishes, so I’ll give each of you one.” 3 wishes
        “Me first! Me first!” yelled the preloader. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.”
        Poof! ………He was gone.
        Astonished, the driver quickly stepped forward. “My turn,” she beamed. “I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life in a beach chair right beside me and not a package in sight,.”        
Poof! ………. gone.
        “OK, you’re up,” the Genie said to the manager. 
     The manager just grinned, “I want those two back to work RIGHT NOW.”

        Moral of the story:

        Never let your boss have the last word.

UPS Doesn’t Reimburse for Socks, Class Claims

LOS ANGELES (CN) – A United Parcel Service worker says in a new class action that she and her co-workers weren’t reimbursed for socks bearing UPS’ logo, which is a required part of their uniform.
     Laura Gallardo says in Los Angeles Superior Court that she regularly purchased the required socks during her five years as a driver at the delivery company’s Cerritos, Calif. location.
     But she says she and other workers were never reimbursed for the socks.
     She seeks class certification and unspecified damages for labor law violations, and is represented by Michael Nourmand.
Courthouse News Service