FedEx and UPS recently competed head to head in a rowing race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day the FedEx team won by a mile.
Afterward, the UPS team became very discouraged and depressed. UPS management decided the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A Management Team made up of senior executives was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the FedEx team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the UPS team had 8 people steering and one person rowing.
So UPS management hired a consulting company and paid them vast amounts of money. After six months of hard work, they advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. So the UPS Team acted: To prevent losing to the FedEx team again, the rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering managers, 2 area steering division managers and 1 operations manager.
The UPS Team also implemented a new performance system that would give the one person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the Demonstrated Rowing Performance Program, with meetings, write-ups and free pens for the rower. Even up front parking and a coffee cup were promised for a winner.
At the next race, FedEx won by two miles. Humiliated, UPS management fired the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new boat, sold the oars and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.
The money saved was distributed to the senior executives as bonuses for a job well done.
All posts by George
The UPS Marching Song
Did you know that UPS had a marching song? Well..they do. It was written by a couple of UPSers and introduced at a Breakfast Club meeting in May of 1929. It is sung to the tune of the “Caisson Song” (often called “Over Hill, Over Dale”).
Sing along:
“Over hill, over dale, as they hit the concrete trail, our brown wagons go rolling along.
Shout it out, without doubt, service rides on every route as our wagons go rolling along.
Then it’s hi hi he in the brown shirt cavalry, shout out our message loud and strong!
Where’re you go you will always know our brown wagons go rolling along.”
Injuries and Overtime
Is working overtime bad for your health? Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School recently released what is perhaps the largest study to date on the relationship between overtime and workplace injuries, finding that those who work extra hours are 61% more likely to be injured on the job than those who do not. This study covered a wide range of jobs and analyzed data on more than 5,100 work-related injuries and illnesses.
The researchers believe these findings support the theory that fatigue and stress caused by long working hours indirectly contribute to workplace accidents. This study and many others show that musculoskeletal conditions–most commonly back pain–are the main workplace affliction. The United States is one of only a few industrialized countries that do not have national limits on the amount of time an employee can work.
Thom Hartman Part 3 Employee Free Choice Act
How Ya Doin’ ?
“The Tightest SLAVE Ship in the Shipping Industry” One Of, “The Few, The Proud, The Overallowed”
Just another day in paradise! Just beatin’ the big brown dead horse!
Just wackin’ big brown! Just holdin’ on for dear life!
Just lovin’ life! Just driven’ the big brown machine!
Just huggin’ boxes! Just another Monday in Paradise!
Gettin’ down with brown! Just massagin’ cardboard!
Just livin’ the big brown life! Must be paradise ‘cause I keep comin’ back!
Lovin’ now, hopin’ to leave soon! Just happy to be here!
Getting’ by till the cows come home!
Just takin’ a big brown!
Hanging out till things get better!
Wishin’ things were better!
Hopin’ for the best, expectin’ the worst! Feelin’ the love!
Wackin’ brown after the sun goes down! Just givin’ other people’s stuff away!
Countin’ visit’s! Hope it’s paradise!
Plannin’ my day! Beatin’ the big brown noodle!
Hopin’ for sensitivity! Lovin’ the boss!
Just glad they care so much!
Hopin’ for an early day! Just knowin’ things will be better tomorrow!
If you think it’s bad today, just wait! Livin’ light!
Headin’ them off at the pass! Gettin’ motivated!
Gettin’ brown outa my ass! Prayen’ with the big brown god!
Motivatin’ through the day! Wonderin’ about the bosses wacky terbacky!
Believin’ in the universe! Takin’ the Big Brown Dirt Nap!
Must be Purgatory! Waggin’ the Big Brown Tail!
Stinkin’ It Up! Just Suckin’!
Retirin’ Till I Retire!
Blank stare!
And you?
Gotta favorite greeting? Put it in our comments. We’ll add it to our list!
You and the Employee Free Choice Act
Why Should YOU Fight Like Hell for the Employee Free Choice Act? 
There are a lot of good union people out there who are sitting on their hands while the battle rages in Congress over the Employee Free Choice Act. The legislation was introduced in Congress on March 11.
The anti-labor community is going full guns to defeat the measure. It’s passage is far from a sure thing, because even if every Democrat in the Senate votes for it, it will still come up 1 vote short of passage.
And even that scenario is not certain because a couple of Dems are on the fence. One of those is our own new Senator, William Bennet. He was appointed by Gov. Ritter to replace Ken Salazar, who joined the Obama cabinet.
Every Union member at UPS ought to be on the phone every day to Bennet’s office in Wash. D.C. telling him he needs to support the working class. It’s that important that the Free Choice Act pass. It’s that important to YOU.
Now I know a lot of UPSers who would ask, “Why should I care if it passes or not?”.
Well, I’ll tell you why.
UPS drivers make the best wages and enjoy the best benefit package on the street today. FedEx used to be relative close to us in wages and benefits but they have suffered some take-aways since the economy crashed. Now, UPS drivers are way out in front with raises and free insurance and pension benefits guaranteed into 2013.
One of the oldest rules of Unionism is that if you outpace the competition in wages then you put your employer at a disadvantage. And the best way to keep the competition at a pay level siimilar to yours is not to reduce your wages to match theirs. The best way is to raise their wages to match yours. And the best way to raise wages at FedEx is get them unionized. And the best chance at unionizing FedEx is the Employee Free Choice Act.
So if you want to keep your wages and free insurance and defined benefit pension after 2013, you better get off your duff and get on the phone to your Senators. The battle is happening now. You need to act now.
The Employee Free Choice Act is you best hope of maintaining your wages and benefits. But it won’t pass if we remain silent. The anti-laborites are not silent right now. They are out to defeat you. Will you allow that to happen?
Contact your elected officials in Washington.
Out of the Frying Pan
Thank You Bernie Sanders, (Independent Senator from Vermont), for asking the questions that need to be asked. The attached video shows how the American people have been sold out by the banking industry and the Bush administration. I keep hearing people question why President Obama doesn’t have this banking fiasco fixed yet. The Republicans have had 8 years to screw it up. President Obama has been in office for two months, and has done more to fix things than the Bush Republicans ever did, in fact all they did was screw it up. Listen to Ben Bernanke, (Bush’s Fed Chairman), try to explain his way out of the mess. The ironic thing is, Bernanke has the attitude that he was doing the right things. 2 trillion dollars later, (from the Bush administration), the mess continues. Watch for yourself! This is unedited and uncut out of the horses mouth, or maybe some other end!
President Obama has the Bernanke mentality to overcome. It is obvious that these people intended to redistribute our wealth to the rich bankers. They are the true Socialists. Privatize the gains, socialize the losses. Be sure to remember that statement and also remember it was Phil Gramm Senator from Texas, and the rest of the Bush Republican cronies 
that did away with the Glass Steagel act, causing this banking mess, and the hell the country is living through. Be sure to call your Republican Congresspeople, and your Republican Senators and let them know, that you know, what happened. Better yet vote their asses to kingdom come.
The Glass-Steagel Act was put in place in 1933 to keep another depression from happening.
The Republicans took it out to make themselves and their cronies rich. What has happened?
Depression!
Here is the Glass-Steagel Act
Telematics=Fear
I’ll start off with one of my rules of being a steward-
The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same!
Telematics is simply an extension of the company’s desire to maintain complete control over a drivers thoughts and actions through fear. They used to do it by having a million screaming stupidvisors harassing, and bullying you face to face, with a work report in their back pocket. They would get in your face, (usually without a steward present), and tell you what a worthless piece of crap you were, and that they were personally going to make you their project, then go home and screw your wife because you were such a piece of garbage and she would like the stupidvisor more than you. (Yes, really!) The whole idea is to induce fear among the drivers in order to get them to perform at the highest levels possible.
The more things change! Today the screaming stupidvisor has been replaced by Telematics. Remember I told you that their Technology is designed to replace management, not the driver. For most of us Telematics just represents another harassment tool. Most of us simply report to work on time, and do our jobs that we are paid to do. Ironically the biggest casualty of Telematics will be the running, jumping, freakazoid, we all have in our centers that thinks it’s OK to run the company like a paper route. Keep in mind that many of your supervisors were just such people as drivers. PAS had much the same fear factor attached to it. Mostly it is the fear of the unknown. None of you need to worry about the system. They will not be able to use it against you out of the box. You simply need to perform your job as trained. They must do direct observation in order to discipline. That doesn’t mean they won’t use it for harassment. I’m sure they already find reasons to harass you anyway, right?
The more they stay the same! My recommendation to you all is the same recommendation I have made for 30 years as a steward. Go out and do the job you are being paid to do. Work safely, drive safely, make safe deliveries, come in when you are done. Our job is not a social event, or a time to go shopping, or a chance to get your car fixed, or a yard sale excursion. The company asks you to have contact with the customer to further sales leads etc. Other than that you need to keep your relationships to your own time. Most of you know these rules, and most of you follow them. You all know who are the real screwup drivers around you. Now with the advent of Telematics you get to watch them squirm. The rest of you can go in peace.
The Last, (until something else Happens), of This Story
I’ve had about enough of the struggle by the repubs. to find an identity. They obviously want a kingdom, not a democracy. Really the only reason I’m putting this video up is because it’s funny, and gels down the battle over the kingdom.
UPS National Grievance Hearings
The UPS National Grievance Committee settles national disputes and grievances that have been deadlocked at both the local and regional levels.
The decisions from the February meeting of the National Grievance panel in Ft. Lauderdale are now available online.
Click here to download the decisions from the national grievance panel.
The panel will meet two other times this year: June 8-11 in Philadelphia and Oct. 12-15 at the Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa.
This information provided by the Teamsters for a Democratic Union.