“The union rammed all these things down our throats”
UPS prepares to impose contract after Teamsters defy workers ‘no’ vote
By
Will Morrow
22 October 2018
It is now two weeks since the Teamsters defied the “no” vote by thousands of United Parcel Service workers who rejected the sellout contract backed by the union and management on October 5. The deal covers nearly 250,000 UPS drivers and warehouse workers across the US.
The Teamsters declared the contract ratified even though 54.7 percent of the workers rejected it. The union cited a never-before-used constitutional loophole, which requires a two-thirds vote to defeat a deal if less than half the workforce participated in the vote. The widely-recognized fact remains that the union is defying the stated will of the workers.
The Teamsters is attempting to suppress and diffuse opposition by keeping workers completely in the dark about what is taking place and lying about what the union is doing. In the warehouses, workers report that management is now already implementing terms of the illegitimate contract, which includes the creation of new “hybrid” driver/warehouse workers who are paid up to $6 per hour less than current full-time drivers.
“We have a total lack of information,” Tim, a driver in Florida with 33 years, told us. “Somebody says the union signed the agreement, and other people say they didn’t. Our union reps came on Thursday to the hub. They don’t even talk to us because they know what they’d get. They went up to a few young part-time kids to try to get them to join the union. When we tell them we’re not happy, they offer us golfing tickets to shut us up.”
UPS released a statement reporting that it will meet with the Teamsters today, where it will discuss the contract for…