Risk of major disruption as UPS strike looms in US (www.bbc.com)

submitted 1 year ago by DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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[-] RichardBonham@kbin.social 26 points 1 year ago

I like how the interviewee remarked on his concerns for the younger union members.

I imagine the Teamsters are too large and too savvy to go for a new contract that creates a two-tier system of new members with a crappier package than senior members. They should know that would be a death spiral for union membership.

[-] IamLost@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

You'd think that, but that's exactly what they did last negotiation. One major issues on the table is to reverse that.

[-] FrowingFostek@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Good, labor needs teeth again.

[-] giantofthenorth@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Always nice to see this constant wave of labor strikes, organizing and action

[-] curiousaur@lemmy.fmhy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Agreed. Do you think it would help the cause if we all ordered as many as we can of the smallest cheapest things that we can get UPS delivered? Put the pressure on by flooding them with orders they can't meet if there's a strike?

[-] giantofthenorth@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

No, the best thing to do is listen to teamsters leadership and if they ask for a boycott stop using them until the deal goes through.

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[-] Fedizen@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

"Strike needed to correct low labor prices and lack of AC during climate meltdown." real headline

[-] Lumun@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 year ago

From UPS:

Refusing to negotiate, especially when the finish line is in sight, creates significant unease among employees and customers and threatens to disrupt the U.S. economy. Only our non-union competitors benefit from the Teamsters’ actions.

We’re proud of what we’ve put forward in these negotiations, which deliver wins for our people. The Teamsters should return to the table to finalize this deal.

From the Teamsters:

“We break our backs working for this company. UPS needs to recognize our sacrifices not just with empty words, calling us ‘essential workers,’ but by putting the pay, benefits, and protections we deserve into a contract,” said Cesar Castro, a part-time UPS Teamster with Local 396 in Los Angeles and a member of the Teamsters National Negotiating Committee. “Every UPS Teamster expects this by July 5 or we will be ready to strike.”

UPS recorded $100 billion in revenue and over $13 billion in profits last year alone.

Makes you wonder who UPS PR means when they say "our people". Negotiation to acceptable terms is the responsibility of the company, not the workers. That is part of the basic requirements of running a corporation.

[-] BrainisfineIthink@lemmy.one 4 points 1 year ago

Refusing to negotiate

Refusing to take a pittance offer is not the same as refusing to negotiate. UPS made 13 BILLION in profit - not revenues - last year. Stiffing your employees is unacceptable.

[-] Ragnell@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

On one hand, they do deliver my medicine. On the other, WHY do they not have AC? If I miss my meds I am sending bad vibes to management.

[-] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

The trucks are thin sheet metal, brown absorbs the sunlight, and putting A/C in the cabs is all but useless.

They're going to try & implement better heat controls for the cargo area, fans to blow out hot air & such. That's more important than A/C; the cargo can reach temps well in excess of 130°F. You can bake cookies back there, yes, people have done it to demonstrate.

Once the new contract takes effect, all trucks sold must be A/C capable (lol) & very very hot centers will get more assistance first. All older trucks will be required to be retrofitted with 2 fans in the cab. That is a far cheaper, EASIER, more effective, and more common sense approach than A/C in delivery trucks.

[-] Holyginz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Sounds to me like it's time to retire current delivery trucks and start getting trucks that actually CAN have a/c then. If they actually are making that much profit and with climate change its what needs to be done.

[-] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I agree with all my heart. But that is much easier said than done. I'll give you a few things to chew on, related to that... (I love subjects like this)

The trucks can, and will, have A/C in them. The thing is by design running the A/C will not be effective at all, it would be like trying to heat your home in winter with a blowdryer & all your windows open.

Designing a delivery truck to hold cold air even in just the cab, as I understand with today's known tech, would require sealing up the cab. The doors are often open...well, that will have to change. Maybe you don't have side doors at all, and enter the cargo hold & a side door for every single stop. There are some rental trucks & oddballs like that currently. This design drastically slows down the delivery process. Navigating the truck is more wear & tear on the driver's body; the design isn't nearly as ergonomic. But let's say we can improve that...the vehicle chassis would probably weigh more with insulation. Greater manufacturing cost per truck, not very green. With all the stops, turning on & turning off the vehicle, one might want to find the most efficient way to keep the A/C running continuously via battery or fuel. So that's yet another additional cost, additional drain, to factor in to a longer work day in an clumsy, expensive delivery truck with a limited service life.

...as you can see, this scenario is getting incredibly drawn out, expensive, contrived. And it might not even be very effective!

Instead of obsessing over A/C, I think it's better to reframe & identify the real problem. The problem isn't that the weather outside, or truck cab, is hot. Not per se. No, the problem is that [external factors] cause the drivers to overheat. If you can find alternative methods to cool down the driver's body & prevent overheating, the problem is solved.

Google UPS cool solutions & you'll find such methods. I've mentioned elsewhere that trucks will have 2 fans installed. Now that's so simple, and it will help a lot. Especially if it's wicking sweat/water off of skin, that evaporative effect.

If you want to get really fancy with the concept, there are a few designs out in the wild for a "cooling vest". Have an ice chest or reserve of cold water, pump that water through a worn vest. It rapidly cools core body temperature. Now that's a reasonably priced piece of equipment, very realistic, I'm sure you can visualize it in your head with little issue. You can build it with off the shelf parts. Now if one of you guys builds a rough & tough pro version for delivery truck drivers/blue collar workers in general? Athletes? Idk, ambulances & first aid? I fucking guarantee you'll be rich & be able to sell a good number on contracts.

[-] uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

Also, why does your medicine not have ac? Many medicines are heat sensitive.

[-] legopika@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

That doesn't matter as much, the semi trailers don't have ac either, and packages spend a lot more time in there than in a delivery vehicle

It does make a difference for the drivers though

[-] IamLost@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I feel bad for the loaders and sorters. Kinda shitty they're forced to strike when everything was only ever about the delivery drivers.

Edit: My friend is a loader. Not one peep from union about any of their issues. They're all about the drivers. She's worried about her finances during the strike. Teamsters is gigantic. It's one big business battling another big business and only the peons are going to hurt. Oh and AC and stuff like that was the easy negotiation that everyone agreed to. The impasse is about pay and only driver pay. Big surprise.

[-] meat_popsicle@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

So, Biden and Congress are going to step in again and break this strike like they did with train workers, right? They’re both logistics unions that will (apparently) cripple supply chains if they go on strike.

If they say there’s no legal mechanism for that: they have a template and it already passed constitutional tests - the same teeth the Railroad Labor Act has can just as easily be applied to UPS/FedEx/DHL via a new law.

If Biden and Congress aren’t consistent with their logic on this it just proves how deep in the railroad baron pockets they really are.

[-] DreamerOfImprobableDreams@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

Except that the Biden Administration kept working with the railroad unions for months after the strike to pressure the railroad companies to give them sick leave, resulting in the railroad companies caving and giving the unions everything they wanted this spring. Union leaders are on record saying they couldn't have gotten it done without the Administration's help.

But progress doesn't sell as well in the papers as doom and despair, so almost no one knows about it.

[-] NOPper@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Oh shit, thanks for this.

[-] meat_popsicle@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

So…in other words…justice delayed is not justice denied? The workers just need to shut up and live with bad contracts - we just need to trust they’ll do the right thing?

The result was:

Labor got crushed - effectively the government did their negotiating for them. Why pay dues to a union that can’t even strike and can’t even negotiate by itself?
Railroads made absolute fortunes
A pittance was doled out since they had so much bad PR due to all the train derailments

Personally, I think it’s hypocritical the government tells two groups with the same criticality to supply chains two different things. For one group, it’s a threat to the nation and our financial survival, so they can’t go on strike. For the other group, silence.

[-] DreamerOfImprobableDreams@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

To be blunt, did you read either of the articles I linked? Because none of your bullet points are correct in any way, shape, or form.

[-] Zana@startrek.website 1 points 1 year ago

But is it as critical if FedEx, USPS, and the others exist? Railroads to on strike, there is no one else. UPS goes on strike, Amazon just ships with FedEx.

[-] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It is quite critical, but as you suggested, somewhat able to be mitigated. Nobody cares about Amazon & their crapola. UPS ships a lot of high value, high priority medical shipments. Other shipments of high value or importance. Heavy shipments just below freight, more often UPS than FedEx. Amazon & their Prime shipping service is a joke, but they have deep pockets so they can do what they want for as long as they want.

UPS does a lot of the across country shipping for USPS; most people don't know that. Look at that bubble sleeve in your mailbox. There's a good chance it says UPS SurePost. So those shipments will be impacted as well.

UPS is king, UPS tends to be the best. Yes, alternatives & workarounds exist. But they're far from ideal & are no substitute.

[-] Lumun@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the additional context. I never heard anything about this. You can't say the Biden Labor department has been idle. They have also been very present with the Longshoremen negotiations on the west coast recently. I wish they were even more pro-worker but this just goes to show that elections matter.

[-] MadgePickles@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

Good

[-] keeb420@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

Good. Especially this time of year when the drivers are literally roasting in their trucks and big brown refuses to put in ac.

[-] pizza_rolls@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

People have literally died due to lack of AC in the trucks. Should have updated them long ago

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this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023

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