National Teamster/UPS Contract
The Teamster
International Union is negotiating new contracts for the workers at United
Parcel Service. The present national contract ends July 31, 2018.. The national
contract sets wages and health care.
There is a high potential of a strike on August 1, 2018.
The contract
and possible strike might have country wide ramifications outside of just the
United Parcel Service (UPS) It influences the
union organization efforts of the Teamsters at Amazon and other package handling
companies.
The workers
at UPS last struck in 1997. Many in Worcester walked with the striking
Teamsters at the UPS distribution center in Shrewsbury.
Although it
is not in the National Contract, the New England Regional contract has put on
the table making Martin Luther King Day a UPS holiday. This is significant as
it implies an anti-racist sentiment in the regional Teamster locals. Please see
the New England Supplement proposals below.
A large
number of the workers at UPS are people of color and women. Everyone who does
the grunt work at UPS started out poor and making near minimum wage.
As a class
we advance by means of good union jobs and civil service jobs, such as the Post
Office and the military, and workers unity.
Other Issues in the
National Contract
A. Harassment
Article 37 currently has no penalty
for harassment violations.
The IBT’s proposals include
mandatory financial penalties for harassment violations. The
minimum penalty would be 4 hours pay going up to a maximum penalty of
one week’s pay depending on the severity of the offense.
An Article 37 Committee would be
created at the National Grievance Panel to hear harassment
grievances that deadlock at the local union and area grievance panel
level. An arbitrator would sit in on harassment cases and break the tie if
the Article 37 Committee deadlocks.
The danger is the lack of a real
enforcement mechanism. The International Union’s proposals
for dealing with harassment is based on the current set-up for 9.5
violations, but that procedure has been a failure.
B, Excessive Overtime
All package drivers would have
their work day reduced to under 9.5 hours per day with the
exception of November and December.
All hours worked after 9.5 would be
paid at triple time pay and the driver’s work schedule would
be adjusted.
Drivers who want to be exempt from
the 9.5 limit would notify management in writing at any time—and have
their wage rate increased by one dollar during the exemption period. They
would not receive triple time pay for hours worked after 9.5.
Teamsters United proposed that 9.5
triple time pay automatically appear in the next
paycheck, eliminating the unnecessary added step of filing
a grievance to get paid what the contract promises.
Teamsters United also proposed
making all work after 9.5 voluntary. Drivers would have the right
to be relieved after 9.5 hours worked.
The
Package Division rejected this proposal and replaced it with a 9 p.m.
curfew for package drivers under Article 18. The curfew still allows for
a twelve for 13-hour day.
C. Full Time Jobs
This union’s
proposals demand the creation of 10,000 full-time 22.3 jobs over the life
of the contract. The company would be required to maintain 22.3 jobs
in the local where they are created and to provide reports to locals so
that full-time job creation can be policed.
D. Dishonesty Definition
The union is proposing to eliminate
the loophole that allows UPS to use technology to fire employees for “dishonesty.”
E. Supervisors Working
Proposed changes to Article 3 would
set minimum and escalating penalties for supervisors
working violations, starting with a minimum penalty of two hours at
double-time pay. Violations of more than two hours would be paid at actual
hours worked at double time.
F. Safety and Equipment
Members flooded the IBT with
proposals on Article 18 and many have been incorporated into the
union’s bargaining demands. The contract is an opportunity to win
improvements on heating, cooling, ventilation, mirrors, tires, seats and
other equipment.
F. Grievance Procedure
No changes are being proposed to
Article 7 (Local and Area Grievance Machinery) or Article 8 (National
Grievance Procedure). Apparently, Hoffa thinks the grievance procedure is
working just fine!
Teamsters United proposed giving
local unions the right to strike on deadlocked grievances and
to issue a 72-hour strike notice when management is engaging in
widespread harassment or violating grievance settlements.
Management would be required to
meet within 72 hours. If the problems were not addressed, the local
union would have the right to take any and all economic action, including
a strike.
.
G. Higher Pay for Part time Workers
Increase starting part-time pay to
$15 an hour.
Catch-up wage increases for
current part-timers.
4-hour daily guarantee
New England
Supplement Teamsters’ proposals
Because of the
differences in regions of the country, there are Supplements to the national UPS
contract. For this region there is a New England Supplement.
MLK Day established as UPS holiday.
Right to
strike if grievance not met in a timely manner.
Overtime
after 5 hours for part timers
Part timers
offered full time jobs before new hires
More 123
full time jobs and they are to stay in local union jurisdiction
When supervisors
work union jobs, additional penalties for failure to inform stewards
All hours
after 8 hours is double time
Redefine
term dishonesty
Discipline
contract limitation for initial filing of one week
All discipline records end in 9 months.
Double time
on Sunday and holiday 3 times after 10 hour
s
Seventh
week of vacations
Posting
vacation year round.
Two 15
minute breaks
End subcontractors
March 1
vacation schedule posting
Consistent
start times
Package driver
should be on 9-5 schedule
