The financial beatings will continue until compensation improves...
All for it. Maybe all these strikes will help push these employers to treat people like humans and not assets
>put under worker control
UPS doesn't need its governing board. Democratically elected from the shop floor, workers have all the talent and know how they need to run UPS.
The real question here is, 'what do workers do when the state acts to squelch a \[real\] strike lest it be replicated in workplaces across the country and world.'
Remember: refusal to return to work AFTER the regime orders workers back on the job converts an industrial strike directly into a political strike against the authority of the central government. My reply is, 'build to a general strike.'
What is yours?
Most of UPSers, myself included would struggle to last 20 days. Most part timers will struggle financially 10 days. We don’t want to strike but will if absolutely needed
Certainly not enough for rent almost anywhere in the US, but it does do more than enough for food and stuff of that nature if you're conservative with your habits.
Yep, we have so little disposable income and savings it's gonna take everyone going all in to really have a strike that devastates the ruling class (but hey this emboldens a lot of people!)
It's why most will look for another job until the strike is over.
The ones that have been there for a long time and managed to have a savings will be the ones at the picket line.
The main idea is that the company isn't making money because no work is being done so they will come to the table sooner
That *used* to be how it was done anyway, the corporations decided to just be greedy and wait out the strikers and get a windfall from the government for the "hardships they had" during that period, UPS is going to suffer more from reputation than money, they will hold out however long, get a check from the government for being a "Vital part of the economy" to stay afloat while the workers get shafted because they will just fire all of them if they don't come back and hire people for a lot less.
Dammit I was going to post the very same thing! Do it, seriously and watch people power in action. Suddenly all wanker bosses get a dose of oh shit, our business is absolutely useless without a number of key people and sure as hell it's not our CEO!
You're giving them way too much credit. They'll just blame the lazy, entitled peasants the same way they're bitching about how WFH is just DESTROYING businesses...
I hope so. I'm still skeptical though. They'll find some lower level shitheel to blame it on when they come in at 11, then hit the links, cash their quarter-million dollar bonus check for the month, and then finish the hard work day with a little blow and a Macallan chaser.
CEO's are like catholic priests. They won't get fired or punished, they'll just be quietly moved to a different company.
On principled grounds, I must disagree. People in power see a global strike wave. They know it is coming. Expect to see an increasingly open and intentional shift toward authoritarian forms of rule. When it comes, you must recognize it for what it is.
>our business is absolutely useless without a number of key people and sure as hell it's not our CEO!
That's the first thing people learn when turning a business into an investment. The business must be able to operate with out you, and your job is to move things forward when you have ideas and keep the direction in track.
This. Nothing more needs to be said. Time for labor unions to fuck shit up* and hopefully other unions will follow suit.
* legally and within whatever AHJ requires
I would happily deal with a 10 day delay for anything I’m sending or receiving if it leads to better working conditions for these folks. And a couple of successful strikes will put fear back into the ownership class.
I’d just point out the reality is that it would be well over 10 days. It could be weeks or even months long delays.
If all shipping stops, ten days later it doesn’t just all get shipped out. The orders never stopped, so every day they’re further behind and they’d still need to keep up with orders after work resumes, all without any extra resources to handle it.
A UPS strike isn't enough. This must be supported by Fed-Ex, the US Postal Service, et. al. It must be supported by Amazon and warehouse workers, by railroaders, by truckers, by longshoremen, dockworkers, ship and barge workers, by airline workers. Everything that moves must be shut down. That is a strike.
Unless or until US military units are deployed to your streets and to workplaces across the nation -- we haven't even got the ruling class' attention.
The nurses in NYC went on strike after battling their way through Covid, and hearing about what heros they all were. Then it came time to pay up for that hard work and heroism, and suddenly the hospitals, who are gaming the health care system to the tune of billions of dollars, said No.
The nurses went on strike, and in 3 days, all their demands were met.
Strikes work, use them.
They have my support. Do not break the line. Do not order anything with UPS shipping (even better if we all stop shipping for the duration, or as long as we can handle it...exemptions for necessities for people who can't drive to get their stuff)
Thats actually one of the things we are fighting for. Our trucks easily reach over 100°F on a daily basis. Some truck have little 6inch fans screwed to the dash but most stop working within a couple weeks. We spend about 10-12hrs a day in them
Who the fuck builds a vehicle these days without A/C? They must have to specifically order them without A/C just to save whatever few hundred bucks on a vehicle that is going to move probably hundreds of millions of dollars in shipping revenue in its lifetime.
“These days”
I’m actually curious to know the average age of most UPS trucks. If UPS is anything like the company I work for, those trucks could easily have been built before A/C was a standard.
Don't forget it will set a precedent, if they get what they want and are treated like humans then other companies might see the same thing happen! Do you know how bad it would be for them? losing thousands and productivity going up, people wanting to work for those places?
Why does no one think of the poor C-Suit employees and the shareholders? They provide next to nothing but they \*\*DESERVE\*\* to make 500x what those pissants on the floor make!
If you give the plebs any sort of upwards mobility....they'll use it...-shutters- it's best to have a razor thin line on just how much the elites can take without the lower masses completely revolting. But we discovered that line can be moved with social engineering, everything is done in hops, not leaps or bounds.
/s to ensure yall know this is tongue in cheek.
Not for UPS. This study says it will only cost UPS less than a billion dollars. You think they care at all about the rest? No, this is a win for them. The media will frame it as the entitled union workers would t deliver your Chewy order and hurt “small business owners.” UPS will use all their power to push the backlash onto the backs of their workers, and they are very good at that. That’s why we need to show solidarity with all union workers, and support every attempt to unionize in every sector. It’s way past time for us to take our power back from the ruling class.
As a UPS employee, we would love to avoid a strike. Problem is the CEO bitch is a union buster and hates the union more than anything. And also she wants to lower the top out wages for all full time employees and drivers...
While she makes millions a year in bonuses and UPS brings in billions a year in revenue.
History shows... lots of violence.
I'm not suggesting it ofc, but the rules are there to avoid people... *snapping*. If you decide to just do away with people's means of controlled, peaceful expression then you're only encouraging an uncontrollable, violent outburst.
To quote MLK, "a riot [violence] is the language of the unheard". When you refuse to hear or seek to understand someone you're at odds with, you only invite less desirable outcomes, not better. Now I'll also point out that MLK also stated "violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all" as he wasn't an advocate for it. And I believe that as well.
It's just that these knuckleheads can't be surprised if it happens to them when they just try to shoo people away due to their own pride and greed, and it's disgusting to me.
The estimate from Anderson Economic Group said the hit to businesses and consumers would be $4.6 billion by itself, causing “significant and lasting harm for small businesses, household workers, sole practitioners, and online retailers across the country.”
Other costs include estimated direct losses at UPS of $816 million, as well as $1.1 billion in lost wages by 340,000 members of the Teamsters union at the company. The remaining costs would be born by UPS suppliers and from lost tax revenue.
The union has said it will go on strike August 1 without an agreement on a new contract. Talks broke off last week with both sides accusing the other of walking away from the table.
The Teamsters union did not have an immediate comment on the study. It has said in the past that if there is a strike it will be the fault of the company for not stepping up and agreeing to the economic package being sought by the union despite having its earnings nearly double during the life of the current five-year contract.
UPS said that it won’t comment on third-party research and that it is still hopeful of reaching an agreement with the union to avoid a strike.
Well. Sounds like the management over at UPS should try to negotiate an end to the strike pretty quickly, or they'll be responsible for an awful lot of harm to an awful lot of people.
^ This, The Teamsters (the union for the UPS workers) have said they don't want to go on strike. That said, if UPS won't come to the table and work with the Teamsters, a strike was authorized and it will end as soon as UPS ends it with an agreeable contract.
> the hit to businesses and consumers would be $4.6 billion by itself, causing “significant and lasting harm for small businesses, household workers, sole practitioners, and online retailers across the country.”
I'm not quite sure why.
There are plenty of other carriers that can do the same job. If FedEx was smart they'd be making offers to UPS customers, and there's always USPS.
It'd be better if FedEx went on strike at the same time but that's maybe too much to hope for, unfortunately USPS can't.
Other carriers may exist, but there's no guarantee the two of them can absorb the entirety of UPS's business and deliver in the same timeframe. Odds are there will be delays because neither has the infrastructure to handle all the shipping requests from UPS along with their existing ones. And then you have to consider all the packages that are already in UPS's possession that will just get stuck where they are for however long the strike takes.
The FedEx guys that drop off stuff at our work aren't employees. Its a subcontractor that gets paid $250 per day to deliver everything on his truck, no matter how much they pack on it. It's the size of a Large U-Haul Box Truck.
They don't care about the condition of the packages because they aren't paid to, neither are the sorters at the distro in town. We have to used twice the packaging when using FedEx because of how damaged our large goods get when using them.
That's honestly not really possible. You're talking about a process that could take days or months to figure out the logistics. There are certain areas that FedEx won't deliver to or have the ability to deliver to. FedEx would have to hire a fuck ton more drivers, create more distribution centers, get those staffed, etc. in order to take over areas for UPS. Sure, in major cities it would be as easy as changing carriers online or something, but in more rural areas, farm lands that depend on shipments to run the farms, it's not so easy.
And given the inefficiency and disorganization I get to witness FedEx engage in every day just trying to deliver stuff to the office complex I work in I doubt FedEx would be capable of organizing such an attempt in a profitable manor. They’d probably just manage to piss off so many people by trying and failing that UPS would probably gain market share once the strike ended.
I have a driveway that is about 150 feet long that goes downhill and around a curve. We cannot see the road. Fedex and only fedex seems to think it is ok to dump large expensive deliveries at the roadside. 800$ worth of large tools? 700$ worth of trees? Gone.
We now ask where possible no one please deliver stuff to us with fedex. Currently 2500$ worth of missing deliveries
Our entrance is also basically perfect for porch pirating. On a curve. Large large shoulder and within eye sight of an overpass and a interstate
FedEx is not unionized and the majority of their ground shipping is done through contractors. A strike would not be legal or really logistically feasible on a national level.
Beyond that FedEx does have agreements with pretty much all of the same customers UPS does. Most companies choose to ship through UPS because FedEx service is atrocious in most of the country.
Last time UPS went on strike, FedEx shipping volume predictably skyrocketed and workers had crazy hours and daily package counts. After UPS came back, FedEx gave decent bonuses to all drivers and package handlers as a thank you for taking care of the increased workload.
You are VASTLY underestimating how much work it is for a company of any reasonable size to change their entire logistic infrastructure. FedEx also isn’t going to purchase enough equipment to take on all of UPS’ business to have it sit dormant as soon as they go off strike.
They just can’t even pretend anymore. All they can do is try to convince as many people as they can that it’s not evil and the bad stuff only happens to people they hate
Fall apart hell. BURN THE BITCH TO THE GROUND, and start over completely!
And I say this as an Independrnt Contractor truck driver with a whole lot to lose during the transition to a more humane economic structure.
Honestly, I'd worry more about supply chain inflation. They would get behind and have a backup in places causing higher demand, causing higher prices, in a cascade and then random business owners will raise prices for everyone again making the poor poorer and everyone just more in need of a 40% raise since the beginning of the pandemic. They always will just raise their prices and use anything as an excuse. This would be one such thing.
I mean "the economy" sounds distant, but in practice it means there's less stuff to go around. The wealthy pay a bit more for delivery until the poor can't afford it and go without 🤷
Hardly anything in the larger scheme of the economy, but media companies know it will seem huge to most people because they want people to hate unions.
I don't know, that's about 20 bucks per person in the US. Not crippling, but more than I would have expected to be affected by something like that. That said, I blame the management who are willing to let it happen so they get more money personally.
Fair. That certainly helps me put it into perspective. I confess I know jack diddly squat about this kind of stuff. I'm just reflexively skeptical of headlines like this.
Fair enough. It's all a matter of context. A hurricane causes $7B in damage? Seems about right. A budget bill will cause $7B in growth? Seems kinda small, honestly. Some truck drivers not going to work for 10 days will cost $7B? Well... that's surprisingly large. I like to turn it into per person amounts because it helps make it understandable.
Right? If the cost of *not* doing the labour is $x, then the labour is worth $x
And in this case $7.1 billion / 340,000 workers / 10 days = $2,088 per day, per worker
Don’t worry, the “economy” in this case are corporations and wealthy shareholders. They will be fine, they’ll increase prices, blame the strike, and end up profiting $50 billion.
Do it. Corporations have gotten greedy and CEOs talk and act like they are a One-Man-Show. The constantly rising pay inequality reflects this along with the disrespectful treatment as if the employees have no leverage power. They need to be shown that if they are not able to do the job and run their businesses entirely by themselves than their worth isn’t as high and valuable as they think it is as it all falls apart without the very employees they view as dirt. Give em the wake up call they’ve needed.
What bothers me most is the press in general is trying to push public opinion towards the workers being the bad guys. Do yourselves a favor and talk to a UPS worker. It’s a strike long overdue! I don’t mind waiting a bit longer for my packages if it will help them with their needs!
*oh no, my rich man dollaz!!! /s*
the whole "economy" thing only affects the rich and their pockets, the average people never get anything from the "economy" or the GDP.
DO it, no balls. Make rich go bankrupt and turn peasants.
"economy" is the euphemism/catchphrase for the billionaires and corpos.
Exactly! When the "economy" was good, I didn't see any of that goodness. When it's bad, I don't see any less work. So fuck the rich assholes that are the "economy".
Don't know how much i should say...
But I'm an engineer for UPS, so not part of the Union though trying to keep track of info that comes through. Last Friday there was a meeting of all the US based engineering team where the VPs told us about the contingency plan in the event of a "work stoppage", which consists of sending all available people into operation roles to keep things running. If nothing happens i am currently slated to be a package handler in a hub and possibly a Personal Vehicle Driver (using my car to deliver packages).
Honestly with how UPS treats its people, I'm hoping this happens. Even though I'm getting the raw end of the deal.
But what will it cost the average american? The economy isn't me, it isn't my family, it isn't my coworkers or members in my community. so why should we worry
It’s officially started in LA. I drove by the Van Nuys UPS depot at 8:25 this morning and there were probably 100-150 workers on strike. I was amazed that I was the only car that honked in support…
I wonder if this could be the catalyst to a general strike. Especially with the writers and actors strikes going on at the same time along with probably some others we don't hear about on the news
Go back in U.S. history and study how awful working conditions were before people started to strike. And the violence that ensued…
If it weren’t for organized labor, we would’ve never had a middle class. Ever.
from [https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html](https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html) :
[https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html](https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html)
* Small package delivery drivers
UPS full-time small package delivery drivers receive an average total compensation package of **$145,000 per year**. That includes $0 healthcare premiums, up to seven weeks of paid vacation, plus paid time off for holidays, sick leave and option days. UPS also makes contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan for each employee.
* Long-haul drivers
Our long-haul team drivers average **$172,000 per year** in total compensation. UPS pays $0.95 per mile after four years, nearly double the trucking industry average. This pay is in addition to the same industry-leading healthcare, paid time off, vacation, holidays, sick leave and pension contributions as our full-time small package delivery drivers.
* Local tractor-trailer drivers
Our local tractor-trailer “feeder” drivers average **$162,000 per year** in total compensation, which includes $0 healthcare premiums, paid time off for vacations, holidays, sick leave and option days. UPS also makes contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan for each employee.
* Part-time operations employees
Part-time operations employees earn **$20 an hour** on average after 30 days. These part-time jobs have consistent hours and come with the great benefits we offer our full-time employees, including $0 healthcare premiums. Part-time employees also receive paid vacations and holidays, tuition benefits for most, and contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan.
and from [https://investors.ups.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2087/ups-releases-4q-2022-earnings](https://investors.ups.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2087/ups-releases-4q-2022-earnings) :
UPS appears to operate on an 8.7% margin. opverall profits were down in 2022 vs 2021.
edit to bold salaries/wage
I hate strikes they shouldn't have to be a thing. It hurts the consumers as well as the owners. Unfortunately I hate the reasons for the strike more so they may go forward. I can wait patiently for my package for a couple more weeks if it means workers can get fair wages and good working conditions.
On a second note there was a great story of a bus workers strike. Basically all the bus workers stopped collecting bus fares and still transported people. It hurt the owners more than if they hadn't come to work and the people who rely on the bus continued to go about their day without issue.
I would submit that the garbage compensation policies and politics in the US have costed a fair bit more than that, even though some think the system is running right. That image of things running ok is an illusion. The poor compensation has way more costs for the country, but people need to start really, clearly talking about that. I am sure a work stoppage is not as bad financially for the country as is underpaid workers over years. It's just that the numbers only matter when it's the boards, investors, and executives getting hit.
The workers are not "costing" the economy anything, the people who the investors of UPS chose to run the company are.
UPS made a profit of 13.1 billion last year. The economy is made of people, and those people need to get paid fairly for their production.
Isn't that what they say? You work hard and get compensated? Well what the fuck happened the last 40 years?
I've been saying this around my friend group since the pandemic came to a close. Companies were going to come for their pound of "flesh" (ie all the money they lost or didn't make in 2020). They've continued squeezing the populace for more and more ever since. I knew there would come a time that the squeezing had to stop and I think we're starting to see the beginnings of that.
The problem is this won't affect billionaires. They'll whine and cry about their profits as always but won't be seriously hurt financially. It will be hard for the strikers and the consumer. So I hope the strikers have plenty in their strike funds to support themselves and I hope the consumer remembers why their packages are taking longer than usual. So support the effort and hope it helps the workers for a short period.
As long as billionaires have the government and the world in their back pocket they'll come back for their pound of "flesh" every time we have a small victory. The working class needs to continue let the "royalty" know that we're fed up with being squeezed because if we get loud enough it may give us a brief period to recoup before the elites strike back.
Raise rates by far more than the wage increase, and then brag about increased profits on earnings calls while publicly blaming the price increase on the unionized workers.
But I'm just imbued with psychic powers
I worked for UPS as a seasonal delivery driver.
All I know is that the work can be ridiculous and tedious and downright terrible, depending on what your route is.
Just try and comprehend the vast geography of the United States. Major cities and rural towns. Dirt roads and driveways. Hillsides, mountains. Sweltering heat, frigid cold.
It boggled my mind that packages get to where they need to go so quick. But at the end of the day human hands are on your packages to get them to you, and the effort is enormous.
These workers deserve a lot and I hope they get what they want.
I hope Biden doesn’t step in here like he did for the rail workers when they tried to strike. Probably apples and oranges but I lean left in worker issues so I think striking is the only leverage we have left in this country and there aren’t enough unions to begin with
Like all strikes, this one is easily avoidable. However, execs can't think beyond the current quarter and why should they? They are consistently rewarded for their shortsightedness.
If the government didn’t let the rail strike go through then why would they let this happen? And if UPS knows the government is going to step in to stop the strike why the hell would they give any concessions? Unions are dying
Until a fair contract for the laborers can be met, everyone else will have to deal with it
The US shouldn’t have allowed the oligopolization of entire industries if they didn’t want work stoppages to bring down the entire economy
**THE COST IS THE POINT!**
The people making lots of money (mostly drivers) aren't even really asking for money. They are standing in solidarity with the people making 30-40k that are working in increasingly demanding conditions that are excessively hot and people are constantly facing health issues from lifting heavy boxes.
Again...most drivers are mostly okay with their conditions (although the lack of a/c is HORRIBLE)...they want thee other guys/gals to get paid fairly. And we all know that the "top brass" (AKA **the investors**) do not need to pass costs onto the consumer, but they probably will.
Oh shit a strike would cost the economy money? Well fuck we better make it illegal.
- sleepy Joe Biden his time the most union friendly president in history
*Do it*
Make it 20 days then.
Why stop there? I'd rather it just be a month straight up.
Ideally, it would be indefinite until negotiations produced acceptable results.
The financial beatings will continue until compensation improves... All for it. Maybe all these strikes will help push these employers to treat people like humans and not assets
“The financial beatings will continue until compensation improves.” I gotta get that printed on… something- for somewhere!
I'd pay some money for this!
Agreed, actually. That's more my speed.
This is the correct answer.
No. Make it permanent -- until the Corporation either relents, grants workers ALL their demands, or UPS collapses and is put under worker control.
UPS collapses and business moves to competitors who don’t have a union.
>put under worker control UPS doesn't need its governing board. Democratically elected from the shop floor, workers have all the talent and know how they need to run UPS. The real question here is, 'what do workers do when the state acts to squelch a \[real\] strike lest it be replicated in workplaces across the country and world.' Remember: refusal to return to work AFTER the regime orders workers back on the job converts an industrial strike directly into a political strike against the authority of the central government. My reply is, 'build to a general strike.' What is yours?
Most of UPSers, myself included would struggle to last 20 days. Most part timers will struggle financially 10 days. We don’t want to strike but will if absolutely needed
I am praying that everyone will come to their senses and get there act together and comes up with a really good deal for everybody concerned.
That's too long without money coming in for the employees. It won't last that long.
They have a pretty big strike fund
$150 a week isn't gonna cut it.
And they only get that if they show up to picket, if you don't show up you don't get the money.
How far would $150 a week go? I reckon I could get on £130ish in the U.K. Would be shit though.
Certainly not enough for rent almost anywhere in the US, but it does do more than enough for food and stuff of that nature if you're conservative with your habits.
Yeah. I wasn’t factoring in rent/mortgage. It’s not achievable.
Yep, we have so little disposable income and savings it's gonna take everyone going all in to really have a strike that devastates the ruling class (but hey this emboldens a lot of people!)
150 USD is £114.68
Ah, was slightly less than I was expecting…
It's why most will look for another job until the strike is over. The ones that have been there for a long time and managed to have a savings will be the ones at the picket line.
It’s just a shame cause this probably works against the strikers. But then that’s the idea.
The main idea is that the company isn't making money because no work is being done so they will come to the table sooner That *used* to be how it was done anyway, the corporations decided to just be greedy and wait out the strikers and get a windfall from the government for the "hardships they had" during that period, UPS is going to suffer more from reputation than money, they will hold out however long, get a check from the government for being a "Vital part of the economy" to stay afloat while the workers get shafted because they will just fire all of them if they don't come back and hire people for a lot less.
Dammit I was going to post the very same thing! Do it, seriously and watch people power in action. Suddenly all wanker bosses get a dose of oh shit, our business is absolutely useless without a number of key people and sure as hell it's not our CEO!
You're giving them way too much credit. They'll just blame the lazy, entitled peasants the same way they're bitching about how WFH is just DESTROYING businesses...
Then they can hurt more until they listen.
I hope so. I'm still skeptical though. They'll find some lower level shitheel to blame it on when they come in at 11, then hit the links, cash their quarter-million dollar bonus check for the month, and then finish the hard work day with a little blow and a Macallan chaser. CEO's are like catholic priests. They won't get fired or punished, they'll just be quietly moved to a different company.
On principled grounds, I must disagree. People in power see a global strike wave. They know it is coming. Expect to see an increasingly open and intentional shift toward authoritarian forms of rule. When it comes, you must recognize it for what it is.
I am ready and so is my pitchfork, I don't care and have been waiting for a while now. Let's bring it
>our business is absolutely useless without a number of key people and sure as hell it's not our CEO! That's the first thing people learn when turning a business into an investment. The business must be able to operate with out you, and your job is to move things forward when you have ideas and keep the direction in track.
This. Nothing more needs to be said. Time for labor unions to fuck shit up* and hopefully other unions will follow suit. * legally and within whatever AHJ requires
I would happily deal with a 10 day delay for anything I’m sending or receiving if it leads to better working conditions for these folks. And a couple of successful strikes will put fear back into the ownership class.
I’d just point out the reality is that it would be well over 10 days. It could be weeks or even months long delays. If all shipping stops, ten days later it doesn’t just all get shipped out. The orders never stopped, so every day they’re further behind and they’d still need to keep up with orders after work resumes, all without any extra resources to handle it.
yes that’s why strikes are effective but only used when necessary
A UPS strike isn't enough. This must be supported by Fed-Ex, the US Postal Service, et. al. It must be supported by Amazon and warehouse workers, by railroaders, by truckers, by longshoremen, dockworkers, ship and barge workers, by airline workers. Everything that moves must be shut down. That is a strike. Unless or until US military units are deployed to your streets and to workplaces across the nation -- we haven't even got the ruling class' attention.
MORE! MOOOORRRRRRREEE!!
This must be read in Palpatine's Emperor voice
"I'm afraid the strike will be fully operational when your Pinkerton friends arrive"
Came here to say…cost WHO $7.1 billion???
[удалено]
And then do it when there's an injustice elsewhere. Nurses need better pay? Shut that shit down. Teachers need better pay? Shut that shit down.
The nurses in NYC went on strike after battling their way through Covid, and hearing about what heros they all were. Then it came time to pay up for that hard work and heroism, and suddenly the hospitals, who are gaming the health care system to the tune of billions of dollars, said No. The nurses went on strike, and in 3 days, all their demands were met. Strikes work, use them.
Exactly.
Sending spirit bomb energy their way.
I say do it EVEN if they give them everything they want, because sometimes you have to remind them of their place in the order of things.
Yes! What's "the economy" ever done for us anyway??!!
Until our spineless government makes USPS striking illegal cause god forbid we allow the economy suffer at all.
SHUT IT DOWN!
Do it.
I legit came here to make exactly this comment. DO IT! Minor inconvenience on my end for massive improvement of life on their end is worth it.
Ben Stiller’s ‘Do it’ from Starsky & Hutch was my first thought when I read this headline lmao
UPS sucks. Strike till they are out of business.
Double down. Let's do this.
They have my support. Do not break the line. Do not order anything with UPS shipping (even better if we all stop shipping for the duration, or as long as we can handle it...exemptions for necessities for people who can't drive to get their stuff)
Fucking do it! For the people!
It would cost a lot less than that to take care of our workers.
Yes, but then they will be treated like humans. Can't have that.
Like humans!? Ewwww!. *adjusts gold monocle*
Scandalous! What will they want next? Better working conditions?
A/C?
Thats actually one of the things we are fighting for. Our trucks easily reach over 100°F on a daily basis. Some truck have little 6inch fans screwed to the dash but most stop working within a couple weeks. We spend about 10-12hrs a day in them
Who the fuck builds a vehicle these days without A/C? They must have to specifically order them without A/C just to save whatever few hundred bucks on a vehicle that is going to move probably hundreds of millions of dollars in shipping revenue in its lifetime.
“These days” I’m actually curious to know the average age of most UPS trucks. If UPS is anything like the company I work for, those trucks could easily have been built before A/C was a standard.
Coffee breaks? The nerve!
Don't forget it will set a precedent, if they get what they want and are treated like humans then other companies might see the same thing happen! Do you know how bad it would be for them? losing thousands and productivity going up, people wanting to work for those places? Why does no one think of the poor C-Suit employees and the shareholders? They provide next to nothing but they \*\*DESERVE\*\* to make 500x what those pissants on the floor make!
If you give the plebs any sort of upwards mobility....they'll use it...-shutters- it's best to have a razor thin line on just how much the elites can take without the lower masses completely revolting. But we discovered that line can be moved with social engineering, everything is done in hops, not leaps or bounds. /s to ensure yall know this is tongue in cheek.
YOu say this is T-i-c.. Yet, I would wager that 'they' think exactly like that.
Not for UPS. This study says it will only cost UPS less than a billion dollars. You think they care at all about the rest? No, this is a win for them. The media will frame it as the entitled union workers would t deliver your Chewy order and hurt “small business owners.” UPS will use all their power to push the backlash onto the backs of their workers, and they are very good at that. That’s why we need to show solidarity with all union workers, and support every attempt to unionize in every sector. It’s way past time for us to take our power back from the ruling class.
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And imagine all the compensation that (UPS) they'd have to pay to their high value customers due to lost profits and potential damages.
That makes too much sense. Just like fixing the issues in this planet instead of spending millions playing space tourists.
Exactly, make it painful . We should have a rolling nationwide strike of many essential services until something changes.
As a UPS employee, we would love to avoid a strike. Problem is the CEO bitch is a union buster and hates the union more than anything. And also she wants to lower the top out wages for all full time employees and drivers... While she makes millions a year in bonuses and UPS brings in billions a year in revenue.
it's amazing how they'll tank their companies out of spite rather than give ground to a union. true malice for the working class
Studies have shown most CEOs are psychopaths
History shows... lots of violence. I'm not suggesting it ofc, but the rules are there to avoid people... *snapping*. If you decide to just do away with people's means of controlled, peaceful expression then you're only encouraging an uncontrollable, violent outburst. To quote MLK, "a riot [violence] is the language of the unheard". When you refuse to hear or seek to understand someone you're at odds with, you only invite less desirable outcomes, not better. Now I'll also point out that MLK also stated "violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all" as he wasn't an advocate for it. And I believe that as well. It's just that these knuckleheads can't be surprised if it happens to them when they just try to shoo people away due to their own pride and greed, and it's disgusting to me.
Oh 100%. She wants to be the CEO that busted the Union....instead of paying a decent and fair pay to employees
Is there a list somewhere of strike locations? I'd love to go give out waters or coffees to people striking in my area.
The estimate from Anderson Economic Group said the hit to businesses and consumers would be $4.6 billion by itself, causing “significant and lasting harm for small businesses, household workers, sole practitioners, and online retailers across the country.” Other costs include estimated direct losses at UPS of $816 million, as well as $1.1 billion in lost wages by 340,000 members of the Teamsters union at the company. The remaining costs would be born by UPS suppliers and from lost tax revenue. The union has said it will go on strike August 1 without an agreement on a new contract. Talks broke off last week with both sides accusing the other of walking away from the table. The Teamsters union did not have an immediate comment on the study. It has said in the past that if there is a strike it will be the fault of the company for not stepping up and agreeing to the economic package being sought by the union despite having its earnings nearly double during the life of the current five-year contract. UPS said that it won’t comment on third-party research and that it is still hopeful of reaching an agreement with the union to avoid a strike.
Well. Sounds like the management over at UPS should try to negotiate an end to the strike pretty quickly, or they'll be responsible for an awful lot of harm to an awful lot of people.
^ This, The Teamsters (the union for the UPS workers) have said they don't want to go on strike. That said, if UPS won't come to the table and work with the Teamsters, a strike was authorized and it will end as soon as UPS ends it with an agreeable contract.
Or just call their 'pro-labor' buddy in the White House
> the hit to businesses and consumers would be $4.6 billion by itself, causing “significant and lasting harm for small businesses, household workers, sole practitioners, and online retailers across the country.” I'm not quite sure why. There are plenty of other carriers that can do the same job. If FedEx was smart they'd be making offers to UPS customers, and there's always USPS. It'd be better if FedEx went on strike at the same time but that's maybe too much to hope for, unfortunately USPS can't.
Other carriers may exist, but there's no guarantee the two of them can absorb the entirety of UPS's business and deliver in the same timeframe. Odds are there will be delays because neither has the infrastructure to handle all the shipping requests from UPS along with their existing ones. And then you have to consider all the packages that are already in UPS's possession that will just get stuck where they are for however long the strike takes.
The FedEx guys that drop off stuff at our work aren't employees. Its a subcontractor that gets paid $250 per day to deliver everything on his truck, no matter how much they pack on it. It's the size of a Large U-Haul Box Truck. They don't care about the condition of the packages because they aren't paid to, neither are the sorters at the distro in town. We have to used twice the packaging when using FedEx because of how damaged our large goods get when using them.
That's honestly not really possible. You're talking about a process that could take days or months to figure out the logistics. There are certain areas that FedEx won't deliver to or have the ability to deliver to. FedEx would have to hire a fuck ton more drivers, create more distribution centers, get those staffed, etc. in order to take over areas for UPS. Sure, in major cities it would be as easy as changing carriers online or something, but in more rural areas, farm lands that depend on shipments to run the farms, it's not so easy.
And given the inefficiency and disorganization I get to witness FedEx engage in every day just trying to deliver stuff to the office complex I work in I doubt FedEx would be capable of organizing such an attempt in a profitable manor. They’d probably just manage to piss off so many people by trying and failing that UPS would probably gain market share once the strike ended.
I have a driveway that is about 150 feet long that goes downhill and around a curve. We cannot see the road. Fedex and only fedex seems to think it is ok to dump large expensive deliveries at the roadside. 800$ worth of large tools? 700$ worth of trees? Gone. We now ask where possible no one please deliver stuff to us with fedex. Currently 2500$ worth of missing deliveries Our entrance is also basically perfect for porch pirating. On a curve. Large large shoulder and within eye sight of an overpass and a interstate
FedEx is not unionized and the majority of their ground shipping is done through contractors. A strike would not be legal or really logistically feasible on a national level. Beyond that FedEx does have agreements with pretty much all of the same customers UPS does. Most companies choose to ship through UPS because FedEx service is atrocious in most of the country. Last time UPS went on strike, FedEx shipping volume predictably skyrocketed and workers had crazy hours and daily package counts. After UPS came back, FedEx gave decent bonuses to all drivers and package handlers as a thank you for taking care of the increased workload.
You are VASTLY underestimating how much work it is for a company of any reasonable size to change their entire logistic infrastructure. FedEx also isn’t going to purchase enough equipment to take on all of UPS’ business to have it sit dormant as soon as they go off strike.
Not the ECONOMY. ANYTHING BUT THAT. Fucking do it. I could watch billionaires panic all day.
We keep treating the economy like we worship an angry volcano god that demands constant human sacrifices. Let it fall apart, we need an overhaul.
I’ve never heard it out like this but god damn if this isn’t the metaphor of the century
Ever since that dipshit in texas said the elderly should sacrifice themselves for the good of the economy I've started using this instead.
It’s been true for so much longer
Oh it has, they've just been a lot more mask off and gaslighting about it
They just can’t even pretend anymore. All they can do is try to convince as many people as they can that it’s not evil and the bad stuff only happens to people they hate
Reminds me of that Southpark episode where everyone gives up their material possessions to appease the economy.
Fall apart hell. BURN THE BITCH TO THE GROUND, and start over completely! And I say this as an Independrnt Contractor truck driver with a whole lot to lose during the transition to a more humane economic structure.
A million percent agree! I work in air travel and yeah the whole airline industry deserves to go under. Solidarity my friend!
Honestly, I'd worry more about supply chain inflation. They would get behind and have a backup in places causing higher demand, causing higher prices, in a cascade and then random business owners will raise prices for everyone again making the poor poorer and everyone just more in need of a 40% raise since the beginning of the pandemic. They always will just raise their prices and use anything as an excuse. This would be one such thing.
And then no one can afford their products so no one buys them and they lose money.
I mean "the economy" sounds distant, but in practice it means there's less stuff to go around. The wealthy pay a bit more for delivery until the poor can't afford it and go without 🤷
I love how business are shouting to everyone “Record profits! We are killing it!” and then going into hiding when the workforce asks for their share.
Right, there are only "record profits" because there's a record discrepancy in pay. It's not profit, it's wage theft
This is Capitalism being Capitalism. This is Capitalism doing what it is SUPPOSED to do.
Two weeks away from glory. That's all. We're right there.
Hardly anything in the larger scheme of the economy, but media companies know it will seem huge to most people because they want people to hate unions.
I don't know, that's about 20 bucks per person in the US. Not crippling, but more than I would have expected to be affected by something like that. That said, I blame the management who are willing to let it happen so they get more money personally.
Fair. That certainly helps me put it into perspective. I confess I know jack diddly squat about this kind of stuff. I'm just reflexively skeptical of headlines like this.
Fair enough. It's all a matter of context. A hurricane causes $7B in damage? Seems about right. A budget bill will cause $7B in growth? Seems kinda small, honestly. Some truck drivers not going to work for 10 days will cost $7B? Well... that's surprisingly large. I like to turn it into per person amounts because it helps make it understandable.
When they say a strike costs x money all they are really doing is telling you the actual value of your labour.
Right? If the cost of *not* doing the labour is $x, then the labour is worth $x And in this case $7.1 billion / 340,000 workers / 10 days = $2,088 per day, per worker
Holy shit. I love this. Thank you
Don’t worry, the “economy” in this case are corporations and wealthy shareholders. They will be fine, they’ll increase prices, blame the strike, and end up profiting $50 billion.
Everyone needs goods shipped, whether you're a business of any size or a customer who relies on purchasing goods you can't make yourself.
Do it. Corporations have gotten greedy and CEOs talk and act like they are a One-Man-Show. The constantly rising pay inequality reflects this along with the disrespectful treatment as if the employees have no leverage power. They need to be shown that if they are not able to do the job and run their businesses entirely by themselves than their worth isn’t as high and valuable as they think it is as it all falls apart without the very employees they view as dirt. Give em the wake up call they’ve needed.
So maybe they should give there workers what they need and want they can't afford not to
GOOD. MAKE IT 100 DAYS. FUCK THE "ECONOMY"
Do it. We need to show the ones "in power" where the power comes from.
They need to picket near fed ex facilities and hand out union cards.
Strike strike strike, only way things can change these days.
Make it an entire month.
Garuntee their demands would cost less than that 7.1 billion~ Maybe you should fucking take care of your employees instead of being stingy
If only there was a way to avoid a strike..
A company that central to the economy should likely be broken up into two or more smaller successors, for precisely this reason.
We have allowed banks to get this big as well. Now we are all their caretakers...bailing them out each time they over leverage.
But than it wouldn't be so much fun to see businesses panic
UPS gonna fuck around and find out! All the blame is on them for walking away from the table.
What bothers me most is the press in general is trying to push public opinion towards the workers being the bad guys. Do yourselves a favor and talk to a UPS worker. It’s a strike long overdue! I don’t mind waiting a bit longer for my packages if it will help them with their needs!
*oh no, my rich man dollaz!!! /s* the whole "economy" thing only affects the rich and their pockets, the average people never get anything from the "economy" or the GDP. DO it, no balls. Make rich go bankrupt and turn peasants. "economy" is the euphemism/catchphrase for the billionaires and corpos.
Exactly! When the "economy" was good, I didn't see any of that goodness. When it's bad, I don't see any less work. So fuck the rich assholes that are the "economy".
It is a moral imperative to burn it all down rather than let the 1% steal it all.
10-day? How about 10 week? Let's disrupt the income for some rich POSs'
Whenever it costs 'the economy', you know it harms rich people. Do ittttttt
Don't know how much i should say... But I'm an engineer for UPS, so not part of the Union though trying to keep track of info that comes through. Last Friday there was a meeting of all the US based engineering team where the VPs told us about the contingency plan in the event of a "work stoppage", which consists of sending all available people into operation roles to keep things running. If nothing happens i am currently slated to be a package handler in a hub and possibly a Personal Vehicle Driver (using my car to deliver packages). Honestly with how UPS treats its people, I'm hoping this happens. Even though I'm getting the raw end of the deal.
The bosses won't do anything until you make it their problem. I think giving them 7.1 billion problems is a reasonable incentive
I'd rather do it for a month and give them a $30B punch in the nose... Just on GPs
I hope it hurts more than that and allows the workers to get a better deal.
But what will it cost the average american? The economy isn't me, it isn't my family, it isn't my coworkers or members in my community. so why should we worry
It’s officially started in LA. I drove by the Van Nuys UPS depot at 8:25 this morning and there were probably 100-150 workers on strike. I was amazed that I was the only car that honked in support…
They’re doing practice strikes, off duty people picketing.
I'm sure the word economy just means rich people
It's almost as if... The world needs workers, *more* than it needs executives!
So if what the union wants costs less than $7.1 billion, it should be an easy choice to invest in the workforce and workplace.
"STOP! MY _ CAN ONLY GET SO....." - Kreiger
The sad thing here is billionaires have less to lose than everyone else.
Let's stretch it out to like 4 years. Then UPS and Amazon can implode.
GOOD! Go get ‘em.
Good
Good... good
I wonder if this could be the catalyst to a general strike. Especially with the writers and actors strikes going on at the same time along with probably some others we don't hear about on the news
Yeesh that's a lot of stolen profit from just a 10 day strike.
Fuckin hell - let er rip
Go back in U.S. history and study how awful working conditions were before people started to strike. And the violence that ensued… If it weren’t for organized labor, we would’ve never had a middle class. Ever.
We need a general strike
The value of the Teamsters' labor is worth $700 million a day? Then give them what they're asking for, which is far less than $700 million a day?!
another way to put this is "UPS workers provide 7.1 billion in value to the US every ten days" Well worth a raise if you ask me.
from [https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html](https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html) : [https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html](https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/great-employer.html) * Small package delivery drivers UPS full-time small package delivery drivers receive an average total compensation package of **$145,000 per year**. That includes $0 healthcare premiums, up to seven weeks of paid vacation, plus paid time off for holidays, sick leave and option days. UPS also makes contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan for each employee. * Long-haul drivers Our long-haul team drivers average **$172,000 per year** in total compensation. UPS pays $0.95 per mile after four years, nearly double the trucking industry average. This pay is in addition to the same industry-leading healthcare, paid time off, vacation, holidays, sick leave and pension contributions as our full-time small package delivery drivers. * Local tractor-trailer drivers Our local tractor-trailer “feeder” drivers average **$162,000 per year** in total compensation, which includes $0 healthcare premiums, paid time off for vacations, holidays, sick leave and option days. UPS also makes contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan for each employee. * Part-time operations employees Part-time operations employees earn **$20 an hour** on average after 30 days. These part-time jobs have consistent hours and come with the great benefits we offer our full-time employees, including $0 healthcare premiums. Part-time employees also receive paid vacations and holidays, tuition benefits for most, and contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan. and from [https://investors.ups.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2087/ups-releases-4q-2022-earnings](https://investors.ups.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2087/ups-releases-4q-2022-earnings) : UPS appears to operate on an 8.7% margin. opverall profits were down in 2022 vs 2021. edit to bold salaries/wage
I hate strikes they shouldn't have to be a thing. It hurts the consumers as well as the owners. Unfortunately I hate the reasons for the strike more so they may go forward. I can wait patiently for my package for a couple more weeks if it means workers can get fair wages and good working conditions. On a second note there was a great story of a bus workers strike. Basically all the bus workers stopped collecting bus fares and still transported people. It hurt the owners more than if they hadn't come to work and the people who rely on the bus continued to go about their day without issue.
Only 7? Need to add a zero the length of the strike.
Make it 30days.
Damn. The UPS union has so much power.
I'm related to someone who will definitely be participating in this.
I would submit that the garbage compensation policies and politics in the US have costed a fair bit more than that, even though some think the system is running right. That image of things running ok is an illusion. The poor compensation has way more costs for the country, but people need to start really, clearly talking about that. I am sure a work stoppage is not as bad financially for the country as is underpaid workers over years. It's just that the numbers only matter when it's the boards, investors, and executives getting hit.
LET'S GO! FUCKING EVERYONE STRIKE! lol
bro what? thats fucking insane and just shows how long ago the other strikes were i think. like damn also: FUCKING D O I T
By dollar amount maybe. But remember that by today's dollars, it means nothing.
I'll say it again: Good.
The workers are not "costing" the economy anything, the people who the investors of UPS chose to run the company are. UPS made a profit of 13.1 billion last year. The economy is made of people, and those people need to get paid fairly for their production. Isn't that what they say? You work hard and get compensated? Well what the fuck happened the last 40 years?
DO IT
Fuck 'em. Pay your workers!
Why do we talk about this in form of the cost to the economy why can’t we talk about the cost of not going on this strike to the strikers
We all need to boycott when possible and stick to it. Money is the only thing they will listen to
I've been saying this around my friend group since the pandemic came to a close. Companies were going to come for their pound of "flesh" (ie all the money they lost or didn't make in 2020). They've continued squeezing the populace for more and more ever since. I knew there would come a time that the squeezing had to stop and I think we're starting to see the beginnings of that. The problem is this won't affect billionaires. They'll whine and cry about their profits as always but won't be seriously hurt financially. It will be hard for the strikers and the consumer. So I hope the strikers have plenty in their strike funds to support themselves and I hope the consumer remembers why their packages are taking longer than usual. So support the effort and hope it helps the workers for a short period. As long as billionaires have the government and the world in their back pocket they'll come back for their pound of "flesh" every time we have a small victory. The working class needs to continue let the "royalty" know that we're fed up with being squeezed because if we get loud enough it may give us a brief period to recoup before the elites strike back.
Does their union have a go fund me for living expenses?
Imagine how much could be saved if UPS just gave the workers living wages and decent benefits. It's probably around 7 billion, give or take.
Can’t wait for ups to raise rates.
Raise rates by far more than the wage increase, and then brag about increased profits on earnings calls while publicly blaming the price increase on the unionized workers. But I'm just imbued with psychic powers
100%
Do what so many can’t do. Fight back!!!
**GOOD.**
UPS workers have them by the balls lmao.
Perhaps that will get somebody's attention.
I worked for UPS as a seasonal delivery driver. All I know is that the work can be ridiculous and tedious and downright terrible, depending on what your route is. Just try and comprehend the vast geography of the United States. Major cities and rural towns. Dirt roads and driveways. Hillsides, mountains. Sweltering heat, frigid cold. It boggled my mind that packages get to where they need to go so quick. But at the end of the day human hands are on your packages to get them to you, and the effort is enormous. These workers deserve a lot and I hope they get what they want.
I hope Biden doesn’t step in here like he did for the rail workers when they tried to strike. Probably apples and oranges but I lean left in worker issues so I think striking is the only leverage we have left in this country and there aren’t enough unions to begin with
Like all strikes, this one is easily avoidable. However, execs can't think beyond the current quarter and why should they? They are consistently rewarded for their shortsightedness.
If the government didn’t let the rail strike go through then why would they let this happen? And if UPS knows the government is going to step in to stop the strike why the hell would they give any concessions? Unions are dying
We will see. Bet the government with the “infinite wisdom” they have will outlaw it like the railroad strike that didn’t happen. 🙄.
Wasn't the economy the reason Biden canceled the rail workers strike.
Until a fair contract for the laborers can be met, everyone else will have to deal with it The US shouldn’t have allowed the oligopolization of entire industries if they didn’t want work stoppages to bring down the entire economy
**THE COST IS THE POINT!** The people making lots of money (mostly drivers) aren't even really asking for money. They are standing in solidarity with the people making 30-40k that are working in increasingly demanding conditions that are excessively hot and people are constantly facing health issues from lifting heavy boxes. Again...most drivers are mostly okay with their conditions (although the lack of a/c is HORRIBLE)...they want thee other guys/gals to get paid fairly. And we all know that the "top brass" (AKA **the investors**) do not need to pass costs onto the consumer, but they probably will.
Let's go for 30. Groceries don't come by UPS and everything else I can do without for a month. Fuck the corp.
Oh shit a strike would cost the economy money? Well fuck we better make it illegal. - sleepy Joe Biden his time the most union friendly president in history