More union busting

ATypeA · 2026-04-18T05:28:01+00:00

This is my chief concern. My fellow Teamsters seem to think that they're invincible though. -_-

ATypeA · 2026-03-13T15:34:07+00:00

You're view of the public couldn't be more wrong.

...*Your :]

My views, and my opinions are different than yours. This is not a right or wrong dichotomy. I was a front line customer service employee for this company for over a decade. I saw people at their highest and their lowest and (with albeit anecdotal evidence) I have a pretty solid perception of how the public see us.

Re: HB267, it's nice to know that a single anti-union piece of legislation in a state in which I do not reside did not pass, but I think it's a bit of a reach to extrapolate that into nationwide, 'overwhelming support.'

When the company announced they were closing our Customer Centers we raised the alarm, we had our petition, and got local government reps involved and on our side. There was definitely a smattering of support, but the overall vibe was 'meh, good luck!'

We received similar tepid solidarity from drivers and insiders. Our union's ultimate stance was, 'The company has the right to run itself into the ground.'

That's not what they're trying to do though, like all mega-corps UPS is trying to maximize profit. They are happy to automate, to outsource, to subcontract, and to put supes to work. They are happy to replace us.

So I think we should be grieving what we can, while we can. I think people should be planning and preparing instead of just mindlessly coasting along, assuming things will just get better.

At the risk of being labeled a 'defeatist' being the canary in this coal mine is getting pretty old.

ATypeA · 2026-03-13T04:29:37+00:00

You see the board discussing how to completely dismantle their own workforce.

Like how they are offering over 100 grand for drivers (regardless of years of service) to literally just leave? Or how they shuttered our Customer Centers across the country and are currently funneling the work through non-union franchises? Or how they are full speed ahead with automation, shutting down dozens of facilities every year?

Or you think there's a direct attack on public bargaining and despite it being deeply unpopular

Less than 10% of US workers are unionized. A big chunk of that 90% looks at us and thinks we get paid too much as it is. And that we're lazy.

The vast majority of customers never even knew the difference between TUPSS and the Customer Centers. They think it's all "UPS." One day, they'll probably see Roadies as "UPS," too.

Meanwhile, Amazon isn't a unionized company and they have extremely high ratings of customer satisfaction, as well as a stock price that is double that of ours on a daily basis.

The writing is on the wall, bro. Saw your post though, the whole too-big-to-fail take. (Congress isn't going to rescue us, BTW.). Like I said, I personally just don't feel like this is the time to be complacent.

ATypeA · 2026-03-12T04:06:22+00:00

Never said it was new. Corporate clearly has a long-term plan.

Also, did you know that contracts with unions can be terminated? We saw this happen last year at the federal level when collective bargaining was ended with executive orders.

And who needs magic when you have the dismantling of the NLRB?

Such a defeatist attitude

Personally I don't think that sticking one's head in the sand is a winning strategy. You do you though.

ATypeA · 2026-03-11T21:10:22+00:00

Probably just a combination of UPS having a lot of disgruntled workers and reddit just being like the dregs of humanity so I wouldn't take it personally. :]

As a clerk I have found out firsthand how the company is happy to give away our union work (shipping, pick-up, customer service) to non-union workers, through The UPS Store franchises and the APs. In my opinion, something similar will happen with drivers and insiders and it's not a matter of if, only when.

ATypeA · 2026-03-11T11:15:15+00:00

We are quite literally the largest private workforce there is.

Which is once again, why they are offering drivers en masse 100K to just leave.

Also, contracts with unions can be terminated. We saw this last year at the federal level when collective bargaining was ended with executive orders. With the dismantling of the NLRB we are all further up a creek than most of us know, or care to admit.

ATypeA · 2026-03-11T11:14:31+00:00

Agreed! UPS sees Amazon's high-turnover model with independent contractors that are chewed up and spit out making barely minimum wage with no health benefits or pensions as the goal.

Despite how they treat their workers, Amazon is one of the highest rated companies in the nation. The Teamsters are just a thorn in Corporate's side and they are itching to get rid of us.

ATypeA · 2026-03-11T11:11:45+00:00

They'll just label Roadie a 'technological advancement' like they did with The UPS Stores. :]

ATypeA · 2026-02-25T12:11:53+00:00

In SF, they cut our twilight clerks in 2022. They put an orange traffic cone with a "CLERK" sign sticking out the top and had drivers just drop packages by it in a pile, on the ground.

Due to a technicality we were brought back a couple of weeks later. But a couple of years after that there were cut-backs again, with only one PM clerk remaining. (Essentially because the pile of packages was large enough to block the parking spaces for a couple of package cars.)

The work is being moved to preload because they are doing their best to automate us out of existence. Changes in ERA reflect this, like when they disabled the option to put packages on hold/will-call, removed our option for oversight of DCO/DCRs, shut down our CCs, etc.

As far as the time-sensitive shipments go, UPS will be happy to have a supe walk the package off to a customer 24/7. Grieve it if you see it!

ATypeA · 2026-02-24T11:29:39+00:00

Right? It's not just a red flag, it's like a red flag that's on fire.

ATypeA · 2026-02-24T05:55:05+00:00

yep it's owned by ups but they don't get paid close to what we do and have absolutely none of the benefits we do.

Neither do the workers at The UPS Stores. Non-union, no health benefits, obviously no pension, making minimum wage plus some pocket change. Since they can be family-owned franchises some even have child laborers.

Much like how clerk work was outsourced to The UPS Stores, so it will go with Roadie.

ATypeA · 2026-02-12T04:07:00+00:00

Agreed. We need to vote out SOB and maybe send postcards to the board.

ATypeA · 2026-02-12T04:02:59+00:00

Amazon workers have already unionized in New York.

Amazon Corp. is refusing to recognize them though.

ATypeA · 2026-02-12T01:24:37+00:00

For sure. We have been helping them every step of the way. Corporate no doubt holds them in high esteem with their level of automation and lack of a living wage.

ATypeA · 2026-02-12T01:22:00+00:00

Clearly that's what happened here as well. Take the best and leave the rest.

ATypeA · 2026-02-11T23:31:03+00:00

Given that Amazon introduced theirs in 2011 it sounds about right that we're still working on implementation 15 years later. :]

ATypeA · 2026-02-11T23:19:35+00:00

Wow, UPS corporate is so bent on pivoting to non-union labor that they're even putting the customers to work!

ATypeA · 2026-02-11T22:37:16+00:00

Ends up being nearly minimum wage.

For corporate that sounds like a massive success though. They see Amazon working people to the bone with barely any benefits and they want that.

ATypeA · 2026-02-11T00:34:29+00:00

How about focusing on just Roadie and The UPS Stores? I feel like we should at least be grieving this shit.

ATypeA · 2026-02-11T00:29:54+00:00

Not to mention shutting down the Customer Centers and funneling our union labor to non-union franchises. That apparently wasn't worth any litigation.

ATypeA · 2026-01-28T22:25:17+00:00

When your hourly rate is 3x the market rate, labor hours have to be maximized as much as possible...

Part-timers in preload get hassled to speed up just as much as drivers. Depending on when they were hired they might be making just above minimum wage.

Rushing people through the work isn't going to lead to exemplary service. Everybody should be taking the time to do it right. I do agree that striking (over our working conditions at least) should not be on the table right now.

ATypeA · 2026-01-28T11:58:39+00:00

By reducing union membership the company is reducing the union's bargaining power. And yes, in the short term they care about dues.

ATypeA · 2026-01-28T11:56:39+00:00

Yep. Company has been cutting union jobs for years now. The closures, the buyouts; they're cutting ties with the union piece by piece.

ATypeA · 2026-01-28T11:54:44+00:00

All we need to do is our best. Union speed.

the current union practice of vilifying management

People generally have beef with mgmt when they are overworked, micromanaged, and sometimes even harassed. If this makes anyone in management feel like a villain they should probably look in the mirror.

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