Comments on: Teamsters: We Promise not to use Guns and Knives (wink, wink) http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2008/05/01/teamsters-we-promise-not-to-use-guns-and-knives-wink-wink/ Beating Them With Their Own Sickle And Hammer Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:24:34 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: golden phoenix http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2008/05/01/teamsters-we-promise-not-to-use-guns-and-knives-wink-wink/comment-page-1/#comment-85574 golden phoenix Thu, 01 May 2008 20:47:33 +0000 http://www.stoptheaclu.com/?p=8437#comment-85574 The TEAMSTERS are about one of the nations most corrupt labor unions around and a few years ago a brother and sister were roughed up by teamster thugs when they were protesting against the appearence of BILL CLINTON but they sued the phildelphia teamster thugs The TEAMSTERS are about one of the nations most corrupt labor unions around and a few years ago a brother and sister were roughed up by teamster thugs when they were protesting against the appearence of BILL CLINTON but they sued the phildelphia teamster thugs

]]> By: Union Activist http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2008/05/01/teamsters-we-promise-not-to-use-guns-and-knives-wink-wink/comment-page-1/#comment-85570 Union Activist Thu, 01 May 2008 18:03:53 +0000 http://www.stoptheaclu.com/?p=8437#comment-85570 This is all very interesting, but what the author fails to mention is that a) this is referencing a strike that took place nearly a decade ago, b) Overnite has since been acquired by UPS and has become UPS Freight and c) The Teamsters have, to date, signed up more than 11,000 of the 12,600 former Overnite workers and have a national contract protecting their rights in what has been a very successful campaign devoid of the type of issues the author has outlined. What does this tell us? That perhaps all those workers who went on strike 10 years ago just wanted a voice in the workplace. Admitedly it was a nasty strike with some very frustrated workers who may have resorted to some of these tactics in retailiation to vicious antiunion methods employed by Overnite. When Overnite's management was dismissed and UPS Freight took over, the path to unionization has been extremely smooth. Coincidence? It definitely is not fair to paint the current members, organizers and officers with the broad brush that the author has wielded in this editorial, referring to the actions outlined in the agreement as their 'bag of tricks'. UPS is a extremely successful company that is completely unionized. The more than 220,000 workers are all Teamsters. UPS has been successful because of its union workforce, not despite it. FedEx is viciously antiunion utilizing a bogus independent contractor scam to deny its workers the ability to unionize and rob them of the basic rights direct employees are entitled to. FedEx is now the target of the IRS, the Federal Court system and state attorney generals and has had to pay millions of dollars in fines and settlements because of their scam with more to follow. Would FedEx be better off allowing their employees to organize? Who knows, but they are paying for their violations now. There is no debate that unions are important institutions that are seemingly the only consistent advocate for working Americans. We have a middle class because of unions and unions continue the fight to protect the dwindling middle class today. This is all very interesting, but what the author fails to mention is that a) this is referencing a strike that took place nearly a decade ago, b) Overnite has since been acquired by UPS and has become UPS Freight and c) The Teamsters have, to date, signed up more than 11,000 of the 12,600 former Overnite workers and have a national contract protecting their rights in what has been a very successful campaign devoid of the type of issues the author has outlined.

What does this tell us? That perhaps all those workers who went on strike 10 years ago just wanted a voice in the workplace. Admitedly it was a nasty strike with some very frustrated workers who may have resorted to some of these tactics in retailiation to vicious antiunion methods employed by Overnite. When Overnite’s management was dismissed and UPS Freight took over, the path to unionization has been extremely smooth. Coincidence?

It definitely is not fair to paint the current members, organizers and officers with the broad brush that the author has wielded in this editorial, referring to the actions outlined in the agreement as their ‘bag of tricks’.

UPS is a extremely successful company that is completely unionized. The more than 220,000 workers are all Teamsters. UPS has been successful because of its union workforce, not despite it.

FedEx is viciously antiunion utilizing a bogus independent contractor scam to deny its workers the ability to unionize and rob them of the basic rights direct employees are entitled to. FedEx is now the target of the IRS, the Federal Court system and state attorney generals and has had to pay millions of dollars in fines and settlements because of their scam with more to follow. Would FedEx be better off allowing their employees to organize? Who knows, but they are paying for their violations now.

There is no debate that unions are important institutions that are seemingly the only consistent advocate for working Americans. We have a middle class because of unions and unions continue the fight to protect the dwindling middle class today.

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