United Parcel Service (UPS) Contract
The United Parcel Service (UPS) strike in 1997 was the most important labor victory in recent years. It was fought under the reform leadership of then-Teamsters president, Ron Carey, and was won due to the courage and determination of UPS workers.
Now Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. will negotiate with UPS. What can the 200,000 Teamsters at UPS expect from Junior? If given the chance, he will talk tough and settle short. This is the most important contract he will negotiate this year, and he has no experience with UPS. They are a rich company. If the Teamsters had a campaign that mobilized the members like in '97, they could win a strong contract.
Hoffa is more interested in cuddling up to George Bush than building a fighting contract campaign. He wants Bush to remove the Independent Review Board that was imposed on the union 10 years ago. The reform movement is challenging Hoffa's power. He'll never get the members to stop fighting for change. He hopes he can get the Independent Review Board to back off, leaving him a free hand to turn back the tide of rank and file opposition.
The workers at UPS will have to rally around the leadership of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union, to stop Hoffa Junior from selling out at the bargaining table.