767-300ER
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2003
- Posts
- 156
Hello folks this is Tom Nicholson with the EB hotline for October 2,
2004.
_____________________________________________________________________
By now you have seen the IPA Press Release to the public concerning the
status of our current round of talks. You have also had the opportunity
to review UPS's three (3) releases to our crewmembers on the same
subject. As you might expect the two accounts of the weeks past
activities are significantly different.
The first part of the week began with a presentation on the finances of
UPS and their ability to be competitive in the world market. The data
they presented was elementary, but when viewed in combination with the
UPS quarterly analyst reports to investors, the company actually
reinforced their outstanding financial status, competitive posture and
growth potential. With record profits and consistent dividends it is
difficult to paint a poor economic picture for UPS. Continuing with
financial issues, IPA then presented the company and the NMB mediators
with corrections to the UPS analysis of the IPA compensation proposal.
The analysis from UPS was not as detailed as the proposal presented by
the IPA, nor did it reflect an accurate state of the costing involved in
our proposals. In the end, the parties gained greater understanding and
accuracy of the costing models, but no movement was made toward an
agreement.
Jim Hall, former NTSB chairman and consultant to the IPA provided
insight and clarity to the scheduling discussions at the table. He
emphasized the importance of corporate culture in protecting the health,
safety, and welfare of employees. The IPA has been working for months
with the company on detailed scheduling articles only to have their
efforts dismissed as "expensive". In our opinion, money should not be
the only overriding factor when it comes to the health of our
crewmembers. In fact, we have shown the company that when they
distribute the workload equitably and properly align their staffing the
costs will be the same or less than current practice. Smarter
management of crew staffing, like reducing to the reserve coverage to
20% , instead of the 50% reserves that we currently have on some
fleets, will allow for circadian compliant schedules that actually cost
the company no more money.
On January 29th 2004, we listened carefully when Scott Davis UPS CFO
said he was "very optimistic we will get it done", as he spoke about our
March deadline for mediation. Then in April he said, "...hopefully we
can get something resolved before mediation". He also said, "We're very
optimistic that we will get this thing resolved". Based on Mr. Davis'
statements, we gave our contract proposals to the company thinking they
were serious about expedited talks only to be told they were not ready
to talk about "economic" articles. I think it would be in order for Mr.
Davis to consult with the current negotiators at the table before he
puts together his October analyst call.
In the original draft for this hotline I had started to counter the
information given to the crewmembers in the three (3) articles from UPS.
I have decided not to do this. The fact is everyone, including our
crewmembers, our customers, our competitors, and even UPS management
knows the real story. As we go into our third year of talks we will
follow the direction of the NMB and continue to share our data, our
consultant's expertise, and most importantly our good faith efforts to
attain an agreement that balances safety with profitability.
The IPA has been accused of unfair rhetoric concerning our latest Press
Release. Let me make one thing very clear. Rhetoric cannot disguise
the fact that not one of the five major issues of our contract proposal,
which include Scope, Scheduling, Retirement, Health Benefits, and
Compensation, are even close to being resolved. And, rhetoric cannot
disguise the fact that the IPA will not be the ones responsible while
DHL and FedEx slowly chip away at the volume and profits of UPS. As we
talk, talk, talk, the clock is ticking.
2004.
_____________________________________________________________________
By now you have seen the IPA Press Release to the public concerning the
status of our current round of talks. You have also had the opportunity
to review UPS's three (3) releases to our crewmembers on the same
subject. As you might expect the two accounts of the weeks past
activities are significantly different.
The first part of the week began with a presentation on the finances of
UPS and their ability to be competitive in the world market. The data
they presented was elementary, but when viewed in combination with the
UPS quarterly analyst reports to investors, the company actually
reinforced their outstanding financial status, competitive posture and
growth potential. With record profits and consistent dividends it is
difficult to paint a poor economic picture for UPS. Continuing with
financial issues, IPA then presented the company and the NMB mediators
with corrections to the UPS analysis of the IPA compensation proposal.
The analysis from UPS was not as detailed as the proposal presented by
the IPA, nor did it reflect an accurate state of the costing involved in
our proposals. In the end, the parties gained greater understanding and
accuracy of the costing models, but no movement was made toward an
agreement.
Jim Hall, former NTSB chairman and consultant to the IPA provided
insight and clarity to the scheduling discussions at the table. He
emphasized the importance of corporate culture in protecting the health,
safety, and welfare of employees. The IPA has been working for months
with the company on detailed scheduling articles only to have their
efforts dismissed as "expensive". In our opinion, money should not be
the only overriding factor when it comes to the health of our
crewmembers. In fact, we have shown the company that when they
distribute the workload equitably and properly align their staffing the
costs will be the same or less than current practice. Smarter
management of crew staffing, like reducing to the reserve coverage to
20% , instead of the 50% reserves that we currently have on some
fleets, will allow for circadian compliant schedules that actually cost
the company no more money.
On January 29th 2004, we listened carefully when Scott Davis UPS CFO
said he was "very optimistic we will get it done", as he spoke about our
March deadline for mediation. Then in April he said, "...hopefully we
can get something resolved before mediation". He also said, "We're very
optimistic that we will get this thing resolved". Based on Mr. Davis'
statements, we gave our contract proposals to the company thinking they
were serious about expedited talks only to be told they were not ready
to talk about "economic" articles. I think it would be in order for Mr.
Davis to consult with the current negotiators at the table before he
puts together his October analyst call.
In the original draft for this hotline I had started to counter the
information given to the crewmembers in the three (3) articles from UPS.
I have decided not to do this. The fact is everyone, including our
crewmembers, our customers, our competitors, and even UPS management
knows the real story. As we go into our third year of talks we will
follow the direction of the NMB and continue to share our data, our
consultant's expertise, and most importantly our good faith efforts to
attain an agreement that balances safety with profitability.
The IPA has been accused of unfair rhetoric concerning our latest Press
Release. Let me make one thing very clear. Rhetoric cannot disguise
the fact that not one of the five major issues of our contract proposal,
which include Scope, Scheduling, Retirement, Health Benefits, and
Compensation, are even close to being resolved. And, rhetoric cannot
disguise the fact that the IPA will not be the ones responsible while
DHL and FedEx slowly chip away at the volume and profits of UPS. As we
talk, talk, talk, the clock is ticking.
