It was reported today that 90 percent of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters members have voted to strike against employer UPS (United Parcel Service). At issue is the company's possible seven-day-per-week delivery schedule, which would then include deliveries on Sunday. A strike isn't definite, but is possible.
The relationship between UPS and the Teamsters has been rocky for years. Former president Ron Carey led a strike against UPS back in 1997 that lasted for about two weeks. The Clinton Administration assisted the union by failing to invoke strike limits made available in the Taft-Hartley Act. This allowed Carey and the Teamsters to claim victory against UPS, but most agreed at the time that the union's gains were modest.
According to the the Center for Responsive Politics, the Teamsters have contributed 95 percent of their spending to liberals and Democrats since the early 1990s. And InfluenceWatch has documented close ties between the union and Bill Clinton: “In 1995, the Clinton Administration had become concerned by the Teamsters’ cash flow problems, which were hurting party coffers. The Clinton White House put Deputy Chief of Staff Harold M. Ickes in charge of a 'Get Cash from Carey' project, seeking to arrange labor decisions in the Teamsters’ favor in the hope of getting support from the union.”
Last year, UPS Teamsters were urged to demand information about the lobbying activity of UPS. On the Teamster website, an action alert from April 6, 2017 stated that, “A Teamster-sponsored proposal will be presented to shareholders demanding transparent reporting of the company’s lobbying activity, which includes contributions to groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – organizations that undermine the legislative interests of UPS and UPS Teamsters.”
For several years, the Teamsters have opposed UPS' membership in ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council because of its anti-union stance. Quoted in Teamsters' media, Ken Hall, the General Secretary-Treasurer, explained that, “ALEC is an organization that is committed to destroying every protection and gain middle class working families have fought so hard to secure. It is difficult for our 250,000 UPS members to believe the company has their best interest in mind while it continues to support ALEC.” Until last year, Hall was the co-chair of the National Negotiating Committee for contract negoatiations with UPS.
