A former UPS package car driver, Carey would become the first democratically elected head of the IBT. He went on to lead the union in a successful strike against UPS in 1997, because of which he is credited with opening the door to thousands of new full-time Teamster jobs.

People have differing opinions of Ron Carey (as they tend to have of all leaders), but many of the accomplishments he had in his time leading our union cannot be dismissed, no matter your opinion of Mr. Carey. As we hear news of his passing, all union men and women should hold him in a place of respect for the things he did for our cause.

To read more now on Ron Carey, check out TDU.org

But UPS is thousands of jobs short of the 20,000 full-time combo jobs required by the contract. And every day management is eliminating more of these jobs.

President Hoffa has bragged that our union has a “Hammer” to stop employers in egregious cases like this: the Right To Strike on deadlocked grievances.

No one needs a strike, especially before the holidays including UPS. What we do need is to send a clear message to every Teamster employer that our union is serious about protecting members’ jobs.

Is it time to remind management that we’ve got the Hammer? (read more)

Now if we could only use it to help UPSers like Mary Seumaala:

Mary Seumaala went on strike in 1997 to win a full-time job at UPS. Now UPS has taken her full-time job away.

…

And Mary is not alone. UPS has laid off forty Article 22.3 Teamsters in Seattle—and hundreds more across the country. In all, UPS is short-changing thousands of Teamsters out of full-time jobs. (read more)

Those familiar with this site know these concerns aren’t new. In the Willow Grove hub where I work, there are over a hundred Article 22.3 full-time employees, many with families to support and bills to pay.

Many employees, both full-time and part-time have come to me with concerns. And while I have no crystal ball to predict the future, I’ve done my best to calm their fears. But that’s made at least a little easier because our hub appears to be in a slightly stronger position than UPS facilities elsewhere.

While those of us in Willow Grove may not be in the direct line of fire, all UPS Teamsters need to grasp the importance of what is happening, even if it isn’t happening to us personally.

It’s about Solidarity. That’s the idea that we’re all in this together, and it’s the central operating principle of any union worth a damn. It’s the idea that we can’t stand idly by while others are hung out to dry.

And while it may not seem like a practical concept to some, it’s vital to our survival, not just as union members but also as human beings. Why? Because if we stay silent while others are violated, that silence will lessen the number of voices who speak out for us when we’re being violated. It’s a concept that could have prevented genocides throughout history, if only those with the ability had stood up for those without.

If we have no concern for those who are threatened now, who will there be left to speak for us if someday our jobs are on the line?

Take an interest. Hold your union officials accountable so they will hold UPS accountable.

So I’ve decided to to forsake them, at least until the strike is over or they come around and stand up for those who’ve stood up for them. Because what they’re doing weakens the ability of their union to win what its members deserve.

It’s a lot like what happened a few years ago when Teamster-driven UPS trucks sailed right past the picket lines of PA Turnpike workers (not just fellow Union members, but fellow Teamsters). Our Union’s lack of solidarity hurt those turnpike workers, who could’ve gotten most, if not all, of what they were asking for if we’d all just stuck together.

But because we forsook our own brothers and sisters, they had to settle for less, much like what will happen if Leno, O’Brien, Stewart, Colbert, et al, regain the viewership their corporate masters so desperately need. And that means everyone who watches their half-baked, “unwritten”, scab broadcasts will be a party to selling out the writers as well.

Let’s return to our Teamster roots and not sell out our brothers and sisters, even if everyone else does.