It was especially good to hear from the folks who took the time to offer comments in the survey form. Though most of you didn’t leave comments, you’re still more than welcome to offer some ideas if you have thoughts on the survey, or ideas on how to improve our Union.

Click here to view the survey results now

If you’re interested in sharing your thoughts through the survey, but haven’t done so yet, please make sure to complete it by next Friday, April 16, 2010. If you’re a member of Teamsters Local 384, click here to take the survey. It’s quick and your participation is kept anonymous (even I don’t have access to your information when you take the survey, unless you go out of your way to identify yourself).

UPDATE: The survey results are in. To view them, click here.

Click here to take the survey

UPDATE: The survey results are in. To view them, click here.

But the most important element in both local and international union elections is going to be how well the voters — that’s members like you and me — educate themselves about our electoral options. That means it’s a great time to start getting out to the monthly membership meetings, and get familiar with the issues and people who will be running for office. Of course it’s always a good time to get involved in the union — that’s the best way to make sure you’re being properly represented.

Our next meeting is February 28. If you haven’t already been showing up, mark this on your calendar and come on out.

(For more information on this year’s union meeting schedule, please visit the “Meetings” page.)

I am more than me,
not the one you had foreseen,
but just like you I had a dream –
a delicate contingency –
depending on a “we.”

*
The poem above was written over a year ago, during the last few months of the 2008 Presidential campaign. When I scribbled the first few lines, I was thinking about all the people in the country who were talking about “change” and “hope.” And I was thinking about then-candidate Obama, who had given a voice to the dreamy-eyed idealism of millions of Americans.

But one thing that disturbed me even then was how some people imagined President Obama would right all the wrongs done by our federal government, especially those done over the past 8 years. Sadly, there were far fewer people who seemed to understand that any substantive change in our political system was going to rely not only on the people at the very top, but also on those at every other level.

Some thought voting was all they had to do. Others went a step further, working tirelessly on the campaign. But far too many seemed to think that once the election was over, there was nothing more to do.

By the time the poem was finished, I realized there are folks who think this way not just about national politics, but also about local politics — and even union politics.

**
As a shop steward for most of the past nine years, I’ve been approached by many who want solutions, who want things changed for the better. Many of them are willing to step up and be a part of their own solution, but some believe that their part ends once they share their problems with someone like me.

Some people believe that shop stewards and business agents can work magic all by themselves. And yes, every once in a while, we may seem to get magical results. We may even get you exactly what you want without you having to lift a finger. But more often than not, you need to be involved if you want real solutions.

Sometimes I remind those who come to me for help that I might need their help to get them what they want. This is how it is for us as union members — we have to stand up for our rights. If not, we have no one else to blame when those rights continue to get trampled. When we make the mistake of thinking our leaders will do everything for us, we set ourselves up for frustration.

***
So when you come to me with a problem, don’t be surprised if I ask what you’re willing to do to help solve it.

If your rights are being disregarded in the workplace, but you aren’t willing to file a grievance, your problem probably won’t go away any time soon.

If you’re unhappy with the way you’re being represented, but you’re unwilling to make your voice heard, you’ll probably remain unhappy for a long while to come.

If you see problems, but you aren’t willing to work toward fixing them and supporting others who do, you probably shouldn’t expect too many solutions.

Any time we fall into the trap of thinking of our union as something “they” run, we surrender control of our union. The union isn’t just the elected officers, business agents or shop stewards. It’s every single member — we are the union.

And if we want something, we can get it, as long as we’re willing to work for it.

Many of us think of buying union when we make the big ticket purchases, but we can also make a difference in our week-to-week food shopping. In talking with my co-workers, I’ve noticed many who shop at non-union grocery stores. This isn’t meant to shame them — I’ve done it myself. Very few of us are perfect in supporting union jobs. But we should all try to be.

The grocery industry is rife with non-union stores, but there are also many union stores available to anyone wishing to support decent wages and benefits across the board. In the Philadelphia area, we have fine options like ACME, Pathmark and Shoprite. The UFCW has a sample list of union employers in the retail food industry, if you’re curious. You can also identify a unionized store by union markings at or near its entrance.

My local Pathmark employs members of UFCW Local 1776, and they’re some of the most friendly and helpful supermarket workers I’ve ever encountered. Their store is consistently clean and well-stocked (not to mention I get an actual cashier to ring up my order, even late at night). And, contrary to stereotype, my grocery bill is not that much more than it would be at non-union stores like Giant, Redner’s, Wegman’s, or the WalMart Supercenter around the corner from work. In some cases, my unionized Pathmark is actually cheaper.

Even though shopping union sometimes seems more expensive, by supporting unionized labor, we increase the bargaining power of union members across the board. Yes, that includes Teamsters working at UPS. Because when we support more sustainable, better-paying jobs, we help our economy, especially locally. The more people are able to afford goods and services, the more likely they are to give their business to sellers and service providers (like, say, UPS).

On the other hand, when we support non-union stores with their lower-paying jobs (what many refer to as the “WalMart-ization” of America), we increase the downward momentum that’s been decreasing wages for years. It’s the same momentum that’s been fooling too Americans (union members included) into thinking unions no longer matter. And to people who think unions don’t matter, shopping union doesn’t matter, either.

Speaking of which, if you’re a fellow UPS Teamster who believes unions don’t matter, imagine a future without industry-best wages, medical benefits, and a pension. If those are things you’d rather not have, then maybe you can say with a straight face that unions don’t matter.

But if you’re like me, and you appreciate a job with good wages and benefits, you should know full well how much unions matter. And if you know that much, you should understand the importance of supporting union workers whenever possible. By helping them, we help ourselves.

I’ve written previously about FedEx’s misclassified workers and the pending legislation in Congress to level the playing field. It’s an amendment to the Railway Labor Act in this year’s FAA reauthorization bill. If you’d like a little more background information on the whole issue, please click here.

If there are any other concerns UPS Teamsters have about this issue, please feel free to contact your local union representatives or ask me (either online or in real life). Whatever the case, it’s extremely important that all UPS Teamsters understand what’s at stake.

Senator Specter recently told union members we’ll like how he votes on the Employee Free Choice Act. A voice in the crowd responded, “You want my vote — I want yours.”

If you’re a working person living in Pennsylvania, you can click here to encourage Senator Specter to give us his vote.

Click here to listen to the podcast of the show.

You see, for years FedEx has been pretending to be an airline. This masquerade has made it easy for them to avoid unionization of the majority of their workforce who have nothing to do with the airline operations.

On the propaganda website they’ve set up to spread their lies and distortions (brownbailout.com), they do a lot of clever things: they persistently refer to themselves as an “airline” and to UPS as a “trucking company.” Both characterizations are less than genuine.

The fact is FedEx and UPS engage in the same basic core business. Both operate substantial airlines to facilitate their core business, which is package delivery. But FedEx wants the world — or at least Congress — to believe that what they do is significantly different from what UPS does. They cry that if the changes to the Railway Act go through, they will no longer be able to offer competitive services.

In other words, FedEx is openly admitting that they’re incapable of doing what UPS has done for years: make a profit with a unionized workforce. They apparently don’t believe their management teams can cope with the same situation UPS has managed for years. I don’t normally hold up UPS management as beacons of unparalleled genius, but apparently the folks at FedEx see them that way.

FedEx claims it can’t run a profitable, efficient business if it has to operate on the same level as other delivery companies. FedEx is claiming that for them to lose that crutch amounts to a bailout for UPS, but what they’re hoping you won’t notice is that their fake status has been bailing them out for years.

Essentially, with their bogus “airline” classification under the Railway Labor Act, FedEx has been riding with training wheels since birth. Asking them to take off the training wheels isn’t a “bailout” to UPS; it’s just common sense — at some point the execs at FedEx need to prove they’re capable of running their business without artificial advantages.

If you want to help FedEx take off the training wheels, use the “Write to Congress” page to let your governmental representatives know the Railway Labor Act revisions need to pass, and that FedEx has to be put on a level playing field with other delivery companies at long last.