I have been an Teamster shop steward at UPS for most of the past decade now. Right now, the future of my employment and the future of my role as a volunteer union representative are uncertain.

The company has been trying for the past couple months to take my job away, despite the fact their actions have been in  violation of the contract as well as existing state and federal laws.

This has been a very trying time for me. It’s difficult dealing with a drastic decrease in income, having to go without my union-negotiated benefits and the humiliation of being subject to the ridiculous process of being judged by incompetent management people without the balance of any impartial or authoritative arbiter. But it’s also difficult not being able to continue representing my Teamster brothers and sisters at work.

However difficult it’s been, I’ve been honored by the number of co-workers and fellow union members who’ve reached out to show support and ask how things are going. Sometimes it’s hard just to keep up with the phone calls and messages, but it’s good to know I haven’t been forgotten by the folks I care so much about.

Because I cannot currently act as a steward to my fellow UPS Teamsters, I am going to stop posting updates on cybersteward.net for the time being, and move my UPS and Teamster-related blogging to The Rank-and-Filer [www.rankandfiler.org].

I hope to return to my job and the role I love as your shop steward as soon as possible, but for the time being, anyone who wants to keep up with the painful process of me fighting for my job can visit me at The Rank-and-Filer.

The Rank-and-Filer is a collaborative effort to provide actual rank-and-file information and views on the issues we encounter in our local union. I’m helping out with it, and along with a few good members, I’m hoping it can make a difference, especially this fall, as we face a big decision about the future of our union.

Click here to visit the Rank-and-Filer.

It already has over 1300 members and it’s about time. It’s not necessarily a replacement for many of the other great tools available to Union members, but if you’re so inclined, you may want to think of it as Facebook for the Labor movement. If you feel the way I do about Facebook, that last remark is bound to turn you away, but give UnionBook a chance. It’s just starting out, and it’s already superior to Facebook in several ways, and it should get better with age. Check it out now.

Via the AFL-CIO Now blog

One is UPS Advice, a new forum from UPS Teamsters. It’s not an official union website, but rather a rank and file effort. If you’d like to contribute something useful, or learn some new tricks, check it out.

The other resource is Denver Brown Blog, a new reworking of an old favorite. Yes, the longtime resource for UPS Teamsters is back in blog format. Even in retirement, George Kieffer graces us with more insights from his 30-plus years in brown. You should definitely check this out.