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submitted 2 years ago by queermunist@lemmy.ml to c/antiwork@lemmy.ml

Following months of negotiations with Teamsters, UPS announced in June that it would install air conditioning in new trucks starting next year. The company said it would send new trucks to the hottest parts of the country first, if possible. The company also said it would retrofit its existing package cars with cab fans, exhaust heat shields, and cargo area ventilation.

"While these improvements will make a difference in the months and years ahead, we had to fight like hell to secure them," the Teamsters union said in its social media post Thursday. "Chris Begley should still be alive to experience them. All companies, including UPS, need to remember that their past failings to protect workers can have deadly serious consequences in the future."

Chris Bagley should still be alive and it's a damn shame the Teamsters failed to protect him from social murder. Only new trucks? Only next year? They drove trucks without fans, heat shields, and ventilation? What the fuck.

The Teamsters could have, at the very least, demand a total halt on driving trucks without fucking fans. "Oh but that'll cause package delays!" Well I guess we just have to murder drivers for the sake of logistics.

If anyone tells me how great and historic the new contract is one more fucking time I'll fucking lose it.

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[-] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 136 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Sorry, you are only attacking the teamsters here?

Not a single word against the fucking company that would have done nothing and would have changed nothing in the future if not for the teamsters pushing for change?

[-] jeffw@lemmy.world 41 points 2 years ago

Seriously, this sort of absolutist shit is stupid. So what do we do? We all stop working unless our work conditions are 100% perfect? It’s like people who constantly call for a general strike to change society. Sure, if you’re rich and can afford to stop working, that’s great for you. The rest of us fight for the changes we can get.

[-] agent_flounder@lemmy.one 22 points 2 years ago

Straw man bs.

How about we quit working while our conditions can be deadly.

Are you seriously going to argue that that is unreasonable? Cmon.

[-] persolb@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

If you delete the word ‘Texas’ many of us would probably just see this as unfortunate. If you’re over the age of 30 you probably grew up without ANY air conditioning, even where the temperature exceeded 100F a few days a year.

I’ve never been to Texas, so maybe this place is more like the Sahara than the east coast US.

[-] escapesamsara@discuss.online 7 points 2 years ago

You almost definitely did not do constant work outside, or especially in an oven, when it was 100F even in your made up world where there was no AC 30 years ago. At 100F 30% humidity you take breaks in the shade every 20 minutes for 20 minutes or you just die as a human. That humidity goes up 10% or that temp (lets say in an unairconditioned truck) goes up 10 degrees, and you literally cannot sweat away the heat, your body has no actual way to cool itself off no matter how much water you drink or how cold that water is.

[-] persolb@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

Maybe my area was poorer than average over something, but we had no AC and I didn’t know anybody who did. If it was 100F, we went to a matinee because it was air conditioned. Mailmen still delivered even on those days. Granted, that is probably on average less weight.

But as I said, I’m not in Texas either.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Well he didn't stop working and look at where that got him.

[-] chase_what_matters@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago
[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 years ago
[-] chase_what_matters@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago

No shit and it’s not the first time. The union exists to progress its workers rights. Progress is progress. Perfect is the enemy of good, compadre. Fuck.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

They could have gotten more if they had the guts to strike.

[-] ZzyzxRoad@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago

Wtf is this thread. I will never understand people who will try to justify shit like this. What does the average person think they're getting out of fighting against better working conditions and higher pay? This is why it's so funny when Americans say they aren't affected by propaganda. Only other countries have that.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago

Joe Biden told them the contract is good and historic, so it must be true.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 years ago

I called it social murder. If there was any justice UPS would be nationalized and its management put in prisons.

[-] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago

Why would UPS be nationalized when we have the USPS?

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 years ago

To remove the profit motive.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

To teach Amazon, DHS, and FedEx the lesson not to abuse their workers. Also Dejoy is shutting down the only Post Office in IB, and trying to shut down the USPS, so we really don't have the USPS

[-] mikeboltonshair@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 years ago

Lol you have the worldview of a 12 year old.. for your sake I hope you are 12

[-] irmoz@reddthat.com 12 points 2 years ago

Yeah, literally, what did Teamsters do wrong, here?

[-] ZzyzxRoad@lemm.ee 10 points 2 years ago

So UPS will only put ac in new trucks, sometime next year, and possibly get them to the hottest parts of the country, and old trucks will get "cabin fans" (?).

I know negotiations must be really difficult. I know everyone is relying on their jobs and paychecks to survive. But it seems like too often these corporations get away with half measures and vague promises because even when we revoke our labor, they're still the ones in control. Workers from a company like UPS seem like they should have more control than most though. Shutting down deliveries across the US indefinitely is a pretty big threat. So maybe they could have gotten better results.

[-] irmoz@reddthat.com 12 points 2 years ago

The responsibility ultimately lies with UPS, though

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago

The union has a responsibility to protect workers from UPS.

[-] irmoz@reddthat.com 15 points 2 years ago

This comment acknowledges that UPS is doing the oppression, yet still somehow blames someone else

Amazing

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago

The Teamsters share the blame for selling out instead of striking for safe working conditions. Deal with it.

[-] irmoz@reddthat.com 5 points 2 years ago

I may agree that they share the blame, but their share is significantly smaller.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 12 points 2 years ago

No, they have a responsibility to fight for protections for workers. They can’t implement it, UPS has too. Put your emphasis on UPS.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

A responsibility they failed because they gave up the fight instead of striking.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 12 points 2 years ago

Again, it’s UPS fault ultimately. It’s absurd to blame the union for not forcing UPS to do something over UPS not doing it in the first place.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

The union exists to force the company to do anything in the first place! That's their only job! If UPS murders drivers it's because the union didn't strike and force them to stop.

More drivers will die because they didn't strike and force UPS to make its fleet safe.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago

You’re blaming the Union for UPS killing drivers.

Take a step back and think about that.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

I'm blaming the union for not striking.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago

Why do they need to strike in the first place? Because of UPS. You're falling into the trap.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

What trap? You said it yourself, they need to strike.

And they didn't.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago

They needed to strike in the first place because UPS was doing something wrong. You're not putting your emphasis on the ultimate party that is in the wrong. You're attacking the middleman which is the only reason the workers have any power at all. Either you're falling for the trap like UPS and other big businesses want you to, or you're anti-union and are arguing in bath faith.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

I'm attacking class collaborators for getting a bad deal when they could have fought for a better one.

Don't act like unions have to be above criticism. They need to be critiqued so they can improve.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago

They aren't above criticism, they are above blame when the Employer is to blame. If you can be confused for Anti-Union, your tactics need to change. This is the exact garbage being pushed to spread apathy to workers forming unions. Teamsters got a lot for UPS drivers.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

They share the blame when they collaborate with the employer and act as the company's PR and HR departments.

The anti-union and splitter interpretation of this reality is that this is a reason to not join the union or to form a splitter org (with blackjack and hookers etc), but I think it's the opposite; this is a reason to agitate the union membership to transform it from within and to push the union to abandon class collaboration. It's still a labor organization even if it is captured by corporate and nationalist interests. Unlike idiots who think the Democratic Party can be changed from within, there's historical and materialist foundation for this tactic. The union needs to be taken back, not abandoned.

You can't just ignore the fact that the union leadership pushed for a bad contract. Nor can you ignore the fact that every other interested party, from the corporate media to the literal President of the US, pushed for this contract.

Critical support, not blind support.

[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I disagree entirely, but youre entitled to your opinion.

this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023
531 points (100.0% liked)

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