WEBVTT - A UPS Strike Deferred 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.800 This is Mia from the very very near future. We 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:07.200 found out as we were live recording this episode that 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:10.880 Teamster's leadership has cut a tentative agreement with UPS to 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:14.400 try to revert the strike. So we've we've decided to 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:17.279 leave this in and you're gonna hear us find this 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:19.400 shit out, literally in the middle of an interview of 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:21.880 what we thought was going to be a really really 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:32.680 really large strike starting. So enjoy it strike season here 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:36.239 at it could happen here the podcast where things fall 0:00:36.280 --> 0:00:39.479 apart and sometimes you put them back together again. And 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:42.800 as as you probably have noticed, presumably from the last interview, 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.120 maybe from reading the news, maybe from like talking to 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:48.440 people who are in unions, we are in a genuindely 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:51.800 historic period of labor militancy in this country. That is 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:55.800 effectively we are now we are we are We are 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:58.120 now entering the second phase of the hot Summer of 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:01.120 twenty twenty three. We used to have hot summers all 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:02.880 the time. People do what that meant, so now it 0:01:03.000 --> 0:01:05.679 just means like global warming. But long ago, in the 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.120 galaxy far far away, there are these things called hot 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:11.279 summers when everyone would fucking go on strike and there'd 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:13.320 be you know, sort of mass resist as a capital 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:16.720 the state. And yeah, we're fucking going back there and 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:20.399 talk with me about the next series of massive private 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:23.759 sector strikes that we're about to get. Is Rehee Smith 0:01:23.800 --> 0:01:26.880 and Oliver Rose, who are rank and file UPS workers 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:31.440 and teamsters doing the standard disclaimer. These individuals do not 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:33.760 represent the union or the positions of the union. They're 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:37.320 speaking as individuals. Yeah, we have this is this is 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:42.119 this is the disclaimer for the lawyers. It is also true. Yeah, 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:43.880 but recent Oliver, welcome to the show. 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:45.800 Hey, yeah, thanks for having us. 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:47.160 Yeah, thank you much. 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.520 Yeah, I'm really really glad we can talk to you. So, 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:53.760 all right, the day this is going out, it'll be 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:58.360 six days before the teamsters are potentially going to go 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:02.680 on strike and the current contract runs out. Can I yeah, 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:06.320 can we talk a little bit about what Okay, who 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:08.600 is first, who is going on strike and what do 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:09.079 they do? 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.040 Yeah, So there's going to be three hundred and forty 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:16.560 thousand UPS workers going on strike, and that's going to 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:20.160 be you know, the inside warehouse workers, and that's going 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:26.120 to be the delivery drivers and also the theater drivers 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:31.440 and the twenty two fours, like all of them. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:33.359 Could you explain what, oh last you are? 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:39.280 Yes, Yeah, so twenty two fours is a classification of 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:44.600 worker where they're kind of half inside and half driving. 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:47.720 Something that the union has told us is that there's 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:50.280 already been a tentative agreement that that classification is not 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.000 going to exist anymore. It was kind of a really 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:58.240 raw deal for people that found themselves in that position. Shit, 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:01.720 what was the other one that I mentioned? Twenty two drivers? 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:05.640 I think theater drivers. Yes, so theeter drivers are not 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:12.560 your regular package delivery drivers. They drive the big semis 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:15.400 that you see from like hub to hub and whatnot, 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.880 and that's how they deliver. Uh. So those are the 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:23.720 last two classifications that I mentioned. And yeah, we're all 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:27.720 going to be going on strike, and well we are 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:31.720 potentially going to be on strike, and if we are, 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:34.040 UPS is kind of going to be in a world 0:03:34.040 --> 0:03:37.240 of hurt because it is very hard to replace three 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:42.000 hundred and forty thousand workers and what economists have told 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:46.440 me is a tight labor market. So yeah, it's going 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:47.400 to be very exciting. 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:51.440 Yeah, it's I'm excited, like I don't all you know, 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.840 it was funny, So when when when SAG officially walked 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:56.920 off and joined the WGA strike that was that was 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:00.400 the largest strike since Hilariously, the team Stirs went strike 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:04.160 in the like the year I was born, like ninety seven, 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:08.080 And hilariously, that is a title that if this happens, 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:10.480 they're going to hold that title for like one month 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:13.400 before this ups striker places is the. 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.680 Largest strike in the US since the nineties. Yeah, Yeah, 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.040 it's gonna be wild. If we go on strike while 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:21.680 you know, Saga AFTRA is on strike, and while the 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.440 Writers Guilder are on strike, that's going to be over 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:27.720 half a million workers on strike in this country at 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:30.440 this time, and that is just going to be you know, 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:32.080 it's gonna be fucking historic. 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:34.200 Right, Yeah, And there's and there's a chance, depending on 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:35.760 how long these strikes drag out, that we get to 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:40.480 like September, the Big three Auto the UAW goes on strike, 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.760 and if that happens, that that will be like the 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:44.279 most number of people who've been on a strike in 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:48.919 this country since like the fifties, which is wild, especially, 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:50.640 you know, because this is supposed to be a sort 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:54.120 of like, I don't know, I think that's sort of 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:56.600 the especially interesting thing about this, right is that actual 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.520 union density is really low and hasn't been increasing that much. 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:01.720 On the other hand, and like everyone seems to lake 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:04.640 unions and everyone wants to go on strike, and I 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:07.520 don't know, it's it's a really interesting sort of set 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:08.560 of conditions right now. 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:16.640 Oh yeah, oh yeah. I'm very heartened by, you know, 0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:20.080 the support that unions have garnered, because as you mentioned, 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:22.840 you know, we are at a low union density. There 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:25.360 was like that labor decline that happened, you know, since 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:29.680 the fucking like seventies and eighties, right, like the backlash 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:36.279 to organize labor. I am very hopeful that this this 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:40.279 strike wave can kind of turn that around. Right. You know, 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:44.520 something that I've been thinking about a lot is uh, 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.919 you know, it's like ups is a is a major, 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:53.400 major company in a whole logistics sector, right yeah, and 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:57.120 like we can set that standard for that logistics company 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:00.120 or like a piece of shit company like Amazon in 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:03.320 So if we win, and we win big, that could 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:08.240 absolutely encourage more organizing in those other sectors, leading to 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:12.760 an increase of union density. So hopefully that's like the 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:17.039 way forward past all these strikes. It'd be great. It's 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.040 sorely needed, sorely. 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:24.359 Needed, absolutely and even beyond you know, the logistics industry. 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:26.800 You know, I think we can show that you know, 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.640 any you know company or corporation that you know, year 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:34.479 after years making these record break and profits, you know, 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:38.200 while meanwhile there's poor wear conditions or even unsafe work conditions. 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:43.360 You know, there's pay that does not you know allow 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:45.640 you know, us to pay rent, but food on the table. 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:48.599 You know that we can just show that. Okay, you know, 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.800 we're done, you know with giving all of the wealth 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:54.200 that we're creating to the company, and now it's going 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:55.600 back into our hands. 0:06:56.920 --> 0:07:02.800 Yeah. And UPS fucking created thirteen billion dollar profits last year. Yeah, yeah, 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:05.880 and that's up from I was just reading an article 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:10.520 this morning and Jacobin written by a fellow UPS team star, 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:16.520 and that's up from six point five billion in twenty nineteen. 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:18.280 And they're also giving. 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:20.240 Doubled the profit. They've overdoubled the profits and like to 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:20.760 reach they. 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.840 Were doubled their profits. And they keep trying to tell 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:26.840 the union that, oh, no, I'm just a poor popper. 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:29.520 We don't have money for your demands, like we're just 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:33.040 we're just so poor, and it's like there, meanwhile, you know, 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.640 they're given their fucking like CEO and shareholders like dividends 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.520 and stock buybacks and all of that in addition to 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:42.440 the profits that they are reaping, right, because profits is 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:45.760 just the cream of the crop, right, Like that's everything 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:49.600 past business expenses, what they're paying out like salary, so 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:53.600 that's not even being touched. And yeah, no, it's time 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.520 for us to say we want that. We created that. 0:07:57.280 --> 0:07:59.200 So I think that leads you to sort of the 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.560 next thing I want to ask about, which is, can 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:03.880 you talk a little bit about what the sort of 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:08.480 specific grievances were that that kicked this off. I'm assuming 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:13.040 there are a lot, because you know, this sucks. 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:15.720 You know, and there is a wide range of conditions 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:19.320 because you know, for a long time, you know, the 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:23.320 contract hasn't kept up with both like economic and non 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:27.760 economic side of things, you know, and we have kind 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:32.240 of two dynamics where there's you know, well over a 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:34.840 majority of like part time workers who aren't getting enough 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:39.000 payer hours, you know, to afford to live. And then 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:41.480 we also have you know, the full time workers who 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:44.720 inside warehouse could be working you know, ten twelve hour shifts. 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:46.720 You know, we have drivers who are doing you know, 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:49.680 twelve hour shifts, and you know, even up to like 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:52.720 fourteen hours you know, every day and then also getting 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.719 you know contacted to come in you know on their 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:58.120 day off to do six day weeks. 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:01.920 You know. Of course on the driver's side. 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:05.559 You know, we have these escalating temperatures and meanwhile there's 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:09.120 you know, no air conditioned ers in the vehicles and 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:13.080 same you know thing in the warehouse because personally, you know, 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:16.760 I work inside warehouse as a loader, so I'm spending 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.480 you know, virtually all my shift in the trailer loading boxes. 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.480 You know, there's no airflow. Those things, you know, can 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.560 you know be five to ten degrees hotter, you know, 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:32.000 like at a minimum than the ambient temperature last summer, 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:35.240 like on a mid ninety day, I recorded one hundred 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:39.120 and eight degrees you know inside the trailer. So you know, 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:43.200 there's not necessarily any kind of protections currently for that. 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:47.000 So you know, that's one big lack in the contract 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:50.200 is having those kind of you know heat heat protection 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:51.160 and you know. 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.120 Prevent that is yeah, I mean that could just kill people. 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:55.840 And we've talked about on the show before people who've 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:59.240 died like working conditions like that because you know it 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:01.200 was it was too hot, but their bosses were like, 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:03.560 fuck you, we don't care, like keep uploading this stuff. 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:06.080 Yeah, and it's absolutely tragic. I know we had a 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:11.760 you know, UPS team stir I believe in California who 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.760 died due to the extreme heat conditions last summer. And 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:18.520 also no, you know, there was another case where I 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:21.440 think a driver stopped at like a convenience store to 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:25.080 buy a drink and you know was fired. Were making 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:27.480 you know, an off route stop even though they tell us, 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.080 you know, take breaks when you need it, but they 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:31.079 don't actually mean it. 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:32.000 Yeah. 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:34.679 Yeah, because obviously, you know, you want to be being 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:35.680 disciplined or fired. 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:39.880 One of the things that I saw was part of 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.640 negotiations that UPS had offered to be like, oh well, 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.960 put in air conditionings in all new vehicles. And I 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:47.160 was looking at this and I was like, this is 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:49.280 this is the Clean Air Act loophole. I remember this. 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:52.320 If you only specified new vehicles, I'll just never replace 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:53.280 the old ones. 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:58.319 Absolutely. And you know with these companies, they're going to 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.960 be looking for those loopholes, right Yeah, And like I 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.160 don't know that I've seen a vehicle that looked new. 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:13.160 When I'm at my hub, I'm also inside worker and Yeah, 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:15.680 they all look like they've been around, been around a while, 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.920 and I don't know that they've been spending the capital 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:23.960 to get those new vehicles. So that's absolutely something that 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:28.600 we're gonna you know, keep their feet to the fire on, 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:32.560 so to speak. Yeah. And then in terms of other 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:37.199 conditions that are like really leading up to this right now, 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:41.280 there is a big problem with MRAs. And know not 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.640 the MRAs you all might be thinking of, this is 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:50.520 a market rate adjustment and both are bad. Both are bad. 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:56.480 We are staunchly against both MRAs. And essentially what an 0:11:56.600 --> 0:12:01.240 MRA does is it it sounds good at first, you know, 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:05.720 it gives the company leeway to you know, potentially increase 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:10.920 our pay right beyond what's just stipulated in the contract. However, 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:13.840 when you kind of get late into the contract, like 0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:17.040 you know, towards the expiration date, the base pay that 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:20.559 was agreed on for the last contract is no longer acceptable. 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:25.120 And while it gives them the leeway to increase our wage, 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:28.400 they can always go back down to the lower wage 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.680 should they choose to. And last year at the hub 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:37.280 that I worked at, it was right after peak, in 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:39.920 peak season. We were hired on at twenty seven dollars 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:47.400 an hour, and come February, you know, we're all walking 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:51.040 into the job and there's one of the supervisors there 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:53.520 who is frankly looking like she's not having a good 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:56.240 time having to stop to talk to each of us 0:12:56.320 --> 0:12:59.160 to explain, Oh, yeah, so we are going to be 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:02.960 bringing your pay down to fifteen fifty an hour. Jesus, 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:05.480 but don't I know, I know, but don't worry. Don't worry. 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:10.200 There's an attendance bonus. There's an attendance bonus of one 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.080 hundred and twenty dollars if you make all your shifts, 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:18.280 and that really fucking sucked, like if you get like 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.040 if you get sick, Like okay, so like at this 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:22.599 hub that I work at, I work at one of 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:25.760 the few hubs that don't have what's called the hourly guarantee. 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:28.640 Most hubs have an hourly g If you're a part 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:30.640 time worker, you have an hourly guarantee of three and 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:32.680 a half hours a day. So if they say that 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:34.600 there's no work to be done, you can say I 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:37.000 want that hourly guarantee and they either find you more 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.240 work to do or they pay that out. And then 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:43.280 for full time workers, that's eight hours I work at 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.440 one of the few hubs that doesn't. It's a classification 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:48.400 related to the type of hub that I am at. 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:53.640 And uh so I'm only like, at this hub, I 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:57.160 work maybe twelve hours a week if I'm lucky, So 0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:59.600 this is twelve hours a week at fifteen fifty an 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:03.440 hour with an attendance bonus. But if I get sick 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:06.560 one of those days, that means I have a paycheck, 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:09.240 a weekly paycheck that is going from roughly two hundred 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:14.040 dollars to like maybe roughly eighty And that is just 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:19.840 it's totally totally unacceptable the way that they kind of like, yeah, 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:23.160 with the plague going on, yes, being sick is highly 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:27.480 likely right now, and yeah, no, they're just kind of 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.480 able to like yo yo us around on these wages 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:35.400 like whenever they want. And so a demand that is 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:40.960 being circulated in the grassroots of the union. Leadership hasn't 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:44.880 really talked about it to my knowledge, but there is 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:47.080 a you know, a petition going around to have a 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.920 starting wage of twenty five dollars an hour, and you know, 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:54.400 right now that would only be because right now this year, 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.360 I'm making twenty four and they didn't do that bullshit. 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.480 I think kind of an anticipation of the strike. They 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.000 didn't want to make us, you know, more angry, and 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:04.920 so that would only be a dollar increase for me, 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:07.960 but also it would prevent them from doing that in 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:09.200 the future. 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:09.720 Right. 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:16.320 Yeah, So, I like Reese, you know, also was affected 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:19.560 by the MRA, but luckily not as severe. You know, 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.680 my pay went from twenty six down to twenty three 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:27.680 an hour, and of course, you know what ten eleven 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.920 percent pay cut also same time inflation goes up, you know, 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:35.520 ten percent. This was very difficult enough, let alone having 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:38.600 you know, your pay getting dropped almost by fifty percent. 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:42.080 You know, there's multiple hubs in the area, and they're 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.280 all just on different pay scales, you know, for the 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:48.240 same kind of you know, same same area, doing the 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:51.600 same work, and we had just have these like fluctuating 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:53.840 pay scales, you know. I know for us, it was 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.440 you know, right after peak season, and they're like, oh, 0:15:56.480 --> 0:16:00.360 thanks so much for the most successful peak season ever. 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:03.400 We made record breaking profits. We couldn't have done this 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.400 without you, by the way, we're cutting all of your 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:10.320 pay and now, of course you know we're getting paid 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:14.760 above twenty five and hey, that helped their profits, so 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:17.480 you know, it's absolutely absurd to say, oh, well, you know, 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:23.080 we can't afford you know, these higher wages when they can't. 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:28.280 Yet they don't. Exactly, they doubled their fucking profits, Like 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:32.400 are you kidding me? Like Jesus Christ, it's like they 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.760 think we're fucking dumb. It's like no, like, our work 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:40.440 far exceeded what you're paying us, like an unimaginable amount. 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:45.760 And you guys like it was earlier on in the 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.720 compln not earlier on. I think this happened maybe late June, 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:53.320 early July. It was they leaked, it got leaked their 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:58.040 economic proposals for us, and they had the part timers 0:16:58.080 --> 0:17:04.160 starting at seventeen dollars an hour seventeen, and like, I 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:06.120 just I don't think that's affordable anywhere. 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:18.679 I just think I'm gonna mention that I think is. 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:21.119 I think it's really important, but it isn't particularly well 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:22.560 in oursen. So you know, if you go back to 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:27.320 like the regional flight fifteen campaign rights wage, like that wage, 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:30.640 which was already like kind of nonsense in like twenty twelve, 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:35.159 like with inflation, that's like nineteen thirty. Now, Yeah, so 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:37.840 this is you know, this is this is how much 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.040 like inflation has sort of deteriorated wages and that, and 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.320 that's just sort of like you know, the economic terms, 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:46.359 like inflation is like the bundle of goods, right, and 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:49.200 that that's not accounting for the fact that, for example, 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:51.280 the increase in housing prices has been way higher from 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.480 this sort of like avig rated inflation, right. Healthcare costs 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:56.560 are increasing higher from the sort of quote unquote Aviatrade inflation, 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:58.840 and so like, yeah, it's like, yeah, this sounds like 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:02.200 a lot of money. It's fucking like, no, sick simply 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:02.560 is not. 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:07.640 Yeah. I heard at a at a rally not too 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.399 long ago from one of the speakers for you know, 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:13.359 it was a it was a team's rally that you know, 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.280 we're getting our members hyped and all that, and one 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:19.400 of the speakers mentioned that for our city, a minimum 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.840 wage that could be livable would be twenty six dollars 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:26.840 an hour. And I'm just like, yeah, that seems about right, 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:29.560 and that's like the bare minimum. That's like, Okay, I 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.919 can eat enough, I can pay my rent, and I 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:35.400 probably don't have a whole lot leftover. 0:18:36.280 --> 0:18:40.040 So yeah, especially when we have you know, like average 0:18:40.040 --> 0:18:43.879 rent you know, for one bedroom you know, around like 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:47.040 fifteen hundred dollars you know these days, and so many 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.159 landlords want you you know, want three times you know 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:53.359 that rent and income. So you know, I was actually 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:56.520 just kind of yeah, writing you know, or you know, 0:18:56.600 --> 0:18:58.840 doing the math last night. I was just like, oh, okay, 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.359 so in my hours I would have actually need forty 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:02.960 three dollars an hour. 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:05.439 Just to. 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:14.040 You know, be making three times the average monthly rent. Yep, yeah, yeah, 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:16.879 So that's definitely why you know, twenty five dollars you 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:21.480 know an hour is the minimum. You know that, you know, 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:23.919 I think we can settle for. I would love to 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:26.840 see it higher, but I also recognize you know, well, 0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:29.919 you know, maybe twenty five is still not quite cutting it, 0:19:30.080 --> 0:19:32.240 you know in a more urban area. But you know, 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:34.280 there's going to be a lot of people that's you know, 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.520 significant gains are going to help so much, you know, 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:42.240 to meet their material needs. You know, definitely have to 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.879 you know, consider this as you know, big picture, this 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:48.240 is a national agreement, and you know we've got to 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:51.560 get that really solid foundation and then we can expand 0:19:51.600 --> 0:19:52.119 from there. 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:53.400 Yeah. 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:57.879 Well what the sorry as as as you were talking 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:00.440 I got a thing saying that the team series have settled. 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:04.479 What all right, think? 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:08.440 Oh my gosh, what the fuck. 0:20:08.640 --> 0:20:11.119 They're back at the table. 0:20:10.880 --> 0:20:12.680 Back at the negotiation table. 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:14.639 Jesus Christ. 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:18.440 They've only been at the negotiation table for like four hours. 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:24.639 Yeah, okay, okay, I got signal shots here. Yeah, Jesus Christ. 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:26.520 Well all right, I don't know if were gonna leave 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:29.120 this in, but yeah, we've discovered live on air that. 0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:36.679 Yeah, Teamsters win historic ups contract. Oh we'll see. 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:39.679 Yeah. I'm also looking at this and see one of. 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:44.760 The Yeah, I'm at the teamster dot org website where 0:20:44.800 --> 0:20:45.879 they have an update on it. 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:46.879 Uh. 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:52.040 Yeah, at least, you know, speaking of wages, at least 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:56.080 the first thing that I'm seeing is existing part timers 0:20:56.280 --> 0:20:58.360 will be raised up to no less than twenty one 0:20:58.560 --> 0:21:02.080 dollars per hour immediately. A part time seniority workers earning 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.160 more under a market road adjustment would still receive all 0:21:05.200 --> 0:21:06.679 new general wage increases. 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:15.280 Yeah, yeah, this is Uh I'm not stoked on those wages. Yeah, yeah, no, 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:18.960 I'm definitely I am twenty five or bust on this. 0:21:19.640 --> 0:21:20.760 Yeah. 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:24.520 All right, so that does that will change things. That 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:28.960 definitely changes the timeline because this still has to be 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:32.840 sent out to be voted on and approved by membership. Yeah, 0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:39.160 and what we learned at the there was a call 0:21:39.200 --> 0:21:41.040 not too long ago where they kind of explained the 0:21:41.040 --> 0:21:43.560 process of it. So in the event that they would 0:21:43.560 --> 0:21:46.720 reach at tentative agreement that gets sent out to us, 0:21:46.760 --> 0:21:49.800 we vote from home, and it takes about three weeks 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:54.359 for it to ratify. There is still a possibility that 0:21:54.440 --> 0:21:56.719 membership could vote to reject it, in which case they 0:21:56.720 --> 0:22:01.080 would be going back to the bargaining table and we 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:05.200 could potentially be going on strike then. But this does 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:11.280 set it back by now three weeks. It'll be interesting 0:22:11.560 --> 0:22:17.560 to see what the TDU, which is the Team Service 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:20.800 for a Democratic Union, which is a reform caucus inside 0:22:20.920 --> 0:22:24.480 our our union. It'll be interesting to see what their 0:22:24.520 --> 0:22:32.199 line is on this. So, oh my gosh, what a 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:34.240 what a bomb drop to get in the middle of 0:22:34.240 --> 0:22:35.320 a podcast. 0:22:38.000 --> 0:22:42.760 Yeah, unfortunately, can't even speak to it since and a 0:22:42.760 --> 0:22:43.399 little bit of it. 0:22:46.000 --> 0:22:50.760 Yeah, yeah, it Do they actually have the full agreement 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:53.000 out or are they just do they just have this stuff? 0:22:53.680 --> 0:22:57.280 They will not have the full agreement out, something that 0:22:57.320 --> 0:23:00.760