CEO of UPS Responds to Hoffa

Executive Says He Did Not Authorize Anti-Union DVD

May 25, 2006

In response to a scathing letter from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, the CEO of UPS said an anti-union DVD sent to UPS Freight workers was done so without his authorization, and added that he wants to focus on a cooperative relationship with the Teamsters.

"I received your letter of May 23rd and feel a need to respond," UPS CEO Mike Eskew wrote to Hoffa. "First let me assure you that the letter and video sent to the homes of UPS Freight employees was not authorized by me and was done without my knowledge."

"I would like to put this behind us and concentrate on the future," Eskew wrote. "We value the long relationship that we have with the (Teamsters) and our respective successes have truly been intertwined. Going forward we are confident that the success of both UPS and UPS Freight will be mutually beneficial to the Teamsters."

Eskew also wrote, "If at some point our UPS Freight employees choose to be represented by the (Teamsters) or any other union, we will deal with that union in the same manner we deal with our current unionized workforce—fairly and honestly, with a goal of sustainable growth."

Hoffa, in his letter, called on UPS to retract the lies and misrepresentations made against the union in the anti-worker, anti-union DVD sent to UPS Freight employees.

UPS Freight employees opened their mailboxes to find the anti-union DVD from their company's President, Leo Suggs, and Senior Vice President of Operations, Gordon Mackenzie. Both Suggs and Mackenzie have been executives at UPS Freight since the days it existed as Overnite Transportation and led the fight against the workers' right to organize. The seven-minute video, featuring Mackenzie, was loaded with anti-union propaganda, as well as lies and misrepresentations about the Teamsters Union. The cover letter accompanying the video even made the point to warn its viewers that some of the footage in the video "may not be suitable for all audiences."

Hoffa wrote, "For you to now turn around to the newest members of the UPS family and misrepresent the Teamsters Union in a display of anti-union propaganda and invective is neither productive nor reflects the true values of our union."

The Teamsters have launched a member mobilization and education drive with the goal of organizing UPS Freight.

National union conventions take up single-payer health care

The 33rd Constitutional Convention of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has gone on record urging Congress to enact HR 676, a bill introduced by Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to implement a single-payer health care system in the U.S. The ILWU, whose convention met the third week in May, represents all dockworkers in West Coast ports from San Diego to Vancouver.

Several other international union conventions this summer are slated to consider the legislation in response to resolutions from their local union bodies. Included in this list are the United Auto Workers, National Association of Letter Carriers, Plumbers and Teamsters.

Supporters emphasize that HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospitalization, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, substance abuse treatment, vision care and long-term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In West Mifflin, Pa., UAW Local 544, which represents workers at the General Motors Fisher Body plant, has endorsed the Conyers legislation. Further west, in Michigan, the state convention of the American Postal Workers Union adopted a similar resolution. One state over, in Indiana, three groups of steelworkers have endorsed the legislation including USW Sub-District 4 of District 7, SOAR Chapter 30-18 in Plymouth, and USW Local 12775 in Portage.

Seventy-one members of Congress have now signed on to the bill.

DHL wins Johnson Controls shipping contract

Johnson Controls Inc. will consolidate all of its domestic air shipping to DHL in a three-year, multimillion-dollar agreement, DHL said Monday.

Plantation, Fla.,-based DHL also said Glendale-based Johnson Controls, an automotive systems and facility management and control company, will rely on it for international shipping services. Johnson Controls has 136,000 employees in more than 1,000 locations serving customers in 125 countries.

Johnson Controls had used a combination of carriers for several years.

Both companies are also evaluating joint procurement and reseller alliances, DHL said.

'Best of the Best' Selected for 2006 ABF President's Quality Awards

ABF Freight System, Inc., customer service centers in Ogden, Utah; Rockford, Ill.; Burlington, Vt.; and Carlisle, Penn., have earned the prestigious 2006 President's Quality Award. Presented annually by ABF, the Quality Award recognizes facilities that have most successfully implemented the ABF Quality Process. It is the highest internal recognition available to ABF customer service centers.

Each nominated ABF customer service center undergoes extensive evaluations, including a quality awareness survey, an on-site validation audit and scrutiny by the ABF Quality Implementation Committee. The rigorous selection process gauges resource management, loss and damage prevention, customer satisfaction and other key performance indicators. Finalists are submitted to ABF President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Davidson, who selects the winners.

Winning facilities are known throughout the ABF North American system as the "Best of the Best." Led by Carlisle, a five-time Quality Award winner, each of the recognized teams helps to establish the performance standards followed by all other ABF customer service centers.

"The experience and responsiveness of our highly motivated local service personnel allow ABF to continue to be the benchmark for customer service in the transportation industry," says Davidson. "The outstanding performances in Ogden, Rockford, Burlington, and Carlisle are setting the pace for all of our employees. Their versatility, attention to detail and conscientious approach allow us to achieve quantifiable results that include satisfied customers and significant cost savings."

Joe Davis, ABF director of quality awareness, adds, "The ABF Quality Process identifies areas of nonconformance and establishes procedures for correcting and eliminating problems. Since institutionalizing quality as a process in 1984, the standards for excellence and the levels of performance have moved higher each year."

Mr. Davidson is scheduled to present the awards in Ogden on June 6, Rockford on June 7, and Burlington and Carlisle on June 8. Each facility receives a permanent plaque and a traveling Quality Cup in a ceremony attended by the ABF Quality Implementation Committee, local employees and special guests.

Make Work Pay!

Make Work Pay! seeks to unite millions of working people into a movement to restore the American Dream for all of us. Working with community groups, people of faith and public officials, the Make Work Pay! campaign seeks to secure for all working people:

A paycheck that supports a family
Affordable health care
A retirement with security
The freedom to form a union to give workers a voice on the job
We call it Make Work Pay! because for too many people 40 hours of hard work does not provide the basics of the American Dream.

Make Work Pay! is mobilizing working Americans to confront the peril faced by the middle class. As CEO pay skyrockets and corporate profits go up and up, most workers are being left behind. The gap between the rich and everyone else is gaping and growing. We believe the best way to preserve the middle class ­ and the American way of life that depends on a middle class ­ is to help millions more workers unite with the union movement. To do that we are focused on uniting workers in the hospitality, construction, retail, food, healthcare, transportation and other critical industries.

Make Work Pay! was initiated by Change to Win, a federation of seven international unions representing 6 million working people. The unions are the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers' International Union of North America, Service Employees International Union, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, United Farm Workers of America, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and UNITE HERE.