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Matters of Fiction II |
On August 4th, the company again embarrassed itself and insulted our intelligence by cranking out yet another of its periodic printed journeys into the realm of fantasy which its authors continually misname "Matters Of Fact." This one was titled "Truths About The UPS Strike" but contained little of what any thinking member of our species would characterize as "truths!" The author of this literary gem prefaces his or her litany of indictments of the Teamsters by offering the reader a "closer look" at some of the facts behind statements the Teamsters have allegedly made to FedEx employees in the course of their organizing efforts.
The first statement the author of this edition of "Matters Of Fact" takes issue with is that the Teamsters claim that "unions mean job stability." The author then claims that even the threat of the strike caused a drop in UPS's volume that caused 1,000 of its employees to be laid off. The author also states that the future is not only uncertain for those who were laid off, but is also shaky for the rest of the UPS rank and file now on strike.
The question I find myself asking at this point is whether or not the author of this edition of "Matters Of Fact" is really that far out of touch with reality or if he or she simply thinks we are all really dumb enough to believe UPS's employees face an uncertain future? Does the author actually think that UPS can lock its doors indefinitely or hire enough scab labor to replace its striking work force?
When a union asserts that it provides job stability, this is no hollow promise which is somehow compromised when such a union calls a strike. The job stability the unions speak of is the security of knowing that you are not at the utter mercy of your employer's whims as we at FedEx are! In the law, as well as in FedEx's own "People" manual, employees at FedEx are defined as being "at will" employees. I know I've covered this before in other articles on this site, but it bears repeating in the face of this latest piece of FedEx propaganda. An "at will" employee has absolutely no legal recourse if his or her employer arbitrarily decides to terminate their employment! Basically, any FedEx employee could be fired at any time without any warning or explanation and no court in the land would support any legal action that person tried to take against FedEx. The only time an employee at FedEx has any sort of protection from termination that has any judicial foundation, is in cases where it can be proven that FedEx violated established labor laws such as equal employment opportunities or laws relating to union activities. Apart from that, FedEx may do with you as it sees fit regardless of how well you do your job.
There are only two types of employees in America who are not at the mercy of their employer's whims. One type is composed of people in high-paying jobs such as corporate executives, professional athletes, media personalities or actors and actresses. The other type is composed of the men and women who belong to unions. The common denominator between these two seemingly disparate groups of people is what affords them protection from their employers. That common denominator is a contract! The job stability brought by unions are the contracts they negotiate and the people they have at the ready to ensure that those contracts are abided by. Apparently the author(s) of "Matters Of Fact" are incapable of understanding that which they so glibly expound upon....
This edition of "Matters Of Fact," not surprisingly, treats strikes as some sort of dirty tactic. Yet, once upon a time in America, strikers were admired by most other working men and women because standing up for something one firmly believes in was, at that same time in our nation's history, a revered quality that proved a strength of character. Today, in the non-involvement era of the '90s, such noble demonstrations of one's convictions are too often regarded as outdated, dismissed as unnecessary and disdained as being disruptive to the harmony of things. This is a sad commentary on the times in which we now live. I'm reminded of an old slogan that I believe was coined by others in a bygone era who were facing the threat of tyranny. It went something like; "If not us,... who? If not now,... when?"
The courageous men and women of UPS who are now manning the picket lines and facing the economic hardship that the strike will bring to them have made a tough choice in an era where many, including FedEx's management, view tough choices as something to be shunned and/or characterized as being something only the naive or foolish would do! To the author of "Matters Of Fact," the money the strikers will lose while walking the picket lines will negate any raises they had hoped to get so that makes them chumps who are being victimized by the Teamsters. This edition of "Matters Of Fact" states; "With no regular paychecks to count on, family vacations and large purchases are postponed, and the bills begin to pile up." In other words, the people who churn out FedEx's propaganda are so shallow in depth and so devoid of character that they have no concept of sacrifice for the greater good and/or long term benefit. To them, one's principles should take a back seat to buying a big-screen TV or taking a trip to Disney World!!! No doubt the writing staff at FedEx's propaganda ministry are members of the "me generation" to whom immediate gratification is of paramount importance and the future be damned!
In the next part of this latest conglomeration of fiction and fantasy, the author(s) quote UPS officials as stating that the impact of the strike on their company will be long term. They use this quote to refute what they say is a union assertion that "strikes don't have a long term impact on business." Of course, this alleged quote from the union, like all the others in this propaganda sheet, is not specifically attributed to any union official or publication. But let's give FedEx the benefit of the doubt for now, silly as that notion is... Isn't it a bit ironic that today we all received a love letter from Fred thanking us for our sterling service during these trying times and in that very same letter, Fred says "The parcel post shippers, who provide 80% of UPS's volume, will almost surely return to UPS after the strike."
Now let's be realistic here. In Fred's wildest dreams, he might imagine us perhaps taking 10% of UPS's overnight business from them as a result of this strike. Remember, we're talking 10% of a segment of UPS's business that only comprises 20% of their overall business. So, even if Fred's wildest dreams come true, the impact of this strike will likely, at best, cause UPS to lose 2% of it's total volume to us! With a little cutthroat marketing and undercutting, UPS could easily steal that much business back from us in no time! In any case, the "impact" of this strike will not be something UPS will long be traumatized by....
Finally, this edition of "Matters Of Fact" closes by characterizing the strike as a "lose/lose situation for the company and its employees. While the company loses business, UPS employees go without paychecks." Again the myopia of the people who write this tripe for FedEx is clearly evidenced and their lack of character is once again reiterated! Making meaningful sacrifices now for principles which will ensure a better place for all to work tomorrow is an alien concept to these FedEx authors. The underlying theme for this latest edition of "Matters Of Fact" is that nothing in life is worth paying a price as steep as a paycheck, postponing the purchase of a major appliance or taking a trip to see Mickey Mouse. For the author(s) of "Matter's Of Fact," such sacrifices are apparently too unthinkable in scope to make to stand up for what you believe is fair. It is to weep my friends....