I have my alarm clock radio set to the local NPR radio station. I woke up this morning to a resident of Wilmington, OH crying while asking John McCain what he is going to do to save jobs at DHL. McCain basically dodged the question and only suggested that those affected should go to a vocational school and get retrained for another job. The people in Wilmington need real answers now. The economic crisis is getting worse by the day. McCain is out of touch with the working class and their daily struggle to survive. McCain is hoping for a war with Iran to shift the debate away from the economy. McCain does not care about laid off workers in Wilmington, OH.

Doug, buddy, we have enough bull crap without politics here.
Of course Wilmington is fkd but why do you think anyone but the Teamsters should be answering questions. They got in bed with this company. Thay ae watching as the ranks fall. Caring for any company over it's members? Unheard of.
First they boned us by getting out of the grievence panel. No vote, no contest.
Then they take us out of freight and hand us over to the jerk BRAD SLAWSON, who with NO member interest in the company, puts the screws to us with this BS "historic" contract. He sells snake oil and the dumbest of Teamsters don't vote, for or against it. Or the votes weren' t accountable. Whatever, more secret BS.
Whatever the case WE are all victims because a lack of concern of the majorty of Teamsters. It would not surprise me if the empoloyees decided to support the Union as weakly as they have supported US when we needed them.
Many of you outside this company could care less for us and that sucks because of all the past support WE gave as a strong Union company (Airborne Express) before the mess that has festered.
So, back to politics... you would be doing yourself wrong to think we need a change named Obama to take us from these woes. We need someone who has given most of his life to service of this country.
That is enough except to point out that the only difference between "change" and "chance" is the second last letter of the word.
I'll stay with "balls" if you don' t mind.
Be well, buddy

EfObama

Bottom line: if DHL USA fails and lets say UPS gets 75% of our freight. How many dues paying members do you think the union would get via UPS hiring more drivers? I think they would lose out because UPS would only have to put on an additional maybe 20% I am guessing. If this theory is correct then the have a vested interest not to let us DHL drivers fall by the wayside.[size="5"][/size]

When the company expanded (to weaken) the national ranks of (a watered down) membership by including new, unfamiliar members in a hurry, they got their national numbers. Dropping a couple hundred less than the numbers they gained by that move won' t make a bit of difference.
The future of the union is what is in question.
Why did those gateway contracts get pushed so hard and fast?
Why was someone with no members here, no interest of experience in our field left to secretly work the "DHL/National contract"? Sure it came out, months later. That sure didn't do our locals any good. They had to address all issues locally and quickly. THEIR (DHL's) CONTRTACT (look at what it's doing)
It always was and should have been a Teamster contract and nothing less than what our needs were. We had made concessions in the past and none of it panned out as the company professed to the union.
Oh well.........the beat goes on.

UPS would probably fill those new positions with PTers. Especially since we lost 22.3 language in this contract which was a huge mistake!!! How is it we (UPS) are union and have an ever increasing PT low wage base?

Simple, DHL has nobody who can manage anything. Take the air hub mergers, total disaster now they play on doing the same thing with the layoffs.