Massive UPS Strike Looming On The Horizon | Justin Alo & Matt Leichenger | TMR

Justin Alo of Teamsters Local 542 and Matt Leichenger of Teamsters Local 804 join to discuss UPS workers’ campaign for a new contract, the recent UPS teamsters’ strike, what the Teamsters for a Democratic Union caucus represents, and how a new generation of union organizers is stepping up. They also discuss UPS’ massive profits over the pandemic, alongside diminishing working conditions, and what the teamsters’ demands for this strike entail.

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Joining us now are Justin Arlo Teamsters Local 542 in San Diego and Matt Leichenger he is of Teamsters Local 804 in New York they are both members of TDU. We will ask you what that means. In the meantime, Bradley's going to make you a little bit bigger on the screen. We are our regular Tech Guy Matt has been on Grand Jury Duty for an extended period. we'll allow the don't worry about that okay thank you, Matt. And so Matt Bradley will be just growing these guys a little bit as they go. But let's just start with what is TDU? because part of what this Camp strike ultimately could be about is two classifications that were developed after the 97 strikes against UPS. So Matt, why don't you start and tell us about what TDU is and also those two different classifications that exist?

Yeah sure so TDU stands for Teamsters for a Democratic Union which is a rank-and-file caucus within the Teamsters Union that actually emerged in the 1970s essentially as an effort to fight against corruption that had existed in the union for a little bit of time. And it has continued as a powerful force in the union in terms of activating Rank and file members and maintaining a sense of rank-and-file leadership and organization within the union. and so the two classifications that you were referring to earlier the 22-4 position were actually created in the 2018 contract that we're currently under. and what that position is is the language which is very kind of vague to establish this combination driver position that technology is supposed to work half time inside the building as like a warehouse worker and then half time as a driver as a way to take overtime away from regular package car drivers. But in reality, what happened was these 22-4S Justin and I are both 22-4s that were just used in the same exact way in most of the country as regular package car drivers. Except our wages are lower than standard package car drivers and we have fewer protections against things like excessive overtime. And we can't have like request loads for an eight-hour day. so it's essentially just like a cheaper and more flexible driver. and the sad thing is that this position was undemocratically forced upon the Union by the old Hoffa regime. And so it's one of the issues that has emerged as a strike issue this time around. But also it's one of the issues that Sean O'Brien and the Teamsters United slate which was endorsed by Teamsters for Democratic Union. It's one of the issues eliminating this two-tier driver position that Teamsters United campaigned on a couple years ago when they were running for office.