Ok, I've got to chime in
I was totally anti-union up to a year ago. I got a job in the evenings at UPS and had to be a Teamster to get the position. Grumbling under my breath, I became a Teamster.
$420 initiation fee, $33 a month dues....they don't take the $420 all at once (if you wanna pay it all and have it paid for)...they nail you for $25 a week until you pay the Initiation Fee (which is non-refundable after 6 weeks) and THEN, you have to pay any and all back dues you didnt pay while you were paying the initation fee. So with all these great deductions, myself and other new guys were unloading package cars in 80-95 degree weather, high humdity and at the end of the week, we had a $65 paycheck to show for it. Many of the guys who started new with me said to hell with UPS and the Union. $8.50 an hour for back breaking work, dues/initiation deductions just was too much for some of the guys to deal with. I stuck it out.
(Now, I'm 45 pounds lighter)
Anyways, in my case, after I'd been at UPS for several months, my supervisors told me of an upcoming postion they wanted me to apply for. I did. They told me I was a "slam dunk" for this job. And, for several months, I was back patted and told how great I'd fit into this new position. Well, guess what. Human Resources states that the job in question is only for Non Union staff. The Supervisors who made all these great promises vanish, and deny making any such promises. The Union rep tells HR that if I wish to leave to take the job, they have no problem with that, they want to see me suceede whether its Union or Non Union. Nope, they wont. A huge pissing match ensues between the Teamsters, telling UPS they are dicks for lying to me, and UPS putting their hands over their ears and humming loudly "us did what?"
During all of this, I gained a lot of respect for the Union. To date...
1) They have always treated me with respect
2) They have never lied to me
3) They always return my calls promptly
4) They always call me "Sir" on the phone
5) They genuinely care, they called me repeatedly at home when I was injured to make sure all was well.
UPS, on the other hand....
1) Suffers from "too many cooks in the kitchen". 4 Supervisors, all saying different things. Sup 1 says "do this" Sup 2 says "No no, I said do this" Sup 3 says "Ignore Sup 1, to this now or else". And the comedy continues. No organization
2) UPS prides itself it talking to its employees, stating that it wants to buy X amount of new jets, cars, diads (handheld pcs) and such. Meanwhile, we have unloading equipment that is 40 years old, unsafe, people injure themselves badly on these things monthly, it seems. The UPS building itself is a disaster waiting to happen. We have conveyor belts that are so old, they are glazed over like rubber, that have diffulty griping boxes to move them along the line. While UPS dreams of buying more jets to carry more load, they ignore our pleas to fix the broken equipment. Settling, instead, on dealing with injuries and ignoring the issue. After all, a field full of jets gets them more PR/visibility than fixing equipment that moves packages.
From what I see, working at UPS for a year now, the pros to UPS are...
1) Pension potential
2) Health/Dental benfits for part time workers
3) Never ending vaudville of "UPS Management"
The Cons are...
1) Its the most grueling, physical job Ive ever worked. Its pretty intense
2) Low pay. $8.50 an hour.

The kids up the street at Mickey Dees are making that, as is the kid herding shopping carts.
Like i said, I started out being totally anti-union. But, seeing how they stuck up for me and how quickly management went from my "friends" to "who are you?" educated me quickly.
I know ever union and employer is different. There is always that one slacker who, if it weren't for the Union, would be fired and out of a job. Those types make unions look bad.
Anyways, thats my 2 cents. I just got home from UPS and washed 10 trucks (30 footers...)....I'm tired and need my Ar234 fix
