I think that we might take a few moments to consider why and how UPS won. So far, some of the obvious factors were: 1. The drivers had made a good impression on the public before the strike. The Wall Street Journal had an article a couple of years ago, describing the drivers as sex symbols to emphasize the auroa of the UPS people. 2. So they had public support. 3. How much of the public support comes from people being fed up with corporate abuses? 4. Given the importance of the personal relationship, hiring replacement workers would be trickier. 5. UPS had a tenuous hold on a virtual monopoly, making them more vulnerable to a strike. 6. How much of the public could identify with a Chicano strawberry picker. 7. I live in a semi-rural environment, but I have never seen an obviously "ethnic" UPS driver. The ones that I know are very clean, cut white middle class people. 8. The Teamsters had a lot of baggage to shed. The press never seemed to try to label them with thuggishness. Why was the media not more negative toward UPS, especially since some of the workers are relatively well off? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
