Note: Here is the address of the Teamster UPS Website - http://www.teamster.org/ups.htm It is updated daily. =============================== U.S. Unions Unite Behind UPS Strikers 06:45 a.m. Aug 13, 1997 Eastern By David Lawsky WASHINGTON (Reuter) - The AFL-CIO is offering millions of dollars to help Teamsters on strike against United Parcel Service while the company warned of thousands of job losses as both sides dug in for what could be a long fight. The announcement by the huge federation of 78 unions came on the ninth day of the dispute between the nation's largest package delivery company and the Teamsters union, which objects to the growing use of low-wage, part-time workers at UPS. ``Before the week is out we will have enough loan commitments from other unions, large and small, to finance the worker side of this confrontation for a long strike if that's what it takes,'' AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said, standing with Teamsters President Ron Carey at Teamster headquarters. UPS, based in Atlanta, stiffened its position too, taking out full-page ads in dozens of newspapers to tell its story and declaring that the Teamsters can expect job losses. ``We've forecast that the permanent lost business of the first two weeks of this strike would result in the loss of more than 15,000 Teamster jobs,'' UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said, adding that even ``if the strike ends this Friday, we're going to have to begin layoffs.'' Despite that, Labor Secretary Alexis Herman told reporters on Air Force One that she was encouraged about prospects for resolving the dispute after meeting with both sides Monday. ``I'm encouraged in that I believe that both sides expressed a willingness to be more flexible in looking at their own differences,'' Herman told reporters after briefing President Bill Clinton on Tuesday. But no further talks were scheduled and the Teamsters outlined their preparations for a prolonged strike. Sweeney said he would get help from member unions to cover the $10 million needed each week to pay $55 a week in strike benefits to the 185,000 Teamsters who walked off their jobs. The union wants more full-time jobs because three out of five Teamsters at UPS are part-time. Rachel Howard, a part-time worker in Burtonsville, Md., spoke at a Teamsters' news conference. ``There are many weeks that I have been at UPS that I have worked 60 and 65 hours a week but UPS calls me a part-timer and pays me part-time wages,'' said Howard, who picks up and delivers next-day packages. ``I only qualify for a half-time pension that a full-time worker gets,'' she said. ``I am now in my eighth year and still waiting for a full-time job.'' The company said it already permits some workers to convert to full-time. UPS wants the union to permit a vote on its last offer. Carey insists his union members have already voted. ``UPS should stop trying to dictate and start trying to negotiate,'' Carey said. UPS called its own news conference and talked about what it called the real reason for the strike -- its proposal to convert the union pension fund to a UPS-based pension fund. It said its proposal would enrich pensions for employees. The company said it contributes more than $1 billion to the union plan. Asked what it would contribute to a company plan, UPS's vice president for human resources, Lea Soupata, replied: ``We really don't have that number.'' With the Teamsters digging up funds from other unions, Wall Street analysts noted UPS also had deep pockets. ``They have huge resources to withstand any strike,'' said analyst Philip Baggaley at Standard & Poor's. ``The company has said they're losing tens of millions of dollars a day. But when you have a $4.5 billion credit line and a very strong financial position, obviously you still can afford to stand some pain.'' Analysts also played down UPS' announcement on job losses. ``I think it's partly saber rattling. It's probably also some pressure tactic on their part to get the union to come back to the bagaining table,'' said Martine Nowicki at Moody's Investors Service Inc. UPS has repeatedly called for Clinton to intervene in the strike, but the president has declined. Clinton could ask a judge to halt the strike under the Taft-Hartly law, but the government must prove in court that the work stoppage endangers national health or safety. Some presidents have failed to win their cases and it has been 25 years since the law was successfully invoked. Without the prospect of quick settlement, Soupata was asked if the company would move to replace striking workers. She said that was a ``down-the-road issue.'' UPS normally handles 12 million packages a day -- 80 percent of all packages shipped by ground nationwide -- with a work force of 301,000 people. Schools and colleges find themselves without textbooks, and many small businesses cannot deliver their goods and are scrambling to find alternative shippers, with little luck. Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication and redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
