Senate Poised To Kill More Jobs In Teamster Payback?

After viewing a Tweet by Jan Simpson on an FAA measure under consideration in the Senate, I did some looking and found an Editorial in today's Washington Times, as well as some important background here. In what amounts to a pay off to the Teamsters, Fed Ex has already said it will cancel 15 new planes if the measure passes, at a time when Fed Ex also just opened a new distribution hub, creating even more new jobs.

As you'll see in the Times'editorial and in the third graph below, the bill was bought and paid for through Rep. Jim Oberstar (D) MN. Leave it to Washington Democrats to kill more jobs in a down economy by expanding the Teamsters and paying back their biggest contributors.

UPS long has lobbied for a change in FedEx's status. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents truck drivers and other workers at UPS, also has pushed for the change so it can unionize FedEx workers.

Currently only FedEx pilots are unionized. FedEx said the change would create "upheaval" and that it no longer would be able to afford the additional 777Fs, "30 out of 45 airplanes we won't be buying if our RLA status is changed by Congress," a company spokesperson told Reuters yesterday.

This anti-FedEx provision is a sop to big Democratic donors from the Teamsters and from UPS, who combined have donated more than $164,000 to the provision's House sponsor, Rep. James L. Oberstar, Minnesota Democrat.

Comments

[WBestPresidentEver]

I hope that FEDEX stands up to these mobsters.
I ship everything Fedex ground and they give damn good service with very little breakage. When things got Union, then service goes down the drain as the workers become sorry as hell as if they owned the company and they become sorry as hell when and if they work.
I feel sorry for any company that has to be controlled by a Union.
Unions are unamerican. They are bringing our country down everytime they put their hands on a company.
I HATE UNIONS !!

[Ran]

Unions have their place in the market... [I don't get this "hate" thing for Unions. It's silly. There's a place, too, for Right To Work.]

There is nothing "un-American" about Unions. There is, however, something un-American about a process that permits any organization to grow too powerful and too cozy with Gov't.

For the record, W was a Squish. [Thanks, W, for handing us the Won.]

[Evil Red Scandi]

@Ran - Obviously you've never run a business that relies on the timely delivery of goods that are received in the same number of pieces they are shipped in. The unionized UPS drivers don't give a rusty fuck about how they handle their goods - their jobs are secure regardless. Try drinking with some of their drivers sometime - they joke about drop-kicking boxes, creating "accidents," etc. I've had conversations like that on three random occasions (not with people I knew prior).

We use FedEx because they're reliable, careful, and their drivers go the extra mile for us (literally).

[Ran]

"Try drinking with some of their drivers sometime - they joke about drop-kicking boxes, creating "accidents," etc. I've had conversations like that on three random occasions (not with people I knew prior)."

Heh. I hear ya, Evil. I knew guys at Canada Post who would make those same jokes. BTW, we favor FedEx when we have the option, though the local UPS store is a first-class operation for shipping.