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******ONE MORE OFF TOPIC********
Verona,
Is it me or is this strange?
Pilots Concerned That Emotions Driving UPS
US News - August 16, 1997 17:27
V%USNEWS P%USN
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Independent Pilots Association (IPA), the union representing the 2,000 UPS pilots, continues to plan for business after the strike, even if UPS is not. IPA will mail bid packages to its pilots at its own expense, after UPS refused to do so on Friday. The bids are used to schedule flight crews for a 56-day period.
"These bids are crucial to properly plan for flight staffing over the next few months. It's as if UPS doesn't care whether we are ready to get back to efficiently serving our customers after the Teamsters' dispute is resolved," said Capt. Robert Miller, president of IPA.
IPA pilots experienced a similar roadblock on the day the Teamsters struck and outbound pilots were stranded, some as far as Cologne, Germany. The pilots offered to stay "on station" without pay if UPS would cover lodging. UPS declined the offer and then refused to pay for hotel expenses and cancelled their rides home.
"We wanted to be prepared to jump back into business quickly when the strike ended. That's why we were willing to stay in position around the globe," said Miller. IPA estimates that it will take three to four days to get UPS airlines up and running when the strike ends.
"I'm afraid that UPS management is letting emotion drive its decisions," said Miller. "The company can't afford to do that or it will end up losing more customers like Gateway and Bristol-Myers to competitors."
In an interview today, UPS Chairman and CEO James Kelly acknowledged that the company has already lost 140 million dollars, but he claimed the loss is offset by not having to pay employees.
"If a CEO excuses hundreds of million dollar losses with not paying his employees, what's the purpose of a company. That's disturbing, especially if you're a UPS customer," Miller added.
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/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
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