At 7 a.m., Shane Hammond calls to let me know that UPS management is making public statements to the effect that this agreement could have been negotiated without a strike. Shane is a steward in a nearby center, and he is upset that the company seems to be trying to shift the blame for the strike away from itself. I suggest to Shane that this is just an attempt to put a favorable spin on the strike. The company lost an estimated $800 million in revenue on a two-week strike. During the strike, it arrogantly declared that its offer would be the "last, best, and final" offer. Ultimately, it settled for a contract that was essentially the same one the union had proposed to the company just prior to the strike. This group of managers is not headed for the Negotiators' Hall of Fame. They have no choice but to try and shirk responsibility for this debacle.
       I arrive at work at about 8 a.m. and find that we have been blown out with packages. I check with Jeff Mcleod, my alternate steward, and he tells me that management has been laying off part timers who struck while working nonunion part timers who crossed the picket line. This violates their seniority rights under the collective bargaining agreement. Jeff agrees to submit written grievances by tomorrow.
       My package car is so packed that I can barely close the cargo door. A warm front is passing through, and the humidity is on the rise. Today is not starting off well at all.
       At midday I take part of my break at the Valdosta Connection. They serve as my Internet access provider and host a Web page that I administered during the strike for members wanting information on the negotiations. After checking on the site, I begin to make my afternoon pickups. A number of customers ask about the pending negotiations between UPS and the pilots' union. I tell them that I don't believe there will be any more strikes for a while. The pilots are preparing to vote on a proposed contract and, from the looks of it, management has learned a lot from the past few weeks.
       The rest of the afternoon goes well, and I head in around 6:30 p.m. When I arrive at the center, the mechanic reports that he had to make repairs to a number of the package cars that were driven by inexperienced supervisors during the strike. I'm in a hurry to leave because I've got to pick up my daughter Julie from gymnastics practice on the way home, and maybe tonight I might get to bed at a decent hour.