Headline News
Teamsters Local 710 UPS Team Shows Strength at Decatur Barn
The Teamsters Local 710 UPS Business Agent team recently made a group site visit to the Decatur, Ill. barn after management wrongfully attempted to bar that location’s agent from the facility.
As Local 710 Business Agent Neil McKinney was making his regular site visit, the hub manager told McKinney he was not allowed in the facility. When McKinney tried to continue his visit, the manager threatened escort the Teamster representative from the premises if he didn’t leave immediately.
“I told the manager that wouldn’t be a very good idea,” McKinney said. “There was no way his empty threat was going to prevent me from serving my members, so I figured we should make sure he knew that.”
At the next visit, McKinney was backed by Local 710 UPS Business Agents Ron Dillon, Simon McNamara and Del Schaefer. This show of solidarity was effective in showing management the strength of the union.
“We’re not going to let management think they can bully us,” Schaefer said. “We wanted to make sure they knew that we’re always going to be there for our members, and that if they push us, we’ll push back harder.”
Local 710 represents 128 UPS package car drivers out of the Decatur hub and more than 6,000 members at UPS across Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.