[ Golden Gater Online - August 28, 1997 ]
SF State students working part-time for United Parcel Service may not be greeted at work with a cappuccino each morning but they say the recent strike has earned them new respect.
Students who participated in the UPS strike say the local's victory signals a reversal in the influence of American unions after the decline that began with the air traffic controller strike in 1981.
Blasco Capitani, a creative writing major who has worked as a part-time driver for UPS for eight years, said the victory in the 15-day strike gave union members a new sense of their own value.
"This strike brought the people in our local together," Capitani said . "It's a new day for labor."
Brenda Cochrane, director of the labor studies program at SF State, said there have been signs of a revitalized support for labor among students. In the last five years, the number of majors in the program has doubled and the number of students taking labor courses has tripled.
"There are as many students on the waiting list for Introduction to Labor Studies as there are registered in the class," Cochrane said . "We've never had this kind of demand for labor classes."
Cochrane said the reason is that when young people asses the job market, they see the types of jobs that with good benefits and job security are the ones with union contracts. Cochrane also said the new interest in labor unions is due to corporations taking advantage of workers.
"Everyone knows someone who has lost a job or been ripped off by corporate greed," Cochrane said.
Jack Bookter, secretary treasurer of Teamster Local 278, was cautious in predicting a new era for labor.
"I don't know exactly what the UPS victory means for the future of unions," he said. "But I suspect that if the strike had gone the other way, organized labor would have been defeated in this country."
"We got a tremendous sense of power when we realized the company can't run without us," Capitani said. "I wish labor would have held out for a better deal for the part-time workers."
Currently part-time employees earn an average of $11 an hour and full-time employees earn $20. In the new contract, part-time employees will receive a $4.10 raise over the next five years and full-time employees an increase of $3.10.
The largest victory for the union, according to Bookter, is that the union was able to maintain control of the pension fund, which will give the it an advantage in collective bargaining.
"The strike was an excellent education for young union members," Bookter said. "They got a chance to see what a strong union is all about."
UPS hires approximately 50 SF State students each year through its university recruitment program. UPS spokesman Tom Pizzuti, said the company plans to recruit on campus at the same level as always and especially during the busy seasons such as Christmas.
[ Golden Gater - August 28, 1997 ]