Looking Forward

By: Bob Friend, UPS mechanic and Teamster

My name is Bob Friend and I’ve been a Teamster for seventeen and a half years, all while working for United Parcel Service (UPS) as an aircraft maintenance technician. My first job in a union shop was with TWA for eight months prior to joining UPS. I’ve held positions with Teamsters Local 2727 in Louisville, Kentucky as a steward, Trustee, and Secretary-Treasurer.

In my 18 years working in a union shop I’ve learned there is absolutely one goal that must be reached when negotiating a contract, and that is job protection. Our scope language protects us against partial or complete mergers, and substantial asset sales. The legal firm we have is Baptiste & Wilder, who wrote this language. They are regarded as the best in the country when it comes to Railway Labor Act issues and contract language. We are currently in contract negotiations and they are there with us every step of the way.

The Teamsters International Union also has many resources that are just a phone call away. Besides having a legal department, they have a research department that will go to great lengths to look into issues that you anticipate will have an effect on your membership, most notably for contract language. The Teamsters have a long and storied tradition of working hard for working families. I believe in having a say in what we do as a union and the democratic process by which it is accomplished.

As a Teamster and aircraft maintenance technician, I believe that we as a group can make a difference in this industry if we stay united. What better way for aviation mechanics to unite than under the same strong union. We are already linked together in a brotherhood as AMT’s; why not make it an even closer relationship under the Teamsters. I look forward to the day when United Airlines and all AMT’s are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.