What will a UPS strike mean for the hobby?

[BroccoliFarmer]

Reading some of these comments makes me feel like not coming back to R2R…perhaps I am in the minority.

out of curiosity..which ones?

 

[LightingBug]

I own a lawn/ irrigation business in Central Florida. I can count on one hand in the last 7 years a customer has offered me or my staff a bottle of water. We cut every day in ridiculous heat and humidity. Always 9-10 hours a day in direct sunlight. I would sit in a truck with no a/c and run packages all day. I mean it goes with the job. These drivers knew what they were getting into when they hired on.

Terrible...
We have a giant fridge in our office that is just filled with water (ok there is beer in there also) and my driver (Mike) and even the FedEX dude whom we only see a few times a month. I think it's about $10/month for those folks, which is change overall.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I’m a Union guy. Collective bargaining / contracts a must. Wages, benefits, work schedules, seniority, bidding etc.

Im torn. I understand the benefits of collective bargaining and dont begrudge anyone who goes the union route. However, I have always been a high performer who's ability and natural gifts would be under valued by a contract that pays a standard rate regardless of abilities. I have been able to run circles around people with more experience and seniority which would lock me into being underpaid simply because someone else has managed not to get fired for a while. I guess once my skills and abilities no longer allow my upwards trajectory, I may think about going to a union shop.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

After looking at the deal and talking to some UPS part timers, I don't have high hopes, they already pay 20-22 an hour starting in chicagoland and it sounds like a lot of them are going to vote it down. I already see posts bashing the teamsters for selling out the 2/3rd of the workforce that is part time. I didn't know they made that much, explains why the agreement is up that high, if dense metripolitan areas are already adjusted that high. Great deal for a lot of areas, but not where the

I can tell you in my area (Western KY) $20/hr is a decent wage. My guys make more than that but they all have nice cars they bought new and nice homes

Oh for sure, yeah in some areas its great, but the wages here and what it can afford is a far cry from my parents being able to buy a house on a single minimum wage income in the late 80s. I know most areas aren't as bad as northern Illinois, but its absurd how they could do that 35 years ago, and now making 15x+ that myself, let alone having a workong wife, I can barely afford a house in their neighborhood. Granted we have a lot of kids and daycare is more than our mortgage, big reasons for our financial strain, it makes me sympathize with people, and cheer on their finally forcing the hand for higher wages.

Granted, the land values would probably be far less of an issue here and probably elsewhere if it wasn't mostly a battle to get the non decaying public school option.

I worry for my LFSs knowing they all currently UPS freight, and will do what I can to switch from amazon and online retail to supporting them, even if this doesn't result in a strike.

Bottom line is no one who is getting hurt by this, be it all the economic damage businesses face if there is a strike, or the workers who are on government assistance working 31 hours a week if they don't, are at fault. Pretty much no one is, and it bumbs me out Good thing I have all these pretty coral and fish to keep me from thinking about it.

 

[Dom]

Saw at least one vendor talking about the impending UPS strike and how that is likely going to impact their ability to ship coral for the time being (if it happens), and it got me to wondering how many other reef businesses this is likely to impact. How bad would the impact of this strike be?

I wouldn't order live stock during this time. Sometimes things get delayed when there isn't a strike!

Overall, I expect most vendors will turn to alternative delivery methods such as USPS and FedEx.

 

[flashsmith]

My understanding is if you want to be a driver you have to start out loading trucks. I just feel like they knew what they signed up for. I recently read an article that drivers average around 90k a year or better. That's double what many households bring in. Alot of the part timers are paid very well and again make more part time in a week than alot of people make full time. With full benefits on top. I usually support Union but I'm not feeling it with this one.

 

[rtparty]

My understanding is if you want to be a driver you have to start out loading trucks. I just feel like they knew what they signed up for. I recently read an article that drivers average around 90k a year or better. That's double what many households bring in. Alot of the part timers are paid very well and again make more part time in a week than alot of people make full time. With full benefits on top. I usually support Union but I'm not feeling it with this one.

Yep. When my UPS driver shared what he made last year, I had no sympathy. 3x the national average, 6 weeks of paid vacation, 2-3 weeks of sick days and other stuff, full health benefits for him and his family.

In the end, any wage increase simply means shipping rates go up. It’s that simple. Meaning everything else goes up in price to eat the shipping costs.

 

[QuickrdenU]

Oh man. So many things I want to say here… But I’ll keep it short. Forget about your fish and coral. If UPS shuts down, the country will have far greater problems. Kinda the norm as of lately..

 

[blaxsun]

Not to sound facetious, but I was really curious how many "strike" sales were suddenly going to pop up everywhere...

 

[QuickrdenU]

Not to sound facetious, but I was really curious how many "strike" sales were suddenly going to pop up everywhere...

Genius! You in marketing?

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Not to sound facetious, but I was really curious how many "strike" sales were suddenly going to pop up everywhere...

1 (er 10) too many?

I am just wondering once this constant crazy sale is a precursor to prices actually falling. There have been a lot of challenges in the industry lately between covid dying down, strong inflation, more regulations, supply (and shipping) disruptions....maybe the industry is about to go through a downturn as more people are leaving than joining? (although the standard 10% off new for used equiptment taking hold counters my argument)

 

[blaxsun]

Genius! You in marketing?

Marketing is a lot like consulting. When there's no money to be made in solving the problem there's money to be made in prolonging it... Just ask Anheuser-Busch.

 

[blaxsun]

1 (er 10) too many?

I am just wondering once this constant crazy sale is a precursor to prices actually falling. There have been a lot of challenges in the industry lately between covid dying down, strong inflation, more regulations, supply (and shipping) disruptions....maybe the industry is about to go through a downturn as more people are leaving than joining? (although the standard 10% off new for used equiptment taking hold counters my argument)

I personally think we've reached (or passed) the peak for our industry post-COVID. In addition to higher interest rates, cost of living (food, fuel, utilities) we've been gouged with numerous price hikes and shipping costs - all the while QC and QA have gone into the toilet.

Basically we're paying a lot more for less and what we do get seems to be far inferior in terms of quality (and not just dry goods).

 

[Opus]

Gonna need a lot more local frag swaps. Which isn't a bad thing.

Maybe it is just my area, but they have been horrible around here attendance wise for the last year. I went to a Tyree one this past weekend and I don't know that 50 people showed up. The vendors were walking around talking to each other because there was no one buying anything. I will say I picked up some great deals but the lack of attendance is probably going to show next year in the lack of swaps locally. I've talked to a couple of vendors that have said after they have attended the shows they have already committed to they are going to stop doing them because they are barely breaking even or they are losing money.

 

[Ordovician_Reef]

No strike! I was worried because I am expecting my Waterbox soon

 

[blaxsun]

Maybe it is just my area, but they have been horrible around here attendance wise for the last year. I went to a Tyree one this past weekend and I don't know that 50 people showed up. The vendors were walking around talking to each other because there was no one buying anything. I will say I picked up some great deals but the lack of attendance is probably going to show next year in the lack of swaps locally. I've talked to a couple of vendors that have said after they have attended the shows they have already committed to they are going to stop doing them because they are barely breaking even or they are losing money.

We had a very poor turnout on the last two local ones as well. The irony is that they had the best turnout during the height of COVID.

 

[QuickrdenU]

I personally think we've reached (or passed) the peak for our industry post-COVID. In addition to higher interest rates, cost of living (food, fuel, utilities) we've been gouged with numerous price hikes and shipping costs - all the while QC and QA have gone into the toilet.

Basically we're paying a lot more for less and what we do get seems to be far inferior in terms of quality (and not just dry goods).

I completely agree. In most hobbies, the peak came around 2022. Now with inflation, most people will ease spending drastically.

 

[QuickrdenU]

We had a very poor turnout on the last two local ones as well. The irony is that they had the best turnout during the height of COVID.

People had a few hundred dollars in covid cash burning a hole in their pocket. But now we’re all paying it back. With interest….

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Maybe it is just my area, but they have been horrible around here attendance wise for the last year. I went to a Tyree one this past weekend and I don't know that 50 people showed up. The vendors were walking around talking to each other because there was no one buying anything. I will say I picked up some great deals but the lack of attendance is probably going to show next year in the lack of swaps locally. I've talked to a couple of vendors that have said after they have attended the shows they have already committed to they are going to stop doing them because they are barely breaking even or they are losing money.

Yeah, covid propped up the hobby because people were stuck at home. Now that it's "over", a lot of covid Reefers are selling off their tanks. I see a lot of tanks on fb everyday. Summer is always slow for Reefing too, as it is a seasonal hobby, imo. Also, shopping habits changed to mostly all online now. Even for groceries.

 

[ScubaFish802]

I think this is great not only for the people who are grinding everyday delivering all our stuff but also for our shipments! If they get additional cooling in the trucks that would be beneficial as well to anything being shipped that is currently in up to 140 degree temps all day in the back of the truck.


The UPS lady who does our area is awesome.

From what I understand the workers still have to vote on what was agreed on however so I am not sure they are out of the woods yet.