Posted October 11, 2006

1) Do you feel CEOs are out of touch with American workers?  

Yes - from lower management all the way up to the CEO. Even if they've been part of the union at one time or another, management tends to lose touch when making money becomes more important than caring about the little guy.  

2) What are some of the things CEOs can do to better understand the challenges facing workers?  

They need to make a real effort to communicate with workers. Right now they rely too much on lower management to keep them informed. We feel they should see and hear from workers directly.  

3) Has being part of a union given you an advantage in speaking your voice to the management of your company?  

Absolutely - as long as there's a union, we'll always have a voice. We reserve the right to disagree with the decisions management makes. At a non-union company, you're likely to get let go if you speak up. At UPS, if we have a complaint, we can be heard without a fear of retaliation. CEOs of union companies are also usually involved with contract negotiations, which is a good thing.  

4) If you could be CEO for a day, what would you do to improve working conditions?  

Luckily, our working conditions are pretty good given that we're a union company. However, I always think that CEOs can do a better job of showing people that the company cares about them as human beings, which is something I would do as CEO for a day. Otherwise, most of our concerns are taken care of through a fair and collective bargaining process.

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