Teamsters Union Steward Evette Avery Herrod explains what the union is fighting for at UPS. It is about more than pay. It is about worker rights & respect.
A UPS Teamsters Union Steward speaks.
Evette Avery is a working mother providing for her family. She has been a Teamster Union Steward at UPS, as well as, an activist for workers’ rights for several years. She worked on the most extensive and effective organizing campaign with the IAM to get union representation for Delta ramp and cargo workers.
But for Evette, the fight for workers’ rights and pay seems like a nonending battle. The right woman is on the job. If there is one thing about Evette, she never gives up or gives in. She has been training many UPS workers on the art of the strike, ensuring they understand the dos and don’ts of picketing.
We were honored that Evette took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to us. After all, she is not only a Teamsters Union Steward but a worker (a driver), even as she trains her peers.
Evette points out that they are fighting to equalize pay from an unfair two-tier system that pays part-timers much less than full-timers. They have already won the right to AC on new trucks, among other concessions made by UPS.
Let’s be clear; UPS is a very profitable company. During the pandemic, they were essential workers forced to work. And as Evette points out, they were not too kind to the workers for the sacrifices they made. The company made huge profits during the pandemic on the backs of these workers. Yet, they did not partake of the spoils.
It is the same story over and over again. The executives and shareholders feel entitled to the profits they make on the backs of the workers. They are not ashamed that they are mostly parasites and not the partners they should be.
Please listen to the entire interview. It is well worth it.
