UPS and Teamsters are framing their shameless scheme to unionize FedEx as an issue of fairness.
UPS accuses FedEx of leveraging “an unfair competitive advantage” and an “unfair application of labor laws.” Ken Hall, Teamster’s head of the package division, said “we hope at the end of the day the Senate will see this as a simple issue of fairness.”
Here’s what is and isn’t fair:
The Washington Post reported today that “unionized UPS workers say they are being forced to write letters to their lawmakers in support of more stringent labor rules for arch rival FedEx.” Websites are filled with accounts of disgruntled employees saying they were forced to write FedEx-bashing letters to their elected officials—fearing repercussions if they did not. There is nothing fair about that.
UPS, just like every other company, should be expected to compete on the open market. That’s what’s fair. Instead, they are pushing federal policies that will help UPS by hurting their competitors. This kind of shameless rent seeking should not be tolerated by lawmakers, employees, or citizens.
