March 28,1997



Re: INCIDENT WITH MARTY FRATES

Dan Dugar asked me to represent him in a verbal warning meeting with management. Marty, Warren, Manager Kyle Smith, Manager Gary Maderas and myself showed up at the meeting.

During the meeting Dan stated he did not want Warren to represent him. He wanted me to represent him. Local 70 Business Representative, Marty Frates, asked Gary to leave for a few minutes (Kyle was gone already). He then told Dan that he was out of line. He told Dan that he could not choose his steward. Dan said that he liked Warren as a person but did not trust him as a steward. The meeting ended with Gary checking into things.

The following Monday Marty told me he was sending Dan a letter, that Dan was lying when he said he liked Warren as a person. (He was going to send him a letter?)

On April 2nd Dan called me over to a meeting he was having with Marty and Warren. Both Dan and myself had to ask Marty several times whether or not Marty recognizes me as a steward. Marty finally acknowledged that I was an alternate only. That, in the future, I must either meet with Warren or Marty before I could file a grievance. He told me this even though I have been a steward (not an alternate) for the last 6 months. I have filed four grievances on my own and won them all and I have taken care of numerous problems for the drivers. I now have to get permission to file a grievance. Warren is the new steward to our center. He does not have to clear anything through me or Marty. I can't help but feeling picked on and antagonized. I have always been a steward, not an alternate. I believe Marty and my political beliefs are different and therefore he is trying to force me to quit. I am not involved in decisions and I am lied to when meetings are taking place.

Marty also mentioned that he wants to bring Dan before the board (since
Warren said an apology won't be enough) for discipline for disrespecting
Warren as a Steward.

On April 4,1997, Marty once again accused Dan of lying. Marty said that he did not give a damn about "all that other stuff going on outside of UPS" meaning the racial law suit against United Parcel Service and statements made against Teamster Local 70.

In my six months of being a steward I have received no training from Local 70. Anything I have learned I have either read or gotten the information from Randy Olson. I have received no formal training and when I ask Marty questions I am told "you don't need to worry about that, I will take care of it".
I feel I am not taken seriously as a steward by Marty. He can't remove me
because too many drivers would be upset and make too much of it.

In another incident on February 24th, I was talking to my manager in a early scheduled meeting. When Marty saw us he stormed into the Division Managers office and told him "she can't do that'. My meeting, with my boss, was as a driver, not a steward. It was none of Marty's business. Marty appears to want control of everything. He tries to prevent anything significant from happening without him.

He interrupts our morning meetings including the safety meetings. He does this for no apparent reason.



Kim Marshant

Go Back to Document List