Bike Messengers Vote To Join Union (Abridged Story) From a news story by 6/14/99
Bike messengers in San Francisco work hard. It isn't easy work with all the hills and cars. The messengers usually get paid about 200-500 dollars per week. Workers don't usually get benefits. So messengers from Ultra Ex-couriers voted to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. One bike messenger said, "I know people who are older who did this all their lives, 15-25 years, and now they're living in some motel on social security. They really have nothing to show for it, no pension plan, nothing." The Ultra Ex group has twenty-nine bike messengers, four walking messengers and nine drivers. The leaders hope this is a first step toward a citywide messengers' union. Usually messengers aren't joiners. The last time they tried to form a union was more than 10 years ago. The owner of another messenger service company doesn't think other messengers will join. There needs to be a lot of union members before the larger companies think that it is a threat. This owner offers his employees medical benefits, vacation pay, and profit sharing. Still, one of his messengers told us the bike messengers need a union. The Ultra Ex owner would not give an on camera interview. He promised that he would try to reach a fair agreement with his employees. The future is unsure, but maybe the messengers will get a better deal.
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