The Package King: A Rank and File History of United Parcel Service

by Joe Allen

The Package King is a critical history of one of the United States most iconic corporations and the evolution of an industry and how UPS workers responded to it at crucial turning points. It is ultimately a tale of hope. This book sees itself in the tradition of well-known 20th Century socialist author Upton Sinclair’s “The Flivver A Story of Ford-America.” Published originally by the UAW in 1937, the 200,000 copies that the union sold for 25 cents was part of its campaign to organize auto giant. It was a thinly fictionalized story of Henry Ford and the world he made. On The Flivver King’s original cover, the UAW posed the following

What is Henry Ford? What have the years done to him? What has his billion dollars made of him? Here also are his workers. What has the billion dollars done to them?

That last question could asked be easily asked of UPS today.

Genres: Labor, Nonfiction, History

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2016

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short history of UPS from a working class perspective. Extremely helpful in understanding the historical context behind the current struggle between the Teamsters and the bosses at UPS. Solidarity with these workers may they win everything they ask for!

[Bob Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Working at UPS should be the best job in America and it just isn’t.”—— a Teamster negotiator to a UPS official during the tense 1997 national contract negotiations.

Yes, working for United Parcel Service, the leading US package delivery company should be a good job, as the anonymous Teamster negotiator indicated. Joe Allen’s book, The Package King, explains why it isn’t. Today’s UPS package drivers are subjected to intense surveillance, constant speedup, are subject to serious injury and face a harsh disciplinary system where guilt is assumed. In the warehouses, workers are subjected to brutal unsafe working conditions and many are part-timers laboring at poverty wages.

The Package King is brilliant blend of solid socio-economic analysis with the very human stories of workers & management alike. It is a great gift to UPS workers and other workers in the global logistics industry, a powerful tool for achieving not only workplace democracy, but an extension of democracy across the entire societies in the face of corporate totalitarianism. It deserves the widest possible circulation.

[Brian Noe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelous alternative history of UPS, written from the point of view of the people who do the actual work. Joe Allen unpacks a prime example of working life in our era. That sense of alienation you feel? It's not you. It's the capitalism. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a better understanding of what lies beneath the brutal ugliness in our economy, and a glimpse into how we can fight back.

[Devin Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of both worker struggle of UPS and a parallel history of the Teamsters. prescient as we enter hopefully a new era of labor struggle, Teamsters experienced a similar reformist leadership turn as they did before the 1997 UPS strike as they did recently leading into 2023 contract negotiations. This is essential homework for logistics workers and Marxists at large

[Tushant Mittal · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first insight into how unions are organized/work in the US ! At times, it felt like unnecessary details were given and unimportant characters introduced but overall it was interesting read.

[Daniel Kassl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allen has a lot of tools in his belt—the sharp eye of a journalist, the rigor of an academician, and the earnest and soul of a worker. “The Package King” astutely weaves a history of union strife in UPS that clearly and compellingly demonstrates the conservative challenge within the trade unions and how organized workers must overcome it. It’s well researched, extremely accessible, and convincingly argumentative. It’s as important a beacon of hope for the modern labor movement as any I’ve read.

[Luke Rafferty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a disappointing read. This book was simply awful and clearly just the banter of a disgruntled employee. The author spent more time quoting and attacking other books on UPS, it was truly quite odd.

For some reason this author has it out for UPS (his employer of 25 years). Not worth the time

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of interesting material, but desperately in need of editing.

[Benjamin Solidarity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid read. While primarily based on a collection of articles its synthesized well and lays out an important piece of labor history.

[Allan Ducker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with a lot of insights into the Teamsters. Could’ve done without the frequent political narratives, but overall a solid read.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of interesting material, but desperately in need of editing.