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UPS CEO Scott Davis talks Obama, economy and compromise
Erik Kabik/Retna/ErikKabik.com
President Obama speaks at a UPS facility in Las Vegas on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 | 2:36 p.m.
J. Patrick Coolican
Sun archives
I talked to D. Scott Davis, CEO of UPS, for a few minutes after President Barack Obama’s appearance at a local UPS facility today, and his comments were insightful because he seems like a perfect representation of the average voter.
I suspect that’s because his remarks were calculated not to offend. The CEO of a massive corporation such as UPS is in a tough spot, after all. Davis is on Obama’s Export Council, and the president made a number of complimentary remarks about the company, including its innovation, energy efficiency and labor-management relations. But it’s not like Davis can come out too strongly for the incumbent. After all, there could be a new president in a year, and he doesn’t want to offend his workers or customers.
Still, his remarks seem like they nicely represent the views of a lot of voters who are rooting for the president but aren’t exactly thrilled with his results.
I asked him if he agreed with some in corporate America who say Obama is “anti-business.” He didn’t answer the question directly, essentially saying the president has a tough job: “There are a lot of challenges we’re taking on.”
Davis expressed concern about Washington’s inability to compromise on key legislation, specifically deficit reduction. “What we went through last year was very disappointing,” he said, referring to last year’s debt ceiling fight.
He pointed to international trade agreements where Democrats and Republicans have made deals and wondered why the same can’t be done on other legislation.
“As a country, we’ve got to learn to compromise,” he said, noting his own company’s relationship with the Teamsters, the union that represents front-line UPS workers.
“We’ve got to think of the customers. In their case, think of the citizens,” he said.
He’s likely just being careful here, but he’s also a good representation of average voters because most didn’t understand the political dynamics of the failure to compromise on deficit reduction.
The reality is that compromise on deficit reduction is basically impossible because one side is unwilling to compromise. A compromise would be a mix of spending cuts and tax increases.
Republicans are unwilling to enact any tax increase because two decades ago an operative named Grover Norquist began a movement to get elected officials to sign a pledge to never raise taxes, and the vast majority of Republicans in Congress have signed it. That’s fine. That’s the party’s bedrock principle. Good for them, I suppose.
But let’s not pretend there was ever a chance of compromise or that both sides are somehow equally culpable for failure to come to a compromise on deficit reduction.
I asked Davis about various measures Obama enacted at the beginning of his term to rescue the dying patient that was the American economy. (We were losing 800,000 jobs per month when he took the oath.)
Davis didn’t evaluate the individual measures — the stimulus program, the bank stabilization or auto bailouts — but he did say there “needed to be more focus on jobs and the economy.”
He didn’t say it, but you could reasonably read into this an implicit critique of the White House drive for health care reform while the economy was still suffering.
I suspect a majority of Americans agree. (See, he’s the average voter.)
As for the economy, he said the signals remain mixed. UPS will release quarterly earnings soon. Obama should hope they are robust, because you might say as UPS goes, so goes the American economy, which is what will decide Obama’s fate come November.
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Its amazing how the left forgets that HARRY REID voted "no" on the Obama jobs bill. And if memory serves, Reid is a democrat... So there goes more finger pointing by those who are to blame...
And lets not forget why UPS and Obama were a match made in campaign heaven.
Who runs the work force of UPS? The teamsters. Who runs the teamsters union?? The Chicago Mob... Who helped get Obama elected? the Chicago Mob... Connect the dots boys...
UPS is a well run company that is highly profitable. Their package rates keep going up which is why we use FedEx which gives us a better deal. What the teamsters don't realize is that the Obama healthcare bill will take away certain medical benefits that the teamsters have been getting through their union contracts. This will happen when the men and women retire and they are forced to go on medicare. It is all in the details.
Askmrmark is completely wrong when he says "Who runs the work force of UPS? The teamsters." I worked at UPS for several years, both as a Teamster and as management. Without a doubt, the workforce is run by management. While people may think the labor deal the Teamsters got was very rich, any Teamster will tell you they earn every penny. They work their butts off as a result of tight management control. I've been out on OJS (On the job supervision) with a clicker counting how many steps it takes the employee to move a package. We get them to run their @ss off all day then we set that as the standard to do every day. That's some hardcore management that most employees wouldn't be able to survive. My hats off to every UPS teamster that makes the cut.
The only difference I see between the mob and the Federal Government is the mob has a code of ethics and knows how to turn a profit.
Nice of big O to take time to visit the ups and teamster boys. I wonder how many people he visited on 'F'street ? None I bet since they have no money to to help his campaign...